Article published November 21, 2009
Jewish rocker puts faith to music
Modern sound in tune with culture, he says
Josh Nelson will lead his band in concert tonight at the Temple-Congregation Shomer Emunim.
|
By DAVID YONKE
BLADE RELIGION EDITOR
Josh Nelson is blazing a trail that brings together two of his lifelong passions - Judaism and music.
The singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist will lead his band in concert tonight at The Temple-Congregation Shomer Emunim in Sylvania, kicking off the fifth annual Northwest Ohio Jewish Book Fair.
Mr. Nelson, 32, said that for many years he thought religion and music were mutually exclusive, but while in college he felt driven by a sense of dissatisfaction to merge the two.
"I grew up in a prototypical American Conservative synagogue," he said in an interview this week. "We had an organ and a choir. I have a classical music background, and although the music in the synagogue was aesthetically beautiful, it didn't meet up with the musical sensibilities I had at the time."
His musical interests are eclectic, he said, ranging from Brahms and Beethoven to Miles Davis, Led Zeppelin, and the Foo Fighters.
Classically trained as a vocalist and double bassist, Mr. Nelson plays a variety of instruments but primarily uses guitar, piano, and percussion.He felt that the music in the synagogue could use some updating.
"Aside from chanting, Jewish music has been in a change cycle since its inception … and always has been somewhat reflective of its time and culture," he said.
Mr. Nelson, who grew up in southeastern Massachusetts and lives in New York City, began writing his own songs that incorporate Jewish teachings, Torah verses, and other religious lyrics with rock and roll or melodic pop-rock, performed on electric instruments.
He has played more than 1,000 concerts across the country and recently released a CD titled "Lift."
The feedback has been "overwhelmingly positive," he said, but a few Jews have been offended by the combination of rock music and spiritual messages.
"We make connections through art, and if the art that's placed in front of you does not reach you for whatever reason, and especially when the art is spiritual in nature, the reaction is to get angry at the artist," Mr. Nelson said. "When it happens, people tend to be really intense about it. They feel as if I personally came at them."
Mr. Nelson urges critics to be more open to change.
"Culture changes, times change, and to sit in a bubble and not look outside your circle is an injustice not only to you but to your community," he said.
He said the first Jewish rockers who came along 10 or 15 years ago mostly played parodies of popular songs, and that was considered acceptable because it was humorous.
But Mr. Nelson, who is studying for his doctorate in music at Boston University, wants to use his musical skills not just to entertain and amuse, but to inspire people both inside and outside the synagogue.
"Music can move people both in a real solid worship context and also in everyday life," he said.
The Josh Nelson Project will perform a free concert at 7:30 tonight at the Temple-Congregation Shomer Emunim, 6453 Sylvania Ave., Sylvania.
e
The Jewish book fair begins tomorrow and continues through Tuesday.
Featured authors and their books include:
• Amalia Hoffman (The Klezmer Bunch); Jill Bloomfield (Jewish Holidays Cookbook); Kim Ablon Whitney (The Other Half of Life), and Hal Niedzviecki (The Peep Diaries), 10 a.m. tomorrow at the Temple-Congregation Shomer Emunim, 6453 Sylvania Ave., Sylvania. Free.
•Jodye Speyer (Dump 'Em), 7 p.m. tomorrow, Leo and Vera Sekach Community Services Building, 6505 Sylvania Ave. Free.
•David Sax (Save the Deli), noon Monday, Congregation B'nai Israel, 6525 Sylvania Ave., $10 for lunch; $25 for lunch and a signed copy of the book.
•Ron Shandler (Baseball Forecaster) and Doree Shafrir (Love, Mom), 7 p.m. Monday, Sylvania Country Club, 5201 Corey Rd., tickets range from $15 to $35.
•Ari Kelman (Station Identification), 1 p.m. Tuesday, JCC/YMCA Campus, Romanoff Patio, 6465 Sylvania Ave., Sylvania, free.
•Tina Wasserman (Entree to Judaism), 7 p.m., Congregation Etz Chayim, 3853 Woodley Rd., $10 to $40 per person.
Information and registration: 419-724-0357.
- David Yonke
Permanent Link
|
|
 |
|
Search
advertisement
