Music review Matisyahu rewards the faithful

Monday, September 11, 2006
LEE WILLIAMS
The Oregonian

Natan Brownstein, 17, and buddy Gabe Herbs, 14, thought they'd hopped on the wrong bus to Edgefield on Thursday evening. The two friends made a bit of worried noise while riding the No. 77 bus from Portland to Troutdale, their goal being Edgefield's spacious concert lawn.

But, like the performer they had tickets to see, Hasidic reggae-rapper Matisyahu (pronounced something like Modest-yahoo), the boys kept the faith. That hourlong ride on TriMet from their homes in Southwest Portland dropped them off right in front of the historic manor, in fact.

Why did the Brooklyn-born Matisyahu attract these two to Troutdale? "Who's the last Jewish rapper who made it big?" asked Brownstein. "The Beastie Boys? This guy is from Brooklyn, but he represents all of us. And he makes us proud."

The boys were joined by about 2,500 other fans of the 27-year-old artist (real name: Matthew Paul Miller) for the all-age outdoor concert, which drew in Jews, gentiles, hippies and the chosen few still working at Intel as well.

Two summers ago, Matisyahu gained national attention after a set on Carson Daly's late-night show. This spring, a live version of his single "King Without a Crown" broke Billboard's Top 40, achieving the rare feat of bringing faith onto a mostly secular pop chart.

True faith is what divides Matisyahu from a novelty act: There's no doubt, as proven under the concert's harvest moon, that he feels every joyful rhyme he lays out. Backed by two guitars, keyboards, two drum kits and a light show to rival any indoor rock offering, his inspiring words also got the lawn hopping: "Moonlight enlighten my way at twilight from the heights of my roof/ I send praise then poof/ I'm looking up at the night and ask for help to get up and get up and get it right!"

This is more exhilaration than evangelism. And Matisyahu even managed to invoke some humor and faith into the theme from "Rocky" ("Gonna Fly Now"), sputtering out a string of sounds into Bill Conti's famous 1970s instrumental.

When he launched into "King Without a Crown," the grounds of the Edgefield shook from 5,000 thumping, jumping feet. Folks seemed to be reaching for that glowing moon while simultaneously being steered back inward. Led by one voice, the night was a journey of joy, certainly worth the wait -- and the tiny burden of a bus transfer.

Free song

Matisyahu has recorded a new version of his song "Jerusalem" with legendary production duo Sly & Robbie. The track will be available Sept. 19 from digital retailers but can be accessed for free by fans who have already purchased Matisyahu's album, "Youth," on which the original appears.

The artist is in the midst of a fall tour with Gomez and the Polyphonic Spree, which rolls into San Diego tonight (Sept. 12)

-- Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.

World peace summit to feature speakers, musical artist Matisyahu

Eddie Jacovino
Posted: 9/18/06

Syracuse University will host a world peace summit with diplomats and international affairs experts from around the world, also featuring a concert by Matisyahu in October, said Nicole Brown, associate vice president of SU.

The attendees of the summit will include a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

"This is SU saying, okay, we really need to come up with solutions here that can work in the real world," Brown said.

The event, titled, "Small Word/Big Divides: Building Bridges in an Age of Extremes," will be held Oct. 18 in Goldstein Auditorium. The day will feature two or three panels that will include guests such as Richard Holbrooke, former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. and Dennis Ross, author and diplomat, Brown said. The discussions will be free and open for students to easily come and go.

While the prompts for the panel discussions may be about the Middle East, she said, the issues are similar in nature to those in other parts of the world.

"We're drawing all these folks together," Brown said. "These are not the type of conversations that are talked about and then everybody forgets what was said."

Panelists will be exploring which solutions for peace work and which do not, she said.

The concert will be held the night of Oct. 18 at the Landmark Theater featuring Matisyahu, Kenny Muhammad, the Human Orchestra, and State Radio, Brown said. Tickets for the concert are currently available to students at the Schine box office and go on sale to the public Tuesday morning.

"The concert, in some ways, mimics the theme of what's being talked about," Brown said.

SU asked University Union Concerts to help with putting on the concert portion of the summit, said Helen Koutsourades, UU Concerts public relations director. By asking the students to help, SU is fulfilling Chancellor Nancy Cantor's scholarship in action campaign.

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