Matisyahu uses his music to bridge extremes

Friday, October 13, 2006

By Mark Bialczak Staff writer

Nicci Brown knew immediately that she wanted to include a concert to help drive home the message of the daylong Syracuse University summit "Small World/Big Divide: Building Bridges in an Age of Extremes."
"I think we recognize that people perceive and process information in many ways," says Brown, associate vice president at SU, who organized the event that starts at 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Schine Student Center's Goldstein Auditorium and concludes at 7:30 p.m. with a Landmark Theatre concert featuring Matisyahu, Kenny Muhammad the Human Orchestra and State Radio.
"That's why (the summit) will involve panel discussions and end with music. Music can reach people in a deep way that maybe words cannot reach them," Brown says.
The lyrics that accompany the blend of reggae and hip-hop musical styles of Matisyahu have been reaching a diverse audience since his 2004 debut disc, "Shake Off the Dust . . . Arise."
Matisyahu was born in West Chester, Pa., as Matthew Miller. He was raised in White Plains before following the jam band Phish on the road and living in
Colorado and Oregon. But it was a trip to Israel that led to his position as Orthodox Judaic singer-songwriter Matisyahu, which is the Hebrew version of his first name.
The 2005 single of a live performance of his song "King Without a Crown" and this March's CD "Youth" have helped propel Matisyahu into the national spotlight. His performance at the Raga Muffins Festival in Los Angeles in March earned a stellar review with the headline "A new testament for the reggae world Matisyahu enraptures Ragga Muffins Festival with his message and ebullient presence."
His message, driven home by the lyrics of the title cut from "Youth," is: Think hard and do something about your world.
"Young man, control in your hands," he sings to the reggae lilt. "Slam your fist on the table and make your demands. Take a stand, fan the fire for the flame of youth. Got the freedom to choose, better make the right move."
Matisyahu will share the night with Kenny Muhammad the Human Orchestra, a Muslim from Queens who's known for his one-man-band performance, and State Radio, a Massachusetts-based band noted for its progressive politics and blend of funk and rock.
"We wanted something this diverse," Brown says. "(The artists) have been informed about what this day is about. Matisyahu was scheduled to perform, I believe, in another part of the country for this day. When we posed the idea for him to be part of the daylong expression, he agreed."

Mark Bialczak can be reached at mbialczak@syracuse.com or 470-2175. His blog "Listen Up" is at www.syracuse.com/blogs/listenup.

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