Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By richards on December 22, 2014

NEW YORK They may share the same long beards, curly pe'ot (sidelocks) and come from a similar Hasidic background, but don't call Zusha the next Matisyahu.

While they site the Jewish reggae singer as one of their inspirations, this bearded band of neo-Hasidic hipsters are shaking up the music industry with their wordless melodies aimed at bringing people of all faiths closer to God.

"We're playing music for unity, for connection, to bring all of the inspiration we got from our Judaism [to others] in a more universal way," lead singer Shlomo Gaisin told FOX411.

The band knew their tunes were making a mark when their first EP debuted at No. 9 on Billboard's World Music chart.

"My dad was freaking out," guitarist Zachariah Goldshmiedt recalled. "He made a cut out of Billboard, but he had to cut out a picture of Nicki Minaj because it was inappropriate."

Gaisin and his bandmates follow the traditions of Hasidism, a sect of Judaism which places on emphasis on practicing Jewish law and living every day life with added spirituality.

"Hasidism is-- it's a celebration of life," explained Gaisin. "It's making sure that our eyes aren't focused on the darkness of the world, but on the lightness of world even if it's tiny."

While most of Zusha's songs contain no lyrics, they are not voiceless. Gaisin's voice can be heard singing repetitive sounds to convey emotion such as "bim-bim-bum." The style of singing is typical of Hasidism.

"We do like to veer to the wordless because of it's universalism," explained percussionist Elisha Mlotek.

"Well the wordless in it's very nature relatable to all people because there's not specific language that connotes a connect to one specific people," added Gaisin.

See the article here:

Hasidic hipster band Zusha hopes to bring people of all ...

Category: Hasidic
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