Chances are, if you ran into Matisyahu — a heavily bearded, six-foot-five man who wears traditional Hasidic Jewish clothing — on the street, you wouldn’t peg him as one of the hottest artists to hit it big in the last year. But the singer, formerly known as Matthew Miller, has struck the right chord with jam band/reggae fans as well as the devoutly Jewish faithful.
With sharp wit and a distinguished (but fake) Jamaican high tenor accent, Matisyahu gives fans a unique blend of reggae peppered with beat boxing and traditional Jewish messages he’s picked up over the years. Today, he’ll spread the word to H-town at Warehouse Live. Though Matisyahu’s stage persona is more in line with Rastafarian idols like Bob Marley, his choice to praise Hashem instead of Jah is what sets him apart.
“It’s part of who I am, and it made sense to look at my own culture and my own traditions,” he has said. Last year Matisyahu recorded a show at Stubb’s in Austin. Live at Stubb’s has been the No. 1 Billboard reggae album for the last six weeks. And with the release of his latest, Youth, the native New Yorker may soon dominate the top two spots. Fellow Jews Balkan Beat Box take the stage first.
Sun., March 12, 8 p.m.
This article appears in Mar 9-15, 2006.