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| Birth Name(s) : Matthew Paul Miller |
Date of Birth: N/A |
| Status:
Single
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Partner:
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| Profession:
Actor |
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Full Matisyahu Biography
Known for blending traditional Jewish themes with reggae and rock sounds, Matisyahu was most recognizable for being a member of Chabad-Lubavitch, a chassidic group of Judaism, but has recently left Chabad-Lubavitch and is now a main-stream Chassid, looking into the Breslov Chassidic sect. As such, Matisyahu stands out for wearing the traditional clothing of Hasidic Jews and not performing on the Sabbath. Since 2004, he has released two studio albums as well as one live album, two remix CDs and one DVD featuring a live concert, and a number of interviews. Through his short career, Matisyahu has teamed up with some of the biggest names in reggae production including Bill Laswell and duo Sly & Robbie.
Matisyahu was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania and his family eventually settled in White Plains, New York. He was brought up a Reconstructionist Jew, and sometimes performed under the alias MC Truth for MC Mystic's Soulfari band. He spent some time as a young man as a self-professed "deadhead," taking hallucinogens and following Phish on tour. At 16, Matisyahu took part in a semester-long program that offers students first-hand exploration of Jewish heritage at the Alexander Muss High School in Israel in Hod Hasharon, Israel. His experiences there significantly affected his feelings towards Judaism eventually leading to his decision to adopt Orthodox Judaism, becoming a baal teshuva around 2001. Initially he found his way to the Carlebach Shul on the West Side of Manhattan. Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach pioneered contemporary Jewish music as well as counter culture Judaism. Shlomo hung out in Greenwich Village in the late fifties and the early sixties and established the first alternative Jewish Center, The House of Love and Prayer, in San Francisco's haight-Ashbury district in 1966. Shlomo became the first rabbi in history to play a guitar and has inspired every Jewish based guitarist and contemporary Jewish liturgist and singer. ] Matisyahu then found his way to Chabad of Washington Square. Matisyahu finished high school at a wilderness program in Bend, Oregon. Following this seminal event, Matisyahu began playing with the Jewish band Pey Dalid.
In 2004, Matisyahu, after having signed with JDub Records, a not-for-profit record label that promotes Jewish musicians, released his first album, Shake Off the Dust...Arise. At the time a relatively unknown musician, he did not rise to prominence until Bonnaroo 2005, when he talked Trey Anastasio of the band Phish into letting him play a set. This would prove to be the event that launched his career.
His live album, Live at Stubb's, released in 2005, was recorded at a concert in Austin, Texas. This concert album, and Youth, his second album, both received critical and popular acclaim. Each album marks significant changes in Matisyahu's style, most markedly between Stubb's and Youth, when more rock music influences are evident. Since his second two albums became popular, Shake off the Dust has steadily risen in demand, fetching prices upwards of $30USD on online auction sites such as Ebay.Matisyahu performing at the Roskilde Festival in 2006.
The live version of the song "King Without a Crown", broke into the Modern Rock Top 10 in 2006. The accompanying video and new album - Youth - produced by Bill Laswell were released on March 7, 2006 and on March 16, Youth was Billboard magazine's number-one "Digital Album". In 2006, Matisyahu appeared once again at Bonnaroo, this time performing a solo set in front of an estimated crowd of over 80,000 people.
In Spring 2006, right before the release of Youth, Matisyahu cut ties with his managers at JDub Records, which resulted in some controversy due to Matisyahu's role in the founding of the label. Contrary to popular belief, JDub managed his act, but was not his record label.
As of July 2007, Matisyahu has already begun writing new songs for his third proper studio album, which is due for release sometime in early 2008.
However, he mixes in contemporary stylings of rap and beatboxing, similar to Sublime, as well as the traditional Hazzan style of Jewish cantors and Hasidic nigunim. The generally critical New York Times' Kelefa Sanneh notes that "His sound owes a lot to early dancehall reggae stars like Barrington Levy and Eek-a-Mouse." The Chicago Tribune's Kevin Pang has described a Matisyahu performance as "soul-shaking brand of dancehall reggae, a show that captures both the jam band vibe of Phish and the ska-punk of Sublime." Reviewers generally agree that Matisyahu may disappoint reggae purists, but acknowledge the unique blend of musical traditions that Matisyahu harnesses generally please the people who see his performances. Matisyahu's style has been compared to Jew da Maccabi, an Orthodox Jew from Florida who includes religious lyrics within a musical style derived from hip-hop.
In an interview with Chabad.org, the flagship Chabad Lubavitch website, Matisyahu states that "All of my songs are influenced and inspired by the teachings that inspire me. I want my music to have meaning, to be able to touch people and make them think. Chasidism teaches that music is 'the quill of the soul.' Music taps into a very deep place and speaks to us in a way that regular words can't." Matisyahu July 2007, Mansfield, MA on tour with 311 |
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