Matisyahu

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Biography

Matthew Paul Miller (born June 30, 1979), better known by his Hebrew name and stage name Matisyahu , is an American reggae and alternative rock musician.

Known for blending Orthodox Judaism|traditional Jewish music|Jewish themes with reggae, Rock music|rock and Hip hop music|hip hop beatboxing sounds, Matisyahu's single " King Without a Crown (Matisyahu song)|King Without a Crown " was a Top 40 hit in the United States. Since 2004, he has released three studio album s as well as two live album s, two remix CD s and two DVD s featuring live concerts. Through his career, Matisyahu has worked with Bill Laswell and reggae producers Sly & Robbie .

Biography

Early life

Matisyahu was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania|West Chester , Pennsylvania . His family eventually settled in White Plains, New York|White Plains in Westchester County, New York|Westchester County , New York ., AOL Music , accessed April 7, 2011. He was brought up a Reconstructionist Judaism|Reconstructionist Jew , and attended Hebrew school at Bet Am Shalom, a synagogue in White Plains. He spent much of his childhood learning the various tenets of Judaism, but by the time he was a teenager, Matisyahu began to rebel against his upbringing. He started taking drugs and dropped out of White Plains High School. He became a self-professed " Phish -head," taking hallucinogens and following the rock band Phish on tour. He finished high school at a wilderness program in Bend, Oregon|Bend , Oregon .Anderman, Joan. , boston.com, 20 June 2004.

In the fall of 1995, Matisyahu took part in a two month-long program at the Alexander Muss High School in Hod Hasharon , Israel , a program which offers students first-hand exploration of Jewish heritage as a way of solidifying Jewish identity.

His experiences there led to his decision to adopt Orthodox Judaism . Initially he found his way to the Carlebach Shul on the West Side of Manhattan . Matisyahu then sought out Chabad of Washington Square, a branch of the large Hasidic movement also often called Lubavitch . Matisyahu began playing with the Jewish band Pey Dalid.Blum, Brian. , Shabbat Shalom , Orthodox Union, 15 June 2006. At the age of 19, Miller formally joined the Lubavitch movement and took a Hebrew form of his name: Matisyahu.

Origin of his name

Matisyahu is an Ashkenazic Hebrew pronunciation of a Biblical Hebrew name (??????, Mattathias ), the name of the 2nd century BCE Jewish leader of the Maccabees ' revolt. The English equivalent is Matthew .

In an interview in Kosher Spirit Magazine (a publication by OK Kosher Certification ), Matisyahu explained the origin of his use of the name as follows: while he, like most Jewish boys, received a Hebrew name at his brit milah (circumcision ceremony), when he was eight days old, Miller's family lost track of the names given. In Hebrew school, it was assumed to be Matisyahu because of the connection between Matthew and Matisyahu. The original certificate from the brit was later located and Miller discovered that the actual name given at the brit was the Yiddish name "Feivish Hershel". He was advised by his rabbis to continue using the Hebrew name that he had grown up with., Kosher Spirit Magazine , Fall 2005.

2001 - 2007

From 2001 through July 2007, Matisyahu was affiliated with the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic Judaism|Hasidic community in Crown Heights, Brooklyn|Crown Heights , Brooklyn , New York . However, as of July 17, 2007, he told the Miami New Times in an interview that he no longer "necessarily" identifies with the Lubavitch movement. In the interview, he stated that "...the more I'm learning about other types of Jews, I don't want to exclude myself. I felt boxed in.". Miami New Times Blog, 17 July 2007. Additionally, in the fall of 2007, while on a family vacation spent primarily in Jerusalem 's Nachlaot neighborhood, he expressed interest in another Hasidic sect, that of Karlin (Hasidic Dynasty)|Karlin .. HaAretz , Israel, 9 October 2007. As of November 2007 he has confirmed a preference to pray at the Karliner synagogue in Boro Park where the custom is to ecstatically scream prayers; however he continues to reside in Crown Heights because of his wife's affinity for the community.Nussbaum Cohen, Debra. . The Jewish Week , 28 November 2007.

Soon after his adoption of hasidism, Matisyahu began Torah study|studying Torah at Hadar Hatorah , a yeshiva for returnees to Judaism where he wrote and recorded his first album. He counts Bob Marley , Phish ,Rolling Stone. ', by Peter Relic. March 6, 2006 God Street Wine and Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach among his musical inspirations and gives credit to Rabbi Simon Jacobson's book Toward a Meaningful Life for the lyrical inspiration to Youth s title track. As part of his faith, he strictly observes the Jewish Sabbath, which begins at sundown on Friday; thus he does not perform in concert on Friday nights. An exception to this rule occurred at a 2007 concert in Fairbanks, Alaska ; since the sun did not set until 2:00& nbsp;a.m., performing in the late hours was not technically a violation of Jewish observance.. Retrieved July 4, 2008.

Personal Life

Matisyahu met NYU film student Talia when she interviewed him for a documentary about men and women not touching. Rabbi Korn set them up, They were set up by Rabbi Korn ('You have to set up a date through the rabbi') and went through a dating process that Matisyahu admits would make a great premise for a sitcom. 'After the date she called the rabbi and told him what happened, and I called the rabbi and told him what happened. Then we decided if we wanted to go another date. By the third date, I knew this was the person I wanted to marry.' and they married in August 2004. Together they have sons Laivy (2005) and Shalom, and son Menachem Mendel was recently born.Sun Dec 11 episode of 'Chef Roble & Co' where he catered a Kosher Vegan Event for Matisyahu

On December 13, 2011, Matisyahu posted a beardless picture of himself on Twitter, explaining on his website :

: No more Chassidic reggae superstar. Sorry folks, all you get is me…no alias.
: When I started becoming religious 10 years ago it was a very natural and organic process. It was my choice. My journey :to discover my roots and explore Jewish spirituality—not through books but through real life. At a certain point I felt the need to submit to a higher level of religiosity…to move away from my intuition and to accept an ultimate truth. I felt that in order to become a good person I needed rules—lots of them—or else I would somehow fall apart. I am reclaiming myself. Trusting my goodness and my divine mission.
: Get ready for an amazing year filled with music of rebirth. And for those concerned with my naked face, don’t worry…
: you haven’t seen the last of my facial hair ."

=Career=

Miller performed for over a year as MC Truth in the Bend, Oregon band Soulfori.

In 2004, Matisyahu, after having signed with JDub Records , a nonprofit record label that promotes Jewish musicians, released his first album, Shake Off the Dust...Arise . At 2005 Bonnaroo Music Festival|Bonnaroo 2005 , Trey Anastasio of the band Phish invited him for a guest spot on his set.Serpick, Evan. , Rolling Stone , 24 February 2006.

His major label debut album was produced by Bill Laswell , with minor contribution by pop producers Jimmy Douglass and the Ill Factor.

His live album, ''Live at Stubb's , released in 2006, was recorded at a concert in Austin, Texas was followed by the studio album Youth .

In 2005 and 2006 he toured extensively in the United States, Canada and Europe; and made a number of stops in Israel , including a performance as the supporting act for Sting (musician)|Sting in June 2006. In late 2006, he released No Place to Be , a remix album featuring re-recordings and remixes of songs from all three of his earlier albums, as well as a cover of " Message in a Bottle (song)|Message in a Bottle " by The Police .

The live version of the song King Without a Crown (Matisyahu song)|King Without a Crown , broke into the Modern Rock Top 10 in 2006. The accompanying video and album, Youth , produced by Bill Laswell , was released on March 7, 2006. On March 16, Youth was Billboard magazine's number-one Digital Album. In 2006, he appeared once again at Bonnaroo, this time performing a solo set.

In spring 2006, right before the release of Youth , he cut ties with his managers at JDub Records. JDub managed his act, but was not his record label.Sisario, Ben. , The New York Times , 14 March 2006.

At the 2007 Slamdance Film Festival , the film Unsettled , in which Matisyahu appears, won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary Feature. While attending the festival, he performed in an impromptu concert at the Park City Film Music Festival in Park City, Utah|Park City , Utah . In the summer of 2007 he joined 311 (band)|311 on their Summer Unity Tour. He also performed in the 2008 documentary Call + Response .

His third studio album, Light (Matisyahu album)|Light was released on August 25, 2009, along with the live EP Live at Twist & Shout .

From July 10 to July 30, 2010, Matisyahu (along with The Dirty Heads ) supported Sublime with Rome (the new version of the Sublime (band)|band ) on their Sublime with Rome Tour|US tour .

In November 2009, NBC used Matisyahu's song "One Day" as background music for their advertisement of the Olympic games. This stirred up speculation that "One Day" may become the theme song for the 2010 Olympics. However, it remained only NBC's top pick, and was not announced to be the theme song.

On August 2, 2010, Matisyahu revealed to OC Weekly that he has been writing new songs for his next album, which was expected to be recorded within weeks of his statement.

On November 26, 2010, Matisyahu released a special edition 7" vinyl called, for independent record stores.

Matisyahu recorded the Sephardic music-influenced hip hop song "Two Child One Drop" for the Sephardic Music Festival, Vol. 1 compilation album released by Shemspeed , alongside artists such as Hasidic rapper Y-Love , Israeli hip-hop group Hadag Nahash , and psychedelic rock/Sephardic fusion group Pharaoh's Daughter .

On August 18, 2010, Matisyahu returned to Stubb's in Austin, Texas for another live recording for '' Live at Stubb's, Vol. 2 ''. The album was released on February 1, 2011. – Consequence of Sound

In 2011 he embarked on a concert tour.

Artistic style

Matisyahu fuses the contemporary styles of rap, beatboxing , and hip-hop in general, with the more traditional vocal disciplines of jazz's scat singing and Judaism's hazzan style of songful prayer—more often than not rolling it all into a dominant background of reggae music. The New York Times Kelefa Sanneh wrote that "His sound owes a lot to early dancehall reggae stars like Barrington Levy and Eek-a-Mouse ." The Chicago Tribune 's Kevin Pang 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 music|punk of Sublime." Coming from his Jewish beliefs and compounding his use of the hazzan style, Matisyahu's lyrics are mostly English language|English with more than occasional use of Hebrew language|Hebrew and Yiddish language|Yiddish .

In 2006, Matisyahu stated 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.", Chabad.org , April 2006.

In 2009, he said about his recently released album Light (Matisyahu album)|Light , "I think the vast majority of people that respect what I do are willing to move with me. I think it's not so much about genres or styles of music as it is about expressing the emotion or the idea. ... Whatever allows you to do that, whatever style, as long as it's authentic." In 2010 he also confirmed his first speaking date at the University of Central Florida ., Jerusalem Post , 30 August 2009.

Collaboration

Matisyahu has performed with Kenny Muhammad , a Islam|Muslim beatboxer. He also recorded the song "One Day" along with Akon ., Spinner , 15 January 2010.

Matisyahu is featured on Trevor Hall|Trevor Hall's single "Unity" from his self-titled album. Matisyahu is also featured on "Roots in Stereo" and "Strength of My Life" from P.O.D .'s album Testify (P.O.D. album)| Testify .

Matisyahu collaborated with Infected Mushroom on the song "One Day", as well as during various live sets.

Matisyahu collaborated with Moon Taxi on the song "Square Circles" off the band's 2012 release "Cabaret".

Reception

Since his debut, Matisyahu has received positive reviews from both rock and reggae outlets. In 2006 he was named as Top Reggae Artist by Billboard (magazine)|Billboard Martens, Todd. "", Reuters. as well as being named a spokesperson for Kenneth Cole Productions|Kenneth Cole .Slutsky, Carolyn. "", Jewish Week , New York. In 2006 '' Esquire (magazine)|Esquire's Esky Music Awards - Most Lovable Oddball in The magazine called him "the most intriguing reggae artist in the world." April 2006, Volume 145, Issue 4.

Touring members

;Current

Matisyahu& nbsp;– vocals (2000–present)

Rob Marscher& nbsp;– Electronic keyboard|keyboards (2008–present)

;Dub Trio

Stu "Bassie" Brooks& nbsp;– bass guitar (2009–present)

Joe Tomino& nbsp;– Drum kit|drums (2009–present)

D.P. Holmes& nbsp;– Electric guitar|guitar (2009–present)

;Former

Borahm Lee& nbsp;– keyboards (2006–07)

Skoota Warner & nbsp;– drums (2007–08)

Jason Fraticelli& nbsp;– bass (2007–09)

;Roots Tonic

Aaron Dugan & nbsp;– Electric guitar|guitar (2004–10)

Jonah David& nbsp;– drums (2004–07)

Josh Werner & nbsp;– bass (2004–07)

Discography

Studio albums

Year	Album details	Peak chart positions									Certifications ( List of music recording sales certifications
Year	Album details	US cite web	US Rap	US Reg.	BEL ( Flanders	FIN cite web	IRL cite web	NLD cite web	SWE cite web	UK cite web
2004	Shake Off the Dust... Arise Released: October 12, 2004 Label: JDub Records\|JDub Formats: Compact Disc\|CD	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2006	Youth (Matisyahu album) Released: March 7, 2006 Label: JDub/Or Music/ Epic Records\|Epic Formats: CD	4	3	1	85	35	47	48	43	152	Recording Industry Association of America\|US : Gold
2009	Light (Matisyahu album) Released: August 25, 2009 Label: JDub/Or Music/Epic Formats: CD	19	—	1	—	—	—	—	—	—
"—" denotes a release that did not chart.

Live albums

Year	Album details	Peak chart positions				Certifications
Year	Album details	US	US Rap	US Reg.	NLD	Certifications
2005	'' Live at Stubb's (Matisyahu album) Released: April 19, 2005 Label: JDub/Or Music Formats: CD	30	14	1	98	US: Gold
2009	Live at Twist & Shout Released: August 25, 2009 Label: Epic Formats: CD	—	—	—	—
2011	'' Live at Stubb's, Vol. 2 Released: February 1, 2011 Label: MRI Associated Labels Formats: CD, DVD	—	—	2	—
"—" denotes a release that did not chart.

Remix albums

Year	Album details	Peak chart positions
Year	Album details	US	US Reg.
2006	Youth Dub Released: March 7, 2006 Label: JDub/Or Music/Epic Formats: CD	—	—
2006	No Place to Be Released: December 26, 2006 Label: Sony BMG /Or Music/Epic Formats: CD	146	1
"—" denotes a release that did not chart.

Extended plays

Year	Album details	US Reg.
2008	Shattered EP Released: November 8, 2008 Label: JDub/Or Music/Epic Formats: CD	1
2011	Miracle	& mdash;

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions					Certifications	Album
Year	Single	US	US Alt.	US Pop	US Rock	JPN	Certifications	Album
2005	King Without a Crown "	28	7	37	—	—	US: Gold	''Live at Stubb's Youth Shake Off the Dust... Arise
2006	"Youth"	121	19	—	—	—		Youth
2006	Jerusalem "	—	—	—	—	—		Youth
2009	One Day "	85	21	35	38	37	US: Gold	Light
2010	"Miracle"	—	—	—	—	—		Non-album single
2011	"Darkness into Light"	—	—	—	—	—		''Live at Stubb's, Vol. 2
"—" denotes a release that did not chart.

Guest appearances

Socalled|So Called – The So Called Seder: A HipHop Haggadah , JDUB Records, 2005 , Track 9. Released Jun 21, 2005.

:Track 3rd Cup: Yahu (also featuring Trevor Dunn)

P.O.D. – Testify (P.O.D. album)|Testify , Atlantic Records|Atlantic , 2006 , Tracks 1 and 11. Released Jan. 24, 2006

:Tracks Roots In Stereo and Strength Of My Life

Ta-Shma – Come Listen , JMG, 2006, Track 2. Released Sept. 19, 2006.

:Track Rachamana

C-Rayz Walz – The Dropping , Urchin Studios, 2006

:Track Childhood (also featuring Kosha Dillz )

Amnesty International / iTunes exclusive compilation Make Some Noise (campaign)|Make Some Noise in support of Darfur

:Matisyahu & Dub Trio track Watching The Wheels (like all songs on the compilation this is a John Lennon cover)

Co-wrote the song "Away with This" with Joseph Israel () and performed it live on both February 19, 2005, in Austin, Texas at Stubb's ( YouTube Video of event) and again on December 8, 2007, in Brooklyn, New York at the Warsaw Theater ( YouTube Video of event).

Provided vocals for the track "Drown in the Now". The third track on The Crystal Method's 2009 album "Divided By Night".

Featured on cover of the Beatles 's Within You Without You performed by Easy Star All Stars on the 2009 album '' Easy Star's Lonely Hearts Dub Band . Easy Star Records, 2009

Co-wrote and regularly performs "Unity" with Trevor Hall (singer)|Trevor Hall , 2009, a song encouraging the interfaith celebration of God

Sephardic Music Festival, Vol.1 - compilation, Shemspeed|Shemspeed Records , 2010

:Track Two Child One Drop

Cover versions

"The Circle of Life" (Elton John/Disney) – cover – from the Lion King, appears on Disney's Reggae Club CD

" Message in a Bottle (song)|Message in a Bottle " ( The Police ) – Album cover – Appears on his No Place to Be CD/DVD set

"Rastaman Chant" ( Bob Marley ) – Live cover Live at The Funkbox on 2004-10-21

"Soul Rebel" ( The Wailers (1963–1974 band)|The Wailers ) – Live a capella cover Live at 2004 Jewish-American Festival on 2004-09-05

" Watching the Wheels " ( John Lennon ) – Album cover – Appears on Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur

"Zion Train" (Bob Marley) – Live cover

" No Woman, No Cry " (Bob Marley) – Live cover

"Morning Dew" (Bonnie Dobson) – Live cover Live at Toad's Place on 2007-12-02 (December 2, 2007)

" Billie Jean " (Michael Jackson) – Live cover Live at Knitting factory on 2009-06-25 (June 25, 2009)

"Running Away" (Bob Marley) – Cover – seen at his October 21, 2009 House of Blues, Anaheim show?

"Use Somebody" (Kings of Leon) - cover at Billboard.com

TV, radio, and film appearances

Headline News ( Shanon Cook ) (July 2004)

Jimmy Kimmel Live (August 24, 2004)

Last Call with Carson Daly (2004)

'' Steve Harvey's Big Time Challenge (2004)

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992 TV series)|The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (2005)

'' Late Night With Conan O'Brien (2005)

World Cafe ( NPR ) (July 29, 2005)

The Late Late Show (CBS)|The Late Late Show (November 15, 2005)

mtvU Woodie Awards 2005 (November 2005)

MTV 10 Spot (December 6, 2005)

MTVU : Uber (December 19, 2005)

Late Show with David Letterman (January 16, 2006)

''Late Night with Conan O'Brien (March 7, 2006)

Jimmy Kimmel Live (March 8, 2006)

CBS Sunday Morning (March 26, 2006)

WOCL Early 2006

Guerilla Gig Live (March 31, 2006)

Later with Jools Holland (May 12, 2006)

Late Late Show with Pat Kenny (May 19, 2006)

Zane Lowe , BBC Radio 1 (May 31, 2006)

MTV LIVE , MTV Canada (June 12, 2006)

Bonnaroo , Manchester, TN (June 18, 2006)

Rock Werchter 2006, Belgium (June 29, 2006)

Lollapalooza , Chicago (August 5, 2006)

Austin City Limits Music Festival , Austin, Texas (September 17, 2006)

Soundcheck , WNYC , New York City , (December 11, 2006)

The Tonight Show With Jay Leno (January 3, 2007)

Jimmy Kimmel Live (January 4, 2007)

Matisyahu appears in the 2007 documentary film Orthodox Stance where he performs for the entrance of boxer Dmitriy Salita to the ring.

The Jewish Americans ( PBS miniseries) (2008)

''Late Night With Conan O'Brien (February 9, 2009) with Brett Dennen

( WMMR ) Preston and Steve (July 8, 2009)

World Cafe ( National Public Radio|NPR ) (August 21, 2009)

(Sirius-21, XM-47) with Cane (August 25, 2009)

''The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien (August 27, 2009)

Late Show with David Letterman (December 17, 2009)

Jimmy Kimmel Live (April 1, 2010)

Alfombra Roja , Santiago , Chile (April 20, 2010)

Spicks and Specks (TV series)|Spicks and Specks , Australia (May 12, 2010)

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (June 16, 2010)

Red Band , Israel (2011)

Chef Roblé & Co. , (December 11, 2011)

World Music Artists

Matisyahu

Biography

Biography

Early life

Origin of his name

2001 - 2007

Personal Life

Artistic style

Collaboration

Reception

Touring members

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Remix albums

Extended plays

Singles

Guest appearances

Cover versions

TV, radio, and film appearances

See also

References

External links

Copyright Citations