The most yeshivish concert non-Jewish concert I have ever been to was Liquid Tension Experiment at the Nokia Theater in Times Square, everywhere I looked I saw little black velvet yarmulkes atop guys who were headbanging and air guitaring to the side project of one of the most yeshivish bands of all time Dream Theater.
I was introduced to Dream Theater while sitting in the back seat of a compact car driving down a freeway in Detroit to Pine Knob to see Queensryche, we never made it to the show, but Images and Words blew my mind and I began a lifelong devotion to Progressive Rock, little did I know that some time in the near future, progressive rock would become quite a yeshivish thing to listen to.
Metalica was and will always be the yeshivish band of choice, I have no idea how it happened, but if you went off the derech, were a kid at risk or hung out with off the derech yeshiva kids in the last 15 years you probably heard a lot of Metalica. never found the words to be especially yeshivish – although Creeping Death is about the Exodus from Egypt.
Throughout the history of yeshivish music, two bands were talked about a lot because of their Jewish band members, Disturbed and the Beastie Boys. For years I had heard that the Beastie Boys had gone to MTA, this was finally confirmed by my brother who had Rabbi Dulitz (the famed glass eye rebbe) and by one of the first issues of HEEB magazine where the interview for the Beastie Boys revealed such facts. I have never been able to confirm if the rumor that they were thrown out for going to White Castle is true – though they love talking about White Castle in their songs. It’s hard to believe that License to Ill is from 1986 – although Check your Head is my favorite BB album.
Disturbed has the great honor of having a frontman who actually grew up somewhat yeshivish, I think us Chofetz Chaim kids really felt honored that he had gone to WITS (Wisconsin Institute of Torah) which was the bottom level of the Chofetz Chaim food chain right before you got shipped to Rochester (the end of the line before you went to Priority One) Not only did David Draimen attend WITS, people from Chicago actually knew the guy, my buddy Moshe Waltzer’s dad was his bar miztvah photographer and others remember him from their youths. It also helped that his music was loud, had a hearty metal sound and some of the words sounded like hebrew (Miphached being the most famous)
I mentioned above that Liquid Tension Experiment was packed with yeshiva guys, this is mostly because the music is super cool, but also because it is solely instrumental and that kind of allows the yeshivish crowd who may have been weened on Metallica and GnR to frum out and move to instrumental metal. Joe Satriani is another big yeshivish band because of his crazy sound combined with no words.
Another wildly yeshivish show I went to was Hammerfall and Ed Guy when they came to NY, both bands are what we may call Power Metal, but what I myself call dungeons, dragons and sorcerer metal. Loud, proud and full of references to Medieval wars – kind of like that scene from Braveheart. I think there’s just something cool about air guitar and yeshiva guys. There are loads of other yeshivish bands, but for some reason some reign king and span generations.
Some yeshivish air guitar for you
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LTE is a lot of things but cool it is not :p
How can you forget black Shabbos??? Ozzy rules!
I was there and saw a few suede yarmulkes, but no velvet tops. Of course, I was squished in 5 rows from the stage. And I got into DT/prog mainly at Camp Magen Av and Torat Shraga in Israel. So you may be onto something.
Yeshivish and rock? Sort of an oxy-moron. Unless when you say yeshivish you mean everything from right above modern-O and up.
A genuinly yeshivishe guy (meaning someone who uses “epis” and “grada” 100% naturally) never heard of Dream Theater.
You probably mean ‘yeshiva guys’. Which includes Shaar Hatorah, general Chofetz Chaim, Wits, Rochester etc (yes, in that order).
“Yeshivish” is generally used to connotate more greasy type guys.
(Maybe the definition changed since my days, uh-oh, geeser flag)
Oh, and I know the guy in the video. He might be wearing his tzitzis out, but he cannot be any further from the yeshivish stereo-type. Nice guy, but not yeshivish. At all.
You’re absolutely right about Metallica.
There’s also a yeshivish urban legend that Live are neo-nazis, and that Metallica once burnt a swastika on stage, and that every non-Jewish band at one point or another was begging MBD to be their lead singer.
Oh, and that David Dramin davened psukei d’zimra for the amud on Rosh Hashana or Yom Kippur.
Is slash’s father jewish?
Metallica was the premier yeshivish band of the 90′s-as anything acoustic was considered too MO. I dont know why this became so popular but i’m pretty sure it grew out of some angry Brooklyn bachurim who got shipped out of town for school.
Metallica first, then Ozzy, Linkin Park, Disturbed, and don’t forget Limp Bizkit.
Oh, and Eminem was huge as well. I heard all his songs in camp immediately, even though radios were assur, on cd’s guys snuck in.
Yeah, who can forget Eminem…
I remember accidentally buying the censored version, I was so po’d.
That’s funny, growing up in Spain I always used to think that those Dungeons and Dragons metal bands had a whiff of Let’s Invade Poland about them (all about Walhalla and Nibelungen and hot Aryan blondes).
A lot of European Metal bands, especially Scandinavian and some Eastern European ones, are heavily into Satanism and Nazism. With many of them it’s not an act.
Those Scandinavian bands take themselves too seriously. One Norwegian band actually made it their mission to burn churches because they opposed satan, the dude’s sitting in prison for a while.
I think rebellious yeshiva kids in my day got into metal as it was the ultimate in rebellion music, in addition to having some wicked guitar and drums. Metallica’s stuff from the 80′s kicks some serious tuches, I still listen to it.
Manowar is the band that takes itself most seriously
The one who murdered a player in a different band over it got out a few years ago.
onlysimchas used to have pictures of Draiman’s brother’s wedding – with disturbed frontman, david draiman on there. I think they took them down.
I did find this, however.
http://metalisrael.com/2007/04/374/mazal-tov-to-david-draiman-and-his-family-on-the-wedding-of-his-brother/
I think you should try listening to some of the new yeshivah rebel music like five finger death punch, All That Remains, Trivium, Hellyeah, Hatebreed, Alestorm etc.
PostFFB,
Hatebreed’s OK, they remind me of Pantera minus Dimebag’s guitar, a bit “Slayerish” too. Haven’t listened to the other one’s you mentioned too much.
Metal is dead where I live. The last metal places closed up shop 15 years ago. After Shabbos, a BT metalhead buddy of mine invited me out, we went to see a tribute band. Crowd was mainly 45+ year old women dancing to Bon Jovi and GNR type songs, though they payed a bit of ACDC. No mosh pit. Though I felt like an old geezer, those grandmas must have felt like dinosaurs.
Phil,
I find that metal is the best work out music, specifically hatebreed and hellyeah. Hellyeah has Dimebag’s brother in it and they kick some serious tuches. I went to a Streetlight Manifesto concert and they had a mosh pit (got punched in the face twice) I don’t think Bon Jovi (met him, kind of a cool dude thinks he a cowboy from the wild west state of New Jersey) I dont think they would have a mosh pit at GNR either so if you are looking for the real deal go to a five finger death punch concert or a all that remains concert.
haha- Yngwie Malmsteen! Awesome video!
Its Jewish music, cuz his name is Malmsteen, right? (most yeshiva guys refer to him as “Marmelstein”)
Back on topic- I disagree with anon on the top about LTE not being cool. I think progressive rock like LTE and Dream Theater are deeper and more complex musically than your average pop artist, and I’ve found that in the secular world, most of their fans are fellow musicians.
The same is true of Guitar virtuosos such as Satch and Vai. Your average stereotypical radio-blasting American teen has never heard of any of these bands/musicians. But they probably know all the lyrics to Lady Gaga.
After I started learning to play guitar back in high school, I realized how most “pop” on the radio had really lame and repetitive progression, and I started to lose my faith in modern music. The thing about DT and LTE are that they are mostly classically trained Berkeley music school graduates, and therefore have a depth and complexity not often found in more popular contemporary music.
That’s why their fans tend to be made of people who either play an instrument, or have an appreciation for all things thought out and complex. I think that’s where the yeshiva crowd comes in… Maybe I’m just tooting my own horn here, but I feel like many Yeshiva guys appreciate the dark complexity of the music, and it is in our nature to be comfortable with a scene that is different and kind of exclusive.
Just my 2 cents.
Whats about the Ramones ?! Most Jewish Band EVER.
Actually, the most yeshivish band by now is probably Linkin Park.
Most yeshiva guys who listen to non-Jewish music do it with Z100. So that rules out all oldies and classic rock.
In my day, if you weren’t VERY into music, or didn’t play guitar/drums, then you were wholesomely ignorant of music 95% of the time.
Anyone remember when KTU was the popular station?
Actually, the most yeshivish band by now is probably Linkin Park.
Most yeshiva guys who listen to non-Jewish music do it with Z100. So that rules out all oldies and classic rock.
In my day, if you weren’t VERY into music, or didn’t play guitar/drums, then you were wholesomely ignorant of music 95% of the time.
Anyone remember when KTU was the popular station?
Live, if I recall, are from York, PA, which had a former mayor that was arrested for a racially based killing. The town is known as a hotbed of racism…. so not a stretch to think they might be racist…
it’;s a pretty shitty town all around
Yeah, had to wait there between buses when I was a kid alot… was much happier when I got a car and could just zip around it… I still now where the cops hid when they need to fill the ticket quotas there…
The following is an actual lyric from Live, off of track 6 from their album “Throwing Copper”. The track is titled “Top”.
Oh Hitler, In A Robe Of Truth
My Emptiness Has Built Your Altar
And I’ve Worshipped Myself In You Forever
Until Now!
Hey- I had a really inciteful and interesting comment, but the comment system ignored me twice! What gives, hesh?
Try insightful.
Hmm… maybe my comment was too long before, because it took THAT one.
Fine- how’s this for short and sweet:
They are not so popular as to have a lot of fm radio presence, however I’ve noticed Dream Theater and LTE fans tend to be other musicians and those who appreciate the complexity of their music (more closely resembles classical composure than grunge or pop rock). What makes their music more interesting is most likely the result of the lead composers being classically trained Berkley Music graduates.
I think part of the appeal is that they are deeper and more musically challenging than the simple chord progression pop you hear on the radio. I think yeshiva guys tend to have an appreciation for things that are intricate and complex, and therein lies the association with progressive music in general.
One of the most interesting concerts I saw a frum presence at was King Crimson. Over there, I saw a group of dudes with beards and “Yechi Adoneinu…” yarmulkes, and each one of them was with a really hot, untzniusly dressed chick.
I think I may have seen a few at Dethklok also, which would beg the question where they got a TV with “Adult Swim” on it to watch “Metalocalypse”.
Ghotti,
Haha, guys with long beards and hot babes, sure you didn’t confuse them with ZZ top?
Beards weren’t long enough. Most of them were teenagers and if anything had the pubic-looking beards. Plus, they were wearing black velvet “Yechi Adoneinu…” yarmulkes, not cowboy hats.
Ghotti,
I was kidding about the ZZ top thing. Not that this has anything to do with this post, but I caught the “Hebrew Hammer” flick on TV the other night, just after you mentioned it. It was ridiculously stupid, but I did laugh out loud a few times. Talk about stereotyping people.
teenagers with wives?
Whoa
MUSTA-KRAKISH!
Why is it that Metallica is SOOO yeshivish but slayer and megadeth arent?
I listened and still listen to both. My guess is that Metallica was more popular. Also, slayer had the infamous song about mengele (angel of death), so they are considered by many to be antisemitic, although the lyrics to that song are kind of neutral.
And I can’t believe you guys didn’t mention Israeli metal at all as seen here: http://metalisrael.com – no Orphaned Land, no Betzefer? We’re talking international artists here…
Wow I never thought of Dream Theater, one of my favorite bands, as yeshivish. I was at the 20th anniversary Score concert in Radio City and didn’t see anyone with a yarmulke. Must’ve been focusing on the Petrucci and Portnoy too much.
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