Caught in the Carousel

Rav Shmuel

Recent OurStage video winner, Rav Shmuel, has been driven by music most of his life. And, he’s done all the leg work to get his music to his fans: he’s played local shows in New York, played sold-out shows after Phish concerts and used the internet to its full advantage. Now, he can add “OurStage Winner” to his list of accomplishments. Combining two seemingly contradictory identities as a rock-star and dedicated Rabbi, Shmuel has developed an infectious style of anti-pop that continues to draw fans and along the way he caught the attention of thousands of OurStage participants. For Shmuel, the recipe has been simple: draw on your influences and perform with passion. “Protocols,” the first single off his debut album and the video that won him the $5,000 prize, is a musical response to typical Jewish stereotypes.

Here’s a little insight into an artist on the rise and his take on what it means to win on OurStage.

Caught in the Carousel: What first moved you to pick up a guitar and perform?

Rav Shmuel: I’d always loved music – played around on the piano at my grandparents’ house, etc. Then one night at a friend’s house when I was 16, I picked up a guitar that was lying around and started fooling around with it. My friend asked if I wanted to borrow it, so I took it home with me and played for 24 hours straight until my fingers were bleeding. Haven’t stopped since.

CITC: Your song “Somebody Else” drives home the lyric, “everybody wants to be somebody else.” As a Rabbi and a musician, are you living out two identities or complementary ones?

RS: I believe my identities are complementary. The song is more of a statement about our consumer-driven society where the drive to be better, faster, more wealthy, better looking etc. is the engine that powers our economy. I mean, what on earth do models frolicking on a beach have to do with the quality of a soft drink? I think this focus on celebrity causes an internal struggle with just being really happy to be oneself. If everyone was a celebrity, then there would be no celebrities, so there’s a vested interest in keeping us common folk out of the club. Of course, I’m fully cognizant of the inherent contradiction of my singing about this as I pursue fame and fortune as a musician, but it’s little twists like that that make life so deliciously complex!

CITC: With the 2004 emergence of Matisyahu and his combination of Judaism and reggae, and your combination of Judaism and anti-folk, are we getting a glimpse of an untapped combination of musical and religious inspiration?

RS: I think it has been really common to see religion inspire art in almost every medium. It’s just that Jews have historically not had much free opportunity to bring this to the masses. And, even those Jews like Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen who have spiritual aspects to their art are not coming from a traditional Jewish perspective. So yes, this is untapped and it’s only the beginning, in my opinion.

CITC: You have had great success playing live shows in New York, but are a big fan of The Dead and have played in parking lots after Phish shows. Is your goal to embrace a national, devoted following similar to those bands?

RS: I can’t say it’s my goal, but certainly I would love that!

CITC: You’ve already played for audiences stateside and in Jerusalem. What’s different or similar about those two musical environments?

RS: Well, Jerusalem is a really intense spiritual place, but my audience there was mostly college students from the U.S.A. who were studying there for a semester or two. Ironically, secular Israelis had a much harder time getting past my Hassidic appearance than folks over here do. Maybe that will change now that Matisyahu played in Tel Aviv with Sting. I hope so. But, it’s frustrating that first Matis had to get big amongst the non-Jews before Israelis would treat him with respect as an artist.

CITC: The video “Protocols” recently won OurStage’s $5,000 monthly prize. Is that a song which benefits from the video format or does it get a similar response at live shows?

RS: Oh, it rocks at shows! I have a number of really funny stories that go along with that song and it’s usually a climactic moment.

CITC: Is “Protocols” a good way for new fans to get to know Rav Shmuel?

RS: Well, it’s a good start, but I actually think there are some better songs on my CD than “Protocols.” Although, it is admittedly the most attention grabbing.

CITC: What’s next for you and your $5,000 prize?

RS: I’m going to film a music video for “Somebody Else” and keep touring as much as my day job as Dean of a Yeshiva (Jewish College) will allow.

CITC: Do you have any advice for future entrants into OurStage’s monthly contests?

RS: MySpace, mailing list, Facebook—work them and don’t ever stop!

For more information visit:
www.ourstage.com
www.ravshmuel.com