PHOTO: Rachel Elbaum

Hip new sounds and old-time religion mix to attract the city's youth.

t a recent New York City concert, about 200 teen-agers crowded together, hands flying and eyes closed, dancing to the beat of the rock-and-roll band on stage. It looked like a scene that could happen in any club in any city. However, the musicians on stage, the Moshav Band, sang in Hebrew, wore yarmulkes and the venue wasn’t some East Village dive but the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, a Bronx synagogue.

Across the city, young musicians in different religions – from Jews to Hare Krishnas – are using the sounds of popular music to spread their message of spirituality. And the music is starting to attract wider audiences.

Take away the Hebrew words and the Moshav Band sounds like any grunge band of the ’90s. Their shows at New York clubs sell out regularly, and their first album, "Things You Can’t Afford," sold more than 5,000 copies.

Using the lyrics of traditional Jewish songs set to new melodies, or the original lyrics that lead singer Yehuda Solomon writes, the Moshav Band aims to connect with their audience.

"Our goal is to try to create positivity without being cheesy," says Meir Solomon, 24, the band’s guitarist.

The Solomon brothers grew up in Israel with the group’s bassist, Duvid Swirsky. Surrounded constantly by the music of Shlomo Carlebach, one of the foremost influences on today’s style of Jewish music, the band learned early how to please audiences and played concerts regularly. Two years ago they moved to the U.S. and now play nationally, from their base in Los Angeles, to college campuses in Michigan to New York nightclubs.

Though many of their songs include Jewish themes, something that is impossible to avoid given their background, according to Meir, their music is not intended only for Jews.

"We aren’t just aiming for mainstream Jewish," says Meir. "We want everyone to experience our music."

The market for Jewish music in the U.S. is quite small, with the largest concentration in the New York area. The most successful albums sell up to 50,000 copies.

Page 2: Christian Hip-hop. "I want to be Dr. King with a soundtrack."

Above: High school girls dance to the tunes of the Moshav Band.
Left: The Moshav Band plays at a concert in the Bronx.
PHOTO: Rachel Elbaum

THEY DIDN'T RISE by Efrain Alicea © 1997 Accept Him as your Savior cause that's what He is Just confess your sins and He'll take them away Because His life and blood was the price He paid.     Courtesy of Shmuel Bodenheimer and Bsamim Shema Koleinu - Hear our Voices By Shmuel Bodenheimer © 2000 Hear our voice God, pity and be compassionate to us, and accept with compassion, Favor our prayer.