Among the acts to take the stage at the October 8 show are Semantra, Majooda, Piamenta, Gershon Verboda and Yood (which also played the Woodstock show). Headlining the concert are two projects that arose out of Moshav Mevo Modiim, Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach’s village of spiritual Jewish music mayhem: Soulfarm and the Moshav Band. Both bands have gained an international following by playing jam band style music with a Jewish twist.
Shmuel Nelson (pictured), who heads Semantra, one of the few local Jerusalemite acts taking the stage, says playing with the large lineup of varied bands that have hit it big internationally, “feels pretty good,” and he hopes it will translate into future collaborations.
Nelson’s band plays classic rock-tinged Jewish music – marking them a bit less traditional than some of the other acts, but he says for this concert the band will focus on Jewish music, making sure to play songs people know the words or melodies to, and more well known songs from his previous project, Eden Mi Qedem.
“We plan on meeting people somewhere it the stratosphere between what they are expecting and what we like to do,” he said.
“It’s a Jewish music festival and there might be a certain atmosphere by the different bands. We’re hoping we can bring a little bit of what we do, our unique style,” he added, referring to the group’s propensity for extended jams.
While the concert isn’t free, it is being underwritten by Guma Aguiar, the young Brazilian-American millionaire that recently stepped in to save Beitar Jerusalem, and has been taking a more active role in Jerusalemite goings-on as of late. This time his largesse is directed at the other kind of football, the American kind played at Kraft Field and sponsored by another American businessman with deep ties to Jerusalem, New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft (hence the name of the field). The proceeds of the concert will go toward helping fund the Israel Football League, which is now beginning it’s third season of gridiron action around the country.
Tickets to the show cost NIS 70 and can be had here. Gates open at 5 p.m.
