Faith Thru Music

Aryeh Kunstler is a Jewish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and music producer. He is also the band leader of the Jewish wedding band KolPlay and is currently working on his 3rd solo album. His work has advanced both Jewish rock and alternative music. We touched on many topics including: how prayer can become more personal through music, differences between performing at a concert and a wedding, Aryeh’s creative process, the stories behind some of his songs, his diverse musical influences and so much more...

Playlist for this episode: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6dCIjgRr339DidAmZptITb?si=dd60d1add6034eef

Naftali Blumenthal is a Jewish singer-songwriter and music producer originally from Brooklyn, NY now living in Jerusalem. His music is both uplifting and hard hitting. Naftali is currently working on his second solo album, Connecting the Dots. We touched on many topics including: how he uses music to work through life's challenges, the story and message behind his song Magein Avraham, the role of music in prayer, the message he hopes to convey though his upcoming album and so much more...

Playlist for this episode: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3XeyP8mstcLRooGJs6jGHz?si=b0021b1431014eb8

L’chaim OG (Zecharya Yishai Levine) is a Jewish rapper originally from Minneapolis. His music combines powerful messages and life lessons with multiple hip-hop styles and a dash of fun. Zecharya grew up came from a musical family including his cousin, the artist known as Prince. He is now on his “Road to Tzadikim” his journey to spirituality and Orthodox Judaism. We discussed many topics including: How he started making music, his mission to raise everything (including hip-hop) to a higher spiritual level, some of his favorite life lessons, and so much more…

Playlist for this episode: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4UrtVDbnSSI6wiMa5fjhkS?si=a03bdc8f127149a6

Eli Schwebel is a Jewish music producer and singer-songwriter. He is a founding member and the lead singer of the music group Lev Tahor. Eli is currently working on his second solo album. His music blends a current pop rock sound with influences of earlier Jewish music. We touched on many topics including: why Lev Tahor started as an acapella group, his relationship with Abie Rotenberg, the goal of the music he is creating and the messages he hopes to convey, the relationship between music and prayer, and so much more...

Playlist for this episode: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1j47lt5ktrfWGKyEFcJUyf?si=20YtolrXRuqgao-p24AuQw

Dov Rosenblatt is a Jewish singer-songwriter and founder of the Jewish Rock band Blue Fringe and the Folk Pop trio Distant Cousins. His music has both advanced Jewish Rock and been featured in Movies, TV shows, and Commercials around the world. We discussed many topics including: The start of Blue Fringe and the song Flippin' Out going viral before viral was a thing, the experience of hearing his music in movies and tv, performing at Carnegie hall, the intersection of songwriting and prayer, and so much more…

Yaniv Hoffman is a Jewish singer-songwriter who performs as Jeryko. He has created his own brand of alternative music by fusing multiple genres to convey powerful messages. Yaniv also co-founded the band JudaBlue with Shlomo Gaisin of Zusha. We discussed many topics including: the role of music in his religious journey, his creative process, the next wave of Jewish artists, his goal to reach audiences of all backgrounds and so much more…

Lenny Solomon is the founder of Shlock Rock a Jewish parody rock band. He has released 39 albums, written hundreds of songs and has inspired generations with his parodies and original music. We touched on many topics including: how Shlock Rock got started, the elements that make up a good parody, the importance of Simcha (Joy) in life and music, the educational aspect of his music, the artists that inspire him and so much more…

Danny Palgon is a Jewish pop singer and wedding performer who balances his music career with a busy law school schedule. We discussed many topics including: his experiences working with Mordechai Shapiro and the story behind being featured on Mordy’s album Hakol Mishamayim, the opportunities technology offers to make quality music at home, balancing wedding performances with law school exams, and so much more...

Rabbi Avraham Rosenblum is the Godfather of Jewish Rock, the founder of one of the most influential Jewish rock bands, The Diaspora Yeshiva Band, and the inspiration for generations of Jewish musicians. We touched on many topics: the founding of the band, his personal religious journey, the music that inspired him including The Band, The Beatles, Bob Dylan and musical theater, his early days in Philadelphia and Greenwich Village, and so much more…

I had the pleasure to sit down with Mendel Sherman and Alter Deitsch the founders of the Sababa Music Festival. The mission of the festival is to unite and inspire Jews of all backgrounds, through the love of Shabbat, song, and music and to facilitate an arousal of the Jewish spark within each and every one of us in a new, fun, modern, and meaningful way. We discussed how the festival started, their dreams to continue to grow the festival, their personal musical journeys and so much more...

Tani Polansky is a Jewish singer-songwriter who fuses multiple musical genres to convey personal prayer through his music and deep lyrics. We touched on many topics including: his songwriting process, the fusion of Psalms and other biblical language with contemporary music and lyrics, artists that inspired him from Jewish artists like Shlomo Katz to Contemporary Christian artists like Corey Asbury to Rascal Flatts, and so much more.