Backseat Sandbar

WE HAVE A PAIR OF TICKETS TO GIVE AWAY FOR THIS SHOW.  COMMENT BELOW WITH A LINK TO “THE BEST BEARD.”  I’M SURE BONNIE BILLY WILL MAKE THE LIST.  I’LL ANNOUNCE A WINNER ON SATURDAY.  GOOD LUCK.

Monday, November 16, 2009
WUKY Welcomes Matisyahu
w/ Trevor Hall

Billiards open only to ticketholders at 7pm
Doors open at 7pm, Show at 9pm
Show is 18+
Tickets $25

Matisyahu- Smash Lies

Matisyahu

Few artists make an impact as complete as the one Matisyahu made with his Top 40 hit “King Without a Crown”: Here was a true original, the song announced—a Hasidic Jewish musician from New York City singing reggae songs about his religious devotion. Fans responded to this one-of-a-kind voice, too, driving Youth, Matisyahu’s Grammy-nominated 2006 studio disc, to the top spot on Billboard’s reggae albums chart. That album, as well as Matisahu’s previous recording Live at Stubb’s, went Gold. True originals, though, don’t stay put for long, and on his bold new album, Light, 29-year-old Matisyahu proves that there’s much more to his artistry than might initially meet the eye. “As my musical tastes have grown I have been re-discovering my sound and my voice,” he says.

Light is anything but safe. Produced by David Kahne (Paul McCartney, Sublime, the Strokes), the 14-track collection covers a dizzying amount of stylistic ground, from hard-edged dancehall (“Smash Lies”) and ska-inflected New Wave (“We Will Walk”) to laidback pop-rock (“So Hi So Lo”) and acoustic folk-soul (“I Will Be the Light”). While reggae is far from absent here—see the old-school toasting in “Motivate”—Light finds Matisyahu edging away from his comfort zone into more daring territory. “Being an artist is about being sensitive to how the world resonates inside you and then being able to express it,” he says. “This process is an ever-changing one.”

In 2008 Matisyahu decided to take the year away from touring and began creating the songs for Light. He went to Jerusalem for the high holidays and worked with his friend and teacher Ephraim Rosenstein to consolidate three years of learning Torah into 16 songs. While Matisyahu credits Kahne—“No producer had ever tapped into that with me,” he says—with encouraging him to explore the dimensions of his voice, other collaborators helped him push his music in new directions as well. He came back to New York and rented a loft in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and got together with his favorite musicians and producers, people he’s met over the last few years: he wrote with Ooah of Glitch Mob, singer-songwriter Trevor Hall and his long-time guitar player and close friend Aaron Dugan. Matisyahu took the songs to Kahne and began recording vocals. He went to Jamaica and worked with critically acclaimed young producer Stephen McGregor. Some friends of his, Adam Deitch and Eric Krasnow (the production team Fyre Dept), wrote a song with a Jamaican vocalist Jah Don, which is included on the album. Kahne got Fishbone to play on some songs and Matisyahu arranged for legendary Jamaican rhythm section Sly and Robbie on some others. Then just recently Matisyahu decided to cut two more tracks with producer Dave McCracken and the Smeezintons. One of those songs, “One Day,” is meant to be an anthem of hope. The song a prayer for peace which Matisyahu hopes will be a source of inspiration for people struggling to open their hearts and stay positive.

Despite the lengthy and varied guest list, Light remains a work traceable only to Matisyahu’s unique creative sensibility, an album that reflects more than two years’ worth of religious study, particularly the story of the seven beggars by Reb Nachman. This is the driving spiritual force behind Light. The story is about two children who get lost in a dark forest after fleeing an invasion of their kingdom. Each night a different beggar, each of which suffers from a different ailment, approaches them with food and water. “I feel this theme, though written as a fairytale in the 1800’s, is very relevant to many of the struggles that we face today,” Matisyahu says. “From child soldiers to child sex slaves to everyday people trying to awaken their broken hearts.”

Trevor Hall

Greetings. My name is Trevor. I play music…and love doing it. It has been a wonderful teacher, friend, and companion over the years. This is the part where I tell you a little about my life… so far. I grew up in South Carolina until the age of 16. I had a wonderful childhood, a great family, and good friends. I started playing music fairly young. My dad was a drummer and a musician himself. I guess I got some of his genes. Every day after school, I would come home, pick up my guitar, and write songs for a couple hours. It was my favorite time of the whole day. I began playing for my parents, who supported me to the fullest. For my 15th or 16th birthday, my dad got me some time in his friend’s recording studio. I made my first record, which was mostly sold to my friends and family. It was at that time when my family and I started taking the music more seriously.

In 10th grade, I was very fortunate to have traveled to California to attend Idyllwild School for the Arts, an international boarding school east of Los Angeles. My time there was some of the best years of my life. I studied classical guitar and met many wonderful people from around the world who greatly influenced my life in a profound way. My greatest lesson there was observing how art spoke to everyone…no matter what race, what faith, or what country you were from. I saw how it brought people together, and that made me feel good.

In my senior year of high school, I signed a record deal with Geffen Records. After graduation, I moved to LA to give my music full attention. I was very blessed to have worked with great producers such as John Alagia (John Mayer, Jason Mraz, Dave Matthews) and The Laboriel Brothers (Sting, Paul Mccartney). Unfortunately, other than an EP, none of the records I made with Geffen ever came out. They dropped me from the label in 2008. But that didn’t deter me. I picked up my guitar, wrote 14 new songs, and recorded an acoustic album with my good friend/percussionist Chris Steele. We have named that album “This is Blue.” It was a wonderful, liberating experience. I feel very lucky to still have the opportunity to create music with good friends and people.

Over the years, I have toured and played with wonderful acts such as Steel Pulse, The Wailers, Matisyahu, Stevie Nicks, Ben Harper, Colbie Caillat, Los Lobos, Ziggy Marley, Rusted Root, and many others. It has been such a blessing to cross paths with so many beautiful people and wonderful musicians. They all have influenced me so much.

My favorite part of the whole thing thus far is meeting new people on the road. It is funny how people come together, connect, and establish friendships. I never knew that I would have friends in Peoria, Illinois or Vail, Colorado. Through music, we have all been able to come together, share our ideas and love, and then move on. I cannot express how thankful I am to all the fans who have supported me over the years. I have truly greatly enjoyed meeting all of you. I hope we get to cross paths again soon.

Thanks for taking the time to read a little bit about my journey. I hope that your travels are going smoothly and unfolding nicely. Until we meet again…

So much love
Trevor

Tags: Billiards, Buster's, Contest, Kentucky, Lexington, Matisyahu, Tickets, Trevor Hall, Win

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 12th, 2009 at 12:01 pm and is filed under Louisville. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.