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Stereo Sinai is the Good Book like you’ve never heard it before. Miriam Brosseau (songwriter/vocals/guitar) and Alan Jay Sufrin (producer/songwriter/vocals/guitar) had been dating and making their own music for several years before Stereo Sinai came along.

They’d recently moved to Chicago, and the rabbi who welcomed them into the community had just had a son. Wanting to do something special for the rabbi’s family and their new baby, Gideon, Alan and Miriam teamed up to write a lullaby in what would become their unique ancient/modern style.

Stereo Sinai’s “Biblegum Pop” is the flip side of Ray Charles’ pioneering move to put secular words to traditional gospel music. Taking original Hebrew verses from the book of Judges and mixing them with a synthesized pop arrangement, the band’s first single, “Gideon’s Song,” was born.

If Kelly Clarkson and Gnarls Barkley had been on the mountain with Moses, they would have come down sounding a lot like Stereo Sinai. Mixing conservation with innovation, the band is not only working to lend renewed relevance to ancient texts. Stereo Sinai is also committed to acting as a socially responsible and environmentally conscious outfit in every respect.

Both Alan and Miriam are also both Jewish educators and advocates for Israel who can speak to audiences of all ages on a variety of topics in addition to their performances.
Stereo Sinai is already making its mark on the local music scene, being featured at Chicago landmarks the Chicago Cultural Center and the Cubby Bear. The group is looking forward to playing several benefit concerts and other exciting shows in the near future as their album debuts and tour schedule begins to take shape.

Gideon’s Song
Dance
Hitn’aari

Shlomit Levi is a gifted & powerfully voiced singer, blessed with a joyful spirit and dynamic personality. Born in the small town of Keryat Ekron in Israel, Shlomit grew up listening to the traditional folk music of Yemen which is one of her main influences. After touring in Europe with the band Orphaned-Land, Shlomit began to focus on learning the classical Yemenite musical repertoire of her ancestry.

In addition to specific meloldies, Temanim (Yemeni Jews) have a distinct pronunciation of the Hebrew language and a musical trope all their own. To these classic techniques, Shlomit has also added a contemporary twist and western influences. She most recently performed as a featured guest alongside the legendary Boaz Sharabi

At present, Shlomit is working on her debut album and performing across Israel, delivering her intimate songs with powerful melodies & soaring voice. She grew up listening to traditional folk music of Yemen as well as western-modern music. As a result, Shlomit has an eclectic palette, from which she draws inspiration.

Her performance combines ancient Yemenite rhythms & music; original songs influenced by her unique family story, known Israeli music and soul music in English. At present, Shlomit is working on her debut album and performing across Israel, delivering her intimate songs with powerful melodies & soaring voice. Not since the days of Ofra Haza has there been such an enigmatic singer to come out of Israel

Joining Shlomit is Tomer Koren , a talented arranger, guitar, keyboard and bass player who has performed with Simanim, Melechet, Fusion ensemble, Brit Olam, Adama festival, Haifa symphony, Universities and for the Prime Minister’s office. Shlomit is also backed by percussion artist Yatziv Caspi, specializing in Indian Tabla. Yatziv has performed in many ensembles, including Orphaned Land, Amit Varshetzki, Eliel Abecassis, Yuval Ron and Residents of the Future.

Shir HaShirim
Asalk

El Nora

Anyone who thinks Jewish music equals klezmer needs to hear Divahn’s Middle Eastern and Sephardic grooves. Fans first heard Divahn’s energetic music deep in the heart of Texas. Today, this dynamic New York City-based quintet delights audiences throughout the country and has made numerous live radio appearances. Divahn infuses traditional songs with sophisticated harmonies and arrangements using tabla, cello, rabel, doumbek, violin and other acoustic instruments, plus vocals in Hebrew, Judeo-Spanish, Persian, Arabic, Aramaic and Turkish.
Their beautiful lyricism flows through an intense rhythmic drive. The group distinguishes itself as the only all-female ensemble performing Mizrakhi-influenced music (Jewish music from the Middle East and North Africa) in the US, and has performed with some of the world’s most renowned master musicians, including Glen Velez and Anindo Chatterjee. Divahn, a word common to Hebrew, Persian, and Arabic, means a collection of songs or poetry. Through its music, Divahn seeks to underscore common ground shared between diverse Middle Eastern cultures and religions. The group captures the breadth and diversity of Mizrakhi and Sephardi music throughout the centuries, while simultaneously creating and redefining innovative directions for the music in the present.

El Nora
Ayni Tzofiah
Hamavdeel
Vashti

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Sarah Aroeste leads the world’s only Ladino Rock band, performing a funky fusion of Spanish, Mediterranean and American musical styles. Inspired by her family’s cultural heritage–orginally from Spain and later settling in Salonika, Greece– the Aroeste sound combines and updates aspects from her unique family background.

Most influenced by the music and language of her Spanish roots, Aroeste grounds her music in Ladino, or castillian Spanish, the language originated by Spanish Jews after their expulsion from Spain in 1492. This medieval form of Spanish was carried by Spanish Jews to the various points where they later settled, primarily along the Mediterranean coast and North Africa. In time, ladino came to absorb bits and pieces of languages all along the Mediterranean coast, including Greek, Turkish, Portuguese, French, Italian and Hebrew.

This exotic pan-Mediterranean language has, unfortunately, been fading away and is hardly spoken anymore. But the musical legacy of Spanish Jews highlights the strength of an oral tradition that spans many centuries and unites a linguistic group. Until WWII the vibrant Spanish Jewish communities, particularly throughout the Mediterranean, had been able to perpetuate a significant Hispanic influence throughout the region. Following the War, Mediterranean Jews emigrated in large numbers to the U.S and Latin America, where their proud communities continue to retain a link, in many ways through music, with their medieval hispanic past.

American born, Aroeste has decided to revive this rich body of music by combining it with more contemporary musical influences. Encouraged by an influx of Latin-based music in America over the past few years, Aroeste hopes to make Sephardic music more recognized and accessible as well. Her family’s original Spanish-Greek name, Aroeste, or “of the West,” truly reflects her style of music by combining traditional Mediterranean sounds with contemporary rock, funk, jazz and blues. Using traditional instruments such as oud and dumbek, alongside electric guitar, bass and drums, Sarah Aroeste seeks to bring new life and energy to the beautiful and mysterious sounds of Sephardic music. Her sets include contemporary takes on traditional Mediterranean ladino songs, as well as original songs written in English, set to Spanish Mediterranean backgrounds.

A La Una
Arvoles
Hija Mia
Puertas

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Or Chadash

Beth Schafer is an award-winning songwriter whose shows blend first-class musicianship with a little teaching and a little theatre into a high-impact transformative experience. Blazing a trail in American Jewish music for 10 years, she has been a guitarist since the age of 6 and attended the University of Miami School of Music on a jazz scholarship. Her specialty is an attention to the universal themes that not only define Judaism, but many other faiths as well. Beth’s infectious energy, well-crafted songs and intelligent lyrics coupled with a great band has made her a leading act in the Jewish music world. Her audiences are no longer just Jewish, she fans of all faiths who have found that her messages and music touch them. That universality that placed her center-court at an Orlando Magic game half-time show and won her the faith-based competition on American Idol Underground. Comfortable on both acoustic guitars and electric, she has been the “guitarist-in-residence” for the URJ’s national conferences for the past 6 years and is frequently featured at folk festivals. Beth likes making music, loves bringing people together through the power of music, and feels God’s presence when it all works right. She has no intention of forcing any beliefs on anyone, but to those who are searching for something greater than themselves, Beth seems to make a magical connection. She is creating modern-day musical midrash, the contemporary interpretations of ancient texts that help us make sense of humanity.

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Pithi Li

With her dazzling free improvisational style, brilliant compositional facility, global music palette and her ability to sing in her native Hebrew, in English and with no words at all, Ayelet Rose Gottlieb is unlike anyone you’ve heard before. Only 27, Ayelet has a level of musical sophistication, daring and curiosity that enables her to seamlessly meld her many influences including Ornette Coleman, Laurie Anderson, Egyptian chanteuse Oum Koulthm, Eastern European melodies and Middle Eastern scales all in a breathtaking improvisational approach.

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Chana Rothman uniquely fuses Lilith-esque singer/songwriter folk mentality with progressive worldbeat in two languages. Like an eclectic ‘07 Rickie Lee Jones/Joni Mitchell, her politics, her obvious bohemianism and her delicate vocal phrasing push her sound into a delicious mix that also incorporates Jewish teachings, reggae and hip hop.

This is a strong young woman—a classically-trained Canadian living in Brooklyn—who trekked around America, Italy, Israel and Nepal with a guitar strapped to her backpack… A pied piper of the Himalayas, making friends and playing music along the way with kids from Kathmandu back to the Lower East Side.

Rothman’s eclectic musical taste finds its roots in her equally diverse upbringing. From Colorado mountains to gritty New York City subways, from world travel to exploring her own neighborhood, she builds bridges between people and create songs out of shared experiences. Although Rothman sings about her life, her music is for something much larger than herself.

Befriending audiences of all stripes across the country, she recently shared a stage with and Lou Reed and DJ Shadow and was named one of New York’s Best Emerging Jewish Artists. Through packed shows in New York – The Knitting Factory, Makor, the Mercury Lounge – radio and festival appearances, Rothman’s music, live and recorded, has begun to create a culture of its own. “People deserve fresh, original, thoughtful music that reflects our changing world. And if it’s done well, it becomes universal,” says Rothman. More than just a form of entertainment, she crafts her music to be relevant and meaningful.

Michael Dorf, founder of New York City’s famed Knitting Factory, agrees. After hearing Rothman’s demo, Dorf invited her to record an album on his new label, Oyhoo Records (nationally distributed through Allegro Distribution Co.) He paired her with recording artist and producer C Lanzbom, who brought on legendary drummer Shawn Pelton (Sheryl Crow, Kelly Clarkson) as well as other talented musicians and together they recorded Rothman’s debut, “We Can Rise.”

Ultimately, Rothman’s message is unity through music. Her poetry demands thought, and is provocatively accentuated by her genre-crossing style. “We Can Rise” manages to be both fun and compelling. It is infused with Rothman’s dynamic presence, one that shows both promise and determination. Clearly, Chana Rothman is an important new voice who cannot be ignored.

Ana Lay Down Your Swords
More than one way
Yisrael Ani Shelach

Coming Soon.