I just wanted to say that I really do appreciate my readers. I can’t tell you what it means to me every time I check the stats and see just how many people consider this blog a must view, 2, 3 times a day.

The thing is though, sometimes I’m going to post or write things you don’t like, and that’s just the way it is. I have over 500 individual viewers every day. There are going to be topics and posts that SOMEONE or some group don’t like. Instead of calling me names or speaking to me as if I’m your Janitor. (Not that even a Janitor should be called some of the names I was called by certain “frumies” upset about the video I posted last week.)

You don’t like Politics? That’s fine, skip the post. You don’t like Jewish Music? Fine, skip the post. This blog is my place to get my thoughts out. As I said before, I do appreciate my readers, but don’t tell me what I can and can’t post. If I want to post about Dog Racing, I will. If I want to post about the Mayor race in Tulsa, OK I will. If I want to post a different picture of me picking my nose every day, yeaup, I will.

If a post offends you, skip it, I’m sorry, this isn’t a Shul. It’s just a blog, written by a guy just getting some thoughts into cyberspace.

I just wanted to make a small note about comments too. This blog is my home, so when you leave a comment, consider yourself a guest at my table. Put yourself in that situation and then reconsider how you speak and what you write and of course how you say it. Be polite and respectful. You don’t have to agree with me, but just keep in mind you are a guest in my “home”.

Also, I won’t post your comment if you don’t even attempt to spell words correctly. I’m not the best speller in the world too, but I at least try to rely on spellchecker.

Have a good day and a great week.

- The Management.

I just wanted to say I am very impressed that DovBear did the right thing and was able to look through the bitterness many Democrats have towards McCain’s home run pick of Palin.

I can’t believe the anger, spite, hatred, hypocrisy, ageist, sexist attitude so many Democrats have shown on the cable news networks and blogs about this. Admit it, McCain picked the perfect mate. If this was a game of chess people would all be praising this move. It’s smart. Dems need to just deal with it.

Attacking her will only make them look bad. She isn’t running for President, her inexperience is not as much of an issue as Obama’s, since he IS running for President. Not to mention, Palin has more executive experience then Obama has hands down as she ran a city and a state.

Attacking the SIZE of her city of state only makes DEMOCRATS look out of touch with normal, middle American voters. This election will be decided by voters in those “rinky dink” small towns.

I am very pumped. I wasn’t so excited about McCain, and I’m still not, but I really like Gov. Palin. I feel like the inexperience argument sort of hurts Obama also.

After watching this, these are the words that come to mind.

Electric, Brilliant, Inspired, Historic, Aggressive, Smart, Warm … this is a winning ticket.

If they say SHE is inexperienced then they just reinforce our complaints about him. Plus, if you match them pound for pound she would win. She has actual executive experience as a Mayor and Governor. Obama has never run any form of government. Even aside from running her town, and then her state, as a mother of five, that alone gives her more experience running houses, homes and things then Obama.

Well this is something I’d never thought I’d be writing about.

Yaacov Shwekey is singing Josh Groban’s masterpiece “Your Raise Me Up”, a really great song.

(Important note, this song is not a new song, Josh covered it, just as Shwekey did)

This clip briefly appeared on (the new) Shlager before it was taken down.

Can someone out there in Jewish Insider land send me an email if they know where this came from and how it came to be?

****AUDIO REMOVED BY REQUEST OF SHWEKEY’S PRODUCER*****

Now here is the thing, it’s not bad. I was thinking I’d hate it, but the first part especially is really good. Towards the middle it’s starts getting a bit Jewish kvetchy, but all around, it’s not bad. Of course this makes you want to go back and hear the original and hear how magnificent Josh Groban sounds.

UPDATE: The shwekey song was sung for the Deal, NJ - Special Children Center which his wife runs.

Update II: I replaced the video with one that had more Tznius images, but still his audio from the CD.

Update III: Yochi Briskman (Shwekey’s producer) emailed me and asked me to remove the song. I am doing it out of respect for the organization he was singing for. But I will tell you the readers the same thing I just told them.

I think they do themselves a big diservice by making sites remove it.

If it’s ok for Shwekey to sing it, then that should be the final word. It doesn’t sit well with people that we should be told it’s only ok to sing a goyishe song in “certain” places.

If it’s wrong - it’s wrong, if it’s right then it’s right. You only look like you are admitting it’s wrong when you force sites to take it down.

Have Tzach List, will travel!

Here is the story of the ultimate act of Chesed.

Anim Zmiros

(HT Apple770)

Avraham Fried - Yisroel Btach Hashem

(HT Gruntig)

Pruzansky - Watch Over Me

(HT YK’s Jewish Music Blog)

We’ve got another free CD giveaway for you.

Enter your name in the comment section below or e-mail me to qualify for this raffle. The contest will run for 7 days.

Here is a little information and a sampler about the CD.

The CD was produced by Gideon Levine, and arranged by Naftuly Mendlovitz (who also arranged a song from Lipa’s new CD.) The CD has 11 songs, 2 of them composed by Pinky Weber, 1 by Gideon, 1 by Yossi Mayer which is also the title track, Reb Meir Omer . There are also 2 songs by David Kaufman and the choir was done by Moshe Krouse

You can hear his interview with Nachum by clicking here.

You can purchase the CD at Mostly Music.

Every few years a new trend starts in Jewish Music. In the last ten years we’ve seen the child soloist trend, the sefardic style song trend, the chaseedish song trend and now we’ve got a new trend.

Recently we have Lipa and Yeedle both using Yitzchok Fuchs and Aaron Razel on their Cd’s. Shloime Daskal’s new Cd will feature a song from Adi Ran. BloginDm writes about this new trend in mainstream Jewish CD’s, using Israeli or Jewish Folk/Rock artists. Although this isn’t the first we’re hearing of it. Srully Williger recorded Niggun Nevo on his last CD.

When he was on Nachum Segal he described going to Israel for a wedding and “discovering this song all the Bochurim were singing.” When referencing the composer he said he thought it was composed by “some Israeli guy”, lol.  I’m sure Shlomo Katz (born in California I think) is glad he’s known as some “Israeli guy.”

In some cases I think it’s exploitation of an increasingly more popular style of music among the mainstream. People who would otherwise never even give the time of day to a Shlomo Katz, being forced to acknowledge that style is more popular today. Although I do think it’s also that some artists who really do appreciate those artists.

So if it takes Chassidic Pop artists to bring Shlomo Katz, Adi Ran, Aaron Razel and Yitzchok Fuchs, then so be it. I look forward to many more of these collabarations.

What other trends have their been, what did I miss?

I really liked this interview, I just wonder if there is more since it just sort of ends abruptly. It’s a new interview, it mentions 8th Note a lot, but more as a concept for what Yossi is talking about in regards to the state of todays Jewish Music.

This video is roughly 7 minutes. If more pops up I will let you know.

UPDATED: I can now confirm that the song Yossi Green was talking about was Nodeh Lecha, a song written for Shloime Tausig’s upcoming album.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

What a great concept, it’s not perfect, there are some sound issues because of the waves, but it’s very good. I love the direction that we are finally heading in Jewish Music. This is a great CD and I will have a review done soon. For now I strongly suggest you watch this interview. It’s a big long but every part is well worth it.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Courtesy of Yozzi Zweig at The Jewish Insights Magazine.

As I’ve said before and as many of you have agreed with, I try to keep politics to a minimum.

For something as big as this I just have to make some comments.

I think this was the possibly the worst pick Obama could have made. I know the spin is gonna come hard and come strong. I know some Bloggers will hold their noses and pretend this is genius. Come on though, seriously, no one can think this was a good choice.

The first thing is the timing of this. No one, and NO ONE thinks 1 AM on a Saturday morning is optimal time to create buzz. Late Friday early Saturday is where you go to dump a story not promote it. Everyone knows that when you want the most airtime you announce it in time for the 6PM news cycle.

I’m just shocked by this, really. Here are just some of the things Biden has said.

In 2007 he said he DOES NOT want to be Vice President. He said he has NO DESIRE TO BE Vice President. He said he doesn’t even want to be secretary of state. The same year he also said that Obama was not fit for President and during these times we are not able to have to settle with someone who is gonna get on the job training. He said this repeatedly and was even asked to confirm at a debate in front of Obama’s face and he said he still agrees with it.

This pick burns his bridges with Clinton supporters. Trust me on this one, I know from first hand experience from big Hillary supporters who are very upset about this. When you choose a Vice President you are choosing someone who can possibly be president of something happens to you. This means that to Hillary supporters Obama is saying that he thinks Biden would be a better President then Hillary. Joe Biden barely got 8,000 votes throughout his entire primary run! As opposed to someone like Hillary or heck, Bill Richardson would have been a better pick then Biden.

Republicans are dancing in the street. The love that Biden has shown McCain for years is gonna hurt Obama. Biden has said tons of nice things about McCain including a few years ago that he loves McCain, he supports him, he’d even RUN with him! lol. OMG. Is Obama TRYING to lose this election? I know he’s had a tough Summer, but come on.

Another great thing is this message of “Change”, apparently Obama thinks Change is a guy who has been sitting in Washington in the Senate for 35 years! Biden is the very definition of old dog, old Washington politics. This guy is the poster child for business as usual back room politics.

I’ve got more, this pick is terrible because he picked someone who supposedly does well in places where Obama doesn’t He has longtime experience and a good record on Foreign Policy. Why is that bad? Easy, because he picked someone who very clearly highlights his own faults and just like the Democrats will all remind us, Vice Presidents don’t matter. So what good does it do his voters to learn that in the places where he lacks, his Vice President makes up. Who cares? Biden isn’t running for PRESIDENT! lol. Oh man, I could go on forever with this, thank you Barack, thank you!

Last but not least this shows Obama to be that smug arrogant man most of us Republicans have been saying he is. Sure Biden said bad things about Obama and so did Bush against Reagen, but that equation is not on the same playing field. The analogy SHOULD be Clinton V. Obama. Reagen showed the country that he was above politics and didn’t take things personal. He showed the country that he is not a small man, and he doesn’t hold a grudge and he took his biggest opponent.

Obama is showing the country that nothing has changed and he is a stubborn man. He couldn’t get over the fight with the Clintons and that is not good. I’m sure Democrats wanted him to pick Clinton and he said no. His advisers probably told him to pick Bayh or Kaine, but he said no. He shows that he can’t take advice and he can’t get past the personal stuff.

This is a defining moment in this election. Joe Biden is a going to be a gift that keeps on giving. Of course they’ll tell you “no one cares about Vice Presidents” but we all know that’s just spin.