Reva L’Sheva: Band on a Mission

It’s one hour before Reva L’Sheva will perform a concert at Yeshiva University. Yehudah Katz, the band’s leader and founder sits in the school’s cafeteria, chatting with students and die-hard fans. Like many musical artists, he is a man with a message. Unlike most artists however, his humility is obvious. He does not seem too concerned about being credited as the messenger. He just desperately wants people to hear the message. His songs are about love—love of mankind as well as love of God. “I don’t know how we can expect God to bring Chessed (loving-kindness) into the world, until we show similar love toward our fellow human beings.” says Katz.

Katz was born in America and raised in a traditional Jewish household. As he grew older, he drifted away from religion, but then ultimately returned to an observant lifestyle and moved to Israel. He has been greatly influenced, both spiritually and musically, by the late Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach. As is often the case, this has extended to his being musically influenced by The Grateful Dead and Bob Dylan. But while Reva L’Sheva is hardly the first musical act to pay homage to both Carlebach and The Dead, their unpretentious attitude and own form of musical eclecticism renders them unique. When their fans rise out of their seats for spirited moments of dance, they are less trying to relive memories of past legends than they are enjoying a current moment with Reva L’Sheva. Some of the more memorable live moments are available for download on JVibe as well as on http://www.revalsheva.com.

True, the Carlebach influence is there and the band embraces it boldly. In fact, Reva L’Sheva’s live take on Carelbach’s “Mizmor L’David” seems a favorite moment for both fans and performers alike. Yet close listens to many of their other tracks reveal a whole slew of additional musical styles not normally associated with this genre. The touching “Horeni Darkecha (Show Me The Way)” might draw smiles from Garth Brooks fans for its musical similarities to “The Thunder Rolls.” “Ani Maamin (I Believe)” borrows a page from the Elvis (Costello, that is) songbook. The beautiful “V’Erastich Li (Two Rings)” would work quite well in a medley with The Moody Blues’ classic “Nights in White Satin.” However, it would be fairer to suggest that Reva L’Sheva shares influences with the above-named artists, rather than that they were inspired by them. One thing is clear, members of Reva L’Sheva follow their emotions and are comfortable playing in whatever style of music their emotions dictate for any given piece.

Perhaps the eclecticism can be traced back to the diverse make-up of the band. Eliezer Blumen (guitar/harmonica) was raised in Rural America and has previously recorded for Atlantic Records. Tomer Shlom (percussion) is an Israeli of Indian descent. Adam Wexler (bass) played with Frank Sinatra and The Four Seasons before he was even a teenager. Norbert Goldberg (drums) grew up in Argentina. Chanan Elias (keyboards) was a professional actor in Los Angeles (including roles in films starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lungrin) before moving to Israel. Israeli violinist Nitzan Chen Razel rounds out the ensemble.

While its members put a good deal of attention into each show’s set list, the band relies on requests from the audience to keep shows fresh. While other groups often build a rapport with their fans, Reva L’Sheva manages to incorporate their fans into the show in a manner that appears neither hokey nor staged. The best part of any live show is when the band reacts to the fans reacting to the band, and Reva L’Sheva seems to take good advantage of this energy during their performances.

“Be at one with God,” advises Katz. “Once you realize how awesome God is, then you can truly fall in love.” Spoken like a true rock star in touch with his spirituality. Reva L’Sheva’s band members are messengers; music is merely their mode for transmission. Often it’s born-again Christian rockers or newfound Buddha-enthusiasts. This time it’s different: They’re one of ours.