The Hesh - piano, organ, assorted keyboard instruments, vocals
and a whole revolving-door cast of characters, which at any given gig can consist of: David Hirsch - bass guitar, upright bass Izzy Kieffer - drums, percussion, vocals Don Slovin - percussion Mike Cohen - sax, clarinet, flute
... as well as anyone from the extended musician lineup on Soul In Exile 2: Jersey Shore Baby, which you can see on my blog.
Influences
BB King, the Blues Brothers, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, Booker T. & the MGs, Bruce Springsteen, Dire Straits, Dr. Demento, Emil Leuchter z”l, Hershel Lebovits, Iron Butterfly, Joe Jackson, Lou Reed, Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach z”l,
the Ramones, Ray Charles, Roy Buchanan, Social Distortion, Southside Johnny, and all sorts of other shice
Sounds Like
Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed, Southside Johnny, Billy Joel, Mark Knopfler, Dire Straits, J. Geils Band, Manfred Mann, Joe Jackson ... you name who you think I sound like, and I'll add it here
lived:
let's see:
Long Beach, NY
Bradley Beach, NJ
Long Beach, NY
Rechovot, Jerusalem, Ginot Shomron, Israel
Boston, MA
Interlaken, Atlantic Highlands, Long Branch, NJ
Philadelphia, PA
Ocean Grove, Caldwell, Interlaken, NJ
Los Angeles, CA
Interlaken, NJ
... and right back to Long Beach, NY, where I am now.
occupations: musician, artist, writer, editor.
instruments:
KEYBOARDS - piano, organ, electronic keyboards; experienced in MIDI and sequencing environments.
VOCALS - lead and background vocals for music projects. excellent voice for voice-overs and broadcasting.
bands worth knowing:
REALITY SHOCK - "a potent mishmosh of rock'n'roll and middle eastern music with a twist of Jewish humor," NJ & NY.
POLYESTER - 70's party band, NJ.
WHO'S THE BOSS - Bruce Springsteen tribute act, Philadelphia, PA.
MIDNIGHT RAVERS - reggae band, Asbury Park, NJ.
FREEDOM IS PRICELESS - original soul-punk-rock-r & b band, Asbury Park, NJ.
REALITY SHOCK - experimental jazz-blues-rock band, Jerusalem, Israel.
musical experience:
played in bands and as solo act - live and recorded.
assisted with recording in studio.
produced several demos for bands and solo projects.
proficient in musical arranging and direction.
studied music in college: electronic music, music composition, theory, arrangement (AA in Humanities and Music, Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, NJ, 1994).
wrote over 300 songs, with more still in progress.
served:
twelve years in Orthodox Jewish educational institutions.
four years of high school in Israel.
three years in the Israel Defense Forces.
twenty-plus years in the workforce.
likes:
rock'n'roll of various stripes,
rhythm'n'blues, blues, soul, and mid-eastern music,
Hammond B3 organs and crunchy guitars,
traveling and exploring the beaten path,
taking pictures and capturing the views forever,
peace, love and freedom,
the original American idea,
good times and good people.
dislikes:
endless guitar-solo wanking,
unimaginative electronic dance music,
fake, dishonest, irresponsible people,
religious factotums,
holier/frummer-than-thou, self-appointed guardians of the faith,
anybody who presumes to tell me how to live,
ignorant and illiterate false patriots,
politics, politicians, political functionaries/hacks, and politicking,
political correctness,
keffiyehs as fashion statements or accessories,
people so open-minded that their brains fall out,
bleeding hearts who always place the other side above their own,
fundamentalists of all kinds,
dictators, antisemites, nazis, racists, snobs,
satan disguised as a man of peace.
other shice:
What else can I tell ya? Ive been musical since my mom went to see Fiddler On The Roof on Broadway with me in her belly, and I began kicking furiously whenever a musical number came on. My maternal grandfather was a cantor and my fathers family is/was Hasidic, so I have the music and the storytelling thing in my genes. In other words, I had no choice but to become a singer-songwriter. So, once I got that out of the way, I took my favorite things, like life, liberty, spirituality, and my various life experiences, into my own idiosyncratic brand of keyboard-based, lyric-intensive rock. When playing solo, I use the piano as accompaniment to my vocals, the same way singer-songwriter-guitarists would use their guitars; when in a band, I prefer to surround myself with crunchy guitars and a tight rhythm section. However, watch out before you decide to lump me into the same stylistic category as other, better-known singer-songwriter-keyboard players, solo or otherwise. Billy, Elton, and Ben F. are all cool, but they do their thing while I do mine. Anyway, I was born in NYC 40+ years ago and since then, Ive lived in many different places including New Jersey, Israel, Long Island, Boston, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles. Ive played in all sorts of bands, including rock, blues, r&b, reggae, 1970s-era disco, cover/tribute acts, and my own original "soul-punk-rock-r&b" thing, in the New York-New Jersey-Philly corridor and in Israel. In the earlier part of this decade I spent about 3 years in Los Angeles, where I made some great friends, hung out with all sorts of funky musicians and other characters, worked on the mixing and mastering my most recent CD, and succeeded in getting one of my songs placed in the 2006 motion picture comedy "When Do We Eat?" ... but eventually I returned to the Jersey Shore, where I played a few gigs and released "Soul In Exile II: Jersey Shore Baby," the latest installment of my ongoing magnum opus, on AERIA Records. Things are constantly changing, as I always have some ideas brewing, so stay tuned and watch my blog for updates.
contact:
The Hesh Inc.
PO Box 506
Long Beach NY 11561
The latest installment of my magnum opus ... THE HESH INC.: Soul In Exile II: Jersey Shore Baby
Neo-retro Jersey Shore rock'n'roll for the global warming era.
My debut CD, and the first chapter in the series ... THE HESH INC.: Soul In Exile
Hey! We're currently looking for a male or female singer in the Westchester, NY area. If you know anyone in the area who may be interested, please send us a message on MySpace or e-mail me at: damon@settheoryband.com
There are a couple of studio tracks on our page, if you'd like to check them out.
Please help us spread the word. It would really mean a lot.
Yo what's Good? The Hesh Inc. I Had to Slide back to ya Spot 2 See how -U- keep ya house & hears some love Grown Folks Style Remember... Destiny is not a matter of chance, it's a matter of choice don't waited for it 2 happen we all have a plan-B.
I'm sorry to be using your space for this, but I feel it's an important cause.
I'd like to share with you a new video from the American Jewish Committee. It's only 00:58 seconds, but it contains important information about Iran and Nuclear weapons, which I think you might find interesting. Please feel free to pass it on to whomever you think might find it interesting too. Thank you!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thanks for the Friendship!
The Fourth Annual Wave Gathering Emerging Artist Music Festival will be held in Asbury Park, NJ on June 19th, 20th, & 21st. Tickets for one- and three-day passes for the 2009 Wave Gathering are available now for sale online and by phone via TicketWeb. http://www.ticketweb.com/snl/EventListings.action?orgId=23381
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thanks for the Friendship!
The Fourth Annual Wave Gathering Emerging Artist Music Festival will be held in Asbury Park, NJ on June 19th, 20th, & 21st. All artist submissions for the 2009 Wave Gathering Festival are currently being accepted thru Sonicbids.com Deadline for submissions: May 1, 2009
