Beyond Eden Rocks
Our boys from Beyond Eden have announced their next tour and wave of performances, including the International Hillel confrence in Georgia and the Yidstock festival in the catskills. As for over a year, I still say they are the next huge thing.
No, no. No, no no no. Beyond Eden sucks. And homes, you’re starting to abuse your Jewschool priveleges! 😛
🙁 sheepish.
I plead temporary teeny bopper syndrome.
Got nothing personal invested in them.
Anywho, please do tell me if I unintentionally cross a line.
just consider our audience…they don’t like lame jew rock, and they don’t care about joe lieberman’s beard. ya feel me?
good grief, mobius. i thought jewschool was supposed to be “two jews, three opinions,” not “only the opinions of jews against lame jew-rock.” i think beyond eden is ok, and i’d rather this site stay diverse than intimidate jews who aren’t “edgy-political-seriou s” 100% of the time.
http://www.yidstock.com
These guys are actually pretty good. I”d book them in a heatbeat. In fact, I just did.
Thanks Mobius, when we want you to speak for us all, we’ll be sure to let you know. I checkled out their site. They’re kinda fun. Lighten up.
don’t let their slick website fool you. they are poop!
I want to see a band that doesn’t sound overprocessed and very very very pro-tool cleaned. (Not a particular criticism being leveled against anyone, mind you…)
Hey Shmavis, that rhymes with Davis… as in Adam Davis? Beyond Eden’s manager?
Yeah I would be remiss to trust a band’s own manager to tell me if their music is good. I mean yeah, Beyond Eden are professionals and good musicians, but come on, the album just bleeds corny.
Jakob a.ka. blavis
The very one, though unlike you, I wasn’t afraid to sign my moniker, my email and website to the comment. Shmavis is a college nickname I’ve used here before to post. I make no secret of my relationship with this band or others I work with.
As I said, I listened, thought they were good, checked them out live and found they were better live than the album, and approached them. I found them creative, sincere and unpretentious. And the many people who’ve come out to see them, bought their discs and booked them on the basis of either, have as well.
If they sucked, I wouldn’t be able to lineup gigs for them. If they were less than good, I wouldn’t put them on my roster at all. Sure, maybe their debut album is slightly overproduced, but they write their own tunes, arrange, record and perform themselves, and there’s something likeable about what they do. The production’s a little over the top, sure, but they’ve never not owned up to that. At least they don’t have major vocal pitch problems, which one artist hyped on this site has on recordings and live shows.
Now, before you question my taste or objectivity, know that I hold a degree from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and have been involved in Jewish music since before Matt Miller could spell borsalino. I’ve been involved with the Cincinnati and Chicago Jewish Folk Festivals and for the past four years presented quality seasons of shows through KFAR Jewish Arts Center (kfarcenter.org) to rave reviews from the mainstream press. I get a demo in the mail every week. I’m constantly solicited. I know what’s good and what’s bad and who’s full of crap when I hear it.
I don’t have to book acts I work with, and generally I don’t, but once in a while, I do it because I think an act is decent and could have a more mainstream appeal. Whatever, I’d go hear Chicago or Matchbox Twenty. There’s nothing wrong with pop music or not being the next artistic triumph or niche market celebrity or darling of the moment act hailed by people whose interests are unclear. I mean, Dan does all sorts of work for Jdub without any disclosure of his relationship, but nobody questions him when he hypes one of their artists.
Beyond Eden comes at their music from the place they’re at, not from some concocted image. There’s more to music than fake street cred, a brooding image, political gimmickery or angst ridden lyrics. If Beyond Eden’s mass appeal moves a few more people to somehow connect to their heritage, great. That they’ve achieved that with a slightly saccharine sound and without humping the NY Jewish hype machine says far more than wannabe tastemakers frequenting this blog’s comments care to admit.
Don’t like them? Everyone’s entitled to an opinion, and that’s why they’re free. Talent fees aren’t however, and the folks who’ve shelled it out to have them play or watch them play have never been less than thrilled by the performance. Yeah, I book them. And I booked them. And I don’t hide it. So don’t question my cred then hide behind the anonymity of the web- grow a pair and let people know where to find you so we can critique your next album.
Humble fella that shmavis is.
Hey, hey… no need to get all worked up. I said Beyond Eden were “good people.” I am allowed to voice my opinion tho that trusting a band’s manager to tell me how good they are would be counterproductive. That’s all. I wasn’t starting a fight.
“So don’t question my cred then hide behind the anonymity of the web- grow a pair and let people know where to find you so we can critique your next album.”
Where in my teensy weensy post did I question your creds. I don’t care, nor should anyone else care, about your creds. I’ve met many a “qualified” musician who couldn’t tell good music from feces if a giant ape was lobbing it at their face.
Fighting on the internet is like the special olympics buddy, even if you win, you’re still retarded… hehe.
Jakob a.k.a. I gradumacated from colij two
So you’re an oversized music lobbing primate competing in the Special Olympics? Whatever it is you’re tossing, it sorta stinks. Way to take a swipe a great organization and insult special children everywhere.
Way to defend yourself there buddy!
I’ve heard Beyond Eden’s music and itts pretty cool for jewish music. The only question I have is, if shmavis is such a hoshot manager, why is here online responding to petty comments by blog readers?
The sad truth is that music is a totally subjective art. It’s upon us all to establish our own opinion as to whether something warrants the label of “good” or “bad.” I happen to side with Jakob and think Beyond Eden’s music is corny. THat avenue J song makes me cringe every time I hear it. It’s made worse being that the band originates from TO not NYC.
As for boasting that a band arranges and produces it’s own music, many of the bands do write and arrange their own stuff, but, since I do own Beyond Eden’s CD, their production skillz could use a little work. The same guy who tracked and mixed their album tracked Blue Fringe’s and I would have to say the end result on B.E.’s record was kind of lacking. Very little energy and almost kareoke like emotion. That being said, there is a severe lack of professional musicians out there and definitely a lack of acts with spirit.
I wish Beyond Eden much success with their next endeavor and hope they take the criticism as constructive as it can possibly be taken. They are great musicians but the last record doesn’t show it.
Ian/Yitz
Adam Davis is correct in stating that music is about personal taste. I happen to think Beyond Eden is extremely corny. But what irks me more is the unprofessionalism of Mr. Davis and his Kfar Center. He and his “center” are a joke- that’s why he has to resort to this flagrant self-aggrandizement on blogs and websites. “I have a degree in music…blah…blah..bl ah” “I am a rock critic…blah..blah..” “I once saw Blue Fringe naked…blah..blah…bl ah” I know of a few cases where his meddling and lack of professionalism has hurt musicians. It’s no wonder why big names in the hip Jewish music scene call him “shady.”
Just wanted to say that blavis is not flavis. I would never spell that horridly.
For the record.
Thank you.
hey im selling tickets for YIDSTOCk and im arranging buses to take ppl to the show so if anyone is interested u can contact me @ xxbuzzkillxx at yahoo.com
Hey i have seen them live twice and they are not so bad can really be alot of fun. They arent delusional about catering to the brooklyn music people and have a following in the m.o crowd. I wish them luck.
“Brooklyn Music”
“M.O. crowd”
God, I hate these stereotypes!
They couldn’t suck more
Hey,
Chaim, the lead singer from Beyond Eden here. I can’t believe immature you guys are. My band is the coolest. Have you seen us in those hats? Don’t we look like such badasses in those hats? Our manager said we do. I think we do. Sometimes I wear an Uncle Moishe t-shirt because my dad is Uncle Moishe. Does that make me Cousin Chaim? Anyway, I just wanted to emphasize how much we rock. Hey, did you know there is a band called Eden? We are much better, hence- “Beyond Eden.” You should know, you guys made me cry. Seriously, musicians are very sensitive. I don’t like you guys spreading all this lashon harah and rechilus about my band. Musicians are people too!
I don’t like music at all. So no chance for Beyond Eden. However are you really Uncle Moishe’s son? Cool! Uncle Moishe when he doesn’t sing is good
Um, I’m a real Blavis, so don’t wear out the name, please. And I’m an audio/video mastering engineer (a real one, not some guy with a computer,) so, good taste in music, vision and Jews must all go together. Thank you, o my brothers!
Let me just say this about that: it would be good if (please don’t beat me) more “avante garde” original artists considered realistic strategies for getting heard. There are some terrific musicians out there but sometimes it’s like the most “left” musically speaking the pop “Jewish” genre can get is Ofra Haza. Not that I don’t like Ofra Haza, of course. I think the real issue is that there aren’t media outlets from which to crossover. Only so many point-of-sale displays can fit on the counter at the camera store, know what I mean? I have more to say, but, I’m frightened!
Yo…Uncle Moishe rocks!!!!