The Klezmatics Were Made For These Times (In-Studio)

Soundcheck | May 21

The Klezmatics have never been just a klezmer band. From their beginnings 40 years ago, they’ve fused klezmer music, rooted in the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe, with the sounds of jazz, psychedelia, Latin music, punk energy, gospel fervor, global rhythms, and even ambient music. They’re also a band whose music rises to meet the moment, from their debut album Shvaygn = Toyt, silence equals death, released during the height of the AIDS epidemic, to their latest album, which is a 40th-anniversary statement called We Were Made For These Times. It uses music as activist art to speak to questions of immigration, labor, and belonging - answering with urgency, care, faith, community, and collective action, (Bandcamp liner notes). The Klezmatics play some of these anthemic songs of resilience and joy, in-studio. 

Set list: 1. Un du akerst  2. Elegy for the Innocents 3. Plane Wreck at Los Gatos (Deportee)

Top Stories

Dem socialists win big in NYC, but can their message play outside the five boroughs?

The election showed the DSA is playing in parts of the city where the party has previously fallen short.
Gothamist |

Feds indict former Mayor Adams adviser Frank Carone in migrant housing bribery scheme

One of former Mayor Eric Adams' oldest and closest allies was arrested Wednesday on federal corruption charges, joining a growing roster of Adams aides facing prosecution.
Gothamist |

Taking Out NYC's Trash, One Block at a Time

All Of It with Alison Stewart |

Inside the Trump White House

Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan talk about their new book and the inner workings of the Trump White House.
The Brian Lehrer Show |
YOU ARE ONLINE