Kiddish Club

[Ari Davidow <jmusic...>]

I just spent a lovely week in Toronto with old friends. Needless to say,
between cups of coffee at the "Second Cup" (the Toronto equivalent of
Peets or Starbucks) and hikes out in the Ontario hills, we spent some time
wandering the local record stores.

The most surreal, infectiously fun recording of the whole trip (and more
about the klez haul in later messages) was a CD called

                  K I D D I S H     C L U B     I I

It's sort of like "Shlock Rock"--popular rock 'n' roll set to religious
lyrics. But there is a humor to the whole thing that gives me pleasure.
The musicianship is often good. "R'Gedalia Zweig," the singer (and
presumed author of these travesties) has one of the worst rock and roll
voices I have ever heard.

But this is fun. We're talking about "La La Latke" (sung to the tune of La
Bamba). We're talking about about the funkiest "Havanegila" I've ever
heard. We talking "Jerusalem Rap" and "Alef Beyt Girl" and, the album
opener: "C'mon everybody. Take those candles out." [Vamp] "Yeah." Okay.
"C'mon, bench licht again, like we did last Shabbos...." complete with
wailing sax and rolling, rollicking piano. I especially like the "lining"
of English lyrics before the Hebrew in the "Wedding Medley".

Other songs:

"Take your left foot out, bend your knees, shuckle up and down" (shades of
Chuck Berry's "Memphis, Tennessee", now become "Kiddish Club Strut.")

"I'm writing to the Rebbe, keeping kosher every day" (from the
"Lubavitcher Rebbi" medley, tune is roughly "Back in the USA").

"Ba Ba Ba, Bar Mitzvah Boy"
"Well he said, "barchu", and I knew that you would be proud of him" ("I
Saw You Standing there")

"You can take my Newsweek, my Toronto Star. Do anything that you want to
do, but, oh oh honey, lay off my Jewish News". Oy vey.

Kiddish Club
7440 Bathurst St., #902
Thornhill, Ontario, Canada L4J 7K8

Alan Sherman would have been proud.

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