Sun 6/23 @ 7:30PM
The 35th Annual Workmen’s Circle Yiddish Concert at Cain Park’s Evans Amphitheater features a band this year that would have made your grandparents go “oy!”
New York City’s Golem treats the traditional eastern European klezmer lightly — some might say disrespectfully, others might say creatively — by playing it will a strong rock/punk sensibility.
New York’s Jewish Week once said of them, “This is not your father’s klezmer band … unless, of course, your father was Sid Vicious.”
It’s not quite THAT extreme but you get the idea.
The band was formed (in 2000) and is fronted by Annette Ezekiel Kogan who plays accordion and sings in multiple languages. She’s also a serious researcher of eastern European culture. So for all the humor and wacky recasting of traditional material, a deep respect for the culture underlies the band’s music and performances.
The concert is free. “So go!” my grandmother would have said. “But first take off that schmatte and put on something nice.”
Cleveland Heights, OH 44118