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Interview: The Groggers

May 24, 2010 By punktorah

“You should post this.”

A single line email with a YouTube link from our friend and PunkTorah contributor Heshy Friend (of the infamous FrumSatire.net) is not something you want to pass up.

The video is called “Get” and the band is The Groggers. A post-emo, indie-punk song about the orthodox community and divorce fills my screen and I’m experiencing a feeling that is part shock and hysterical laughter.

Doug Steiman, the front-man for The Groggers, granted me an interview where we talked about Green Day, frum politics, and one of my favorite subjects, women.

The Groggers was just an idea when Doug started writing. “I got into this mood where I was writing these funny Jewish punk songs…[and] the first song I recorded was Mitzvah Night.” The song about having sex on Shabbat became an “underground hit” which led to another song called “Get”, which became the video that has made a splash on the Jew-Tube, and put Doug in the position of needing to put together a real version of The Groggers.

Songs about sex and dating might seem like controversial topics for a self-proclaimed “orthodox band”, but Doug seems to like that. “We’re pushing the envelope with some of our songs…we stand behind what we say. We’re poking fun at our religion and our own vices [and] I hope that there’s something that people appreciate about our honesty.”

Doug is not a one-act-wonder. Although The Groggers is inspired by Doug’s early love of Green Day, Nirvana and Motion City Soundtrack, Doug has been in numerous bands, including a band he put together just to play a Battle of the Bands, which they ended up winning after only one practice.

Like Jewish pop-punk predecessors Yidcore, The Groggers use humor to convey their musical message. But unlike most gimmick acts, The Groggers are surprisingly “real”. “We’re getting slightly more political because we have opinions on Jewish happenings. It could be looked at as a gimmick, but that’s not our intention.” Doug went on to tell me that they aren’t wearing yarmulkes and tzitzit to “look” Jewish, but instead that “this is how we dress”.

In the non-Orthodox world, it would sound insane that a song about dating whoever you want would be in any way “political”. But for The Groggers, it is the reality of their life. Says Doug, “in many circles it’s not OK to meet someone on your own. I know people that are finding it really difficult to meet someone in that [shidduch] system, but won’t look in another direction.”

The Groggers are looking forward to producing their first album (set for release this August), dates on the Shemspeed Music Festival and G-d willing, booking a college tour. Check out The Groggers on Myspace: www.myspace.com/thegroggersband

Filed Under: Jewish Media Reviews, Podcasts & Videos, Random (Feelin' Lucky?) Tagged With: Counterculture, darshan yeshiva, frumsatire, interview, Jewish, Jews, Judaism, Music, orthodox, patrick "aleph" beaulier, patrick aleph, Punk, punktorah, rabbi patrick aleph beaulier, rebel, Religion, the groggers, Torah

What You Don’t Know About The Orthodox

May 11, 2010 By punktorah

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwhgZzwWhrA&feature=related

Filed Under: Community Member Blogs, Podcasts & Videos, Rants Tagged With: Counterculture, frum, Jewish, Jews, Judaism, orthodox, orthodoxy, Punk, rebel, Religion, shul, Torah

Orthodox Judaism Is Not For Everyone

March 16, 2010 By punktorah

The whole concept of being off the derech bothers me because in my opinion there is no right derech, if we call those who aren’t observant or don’t follow the ways that they were brought up in we feel the need to belittle them. Oh he or she is off the derech sounds really crappy and I decided to put in my two cents on this situation.

I am constantly questioning and have my moments, but I am orthodox and it suits me well, but unlike many orthodox Jews, I don’t think that orthodoxy or being observant is for everyone. Like many people I know, I was brought up to believe that orthodox Jews were right and everyone else was wrong, but I think that belief is wrong, I have met many people that aren’t orthodox anymore and are great people, they are good Jews and I am cool with that, but many people aren’t.

I know some of you are already screaming blasphemy and the off the derech crowd (I use the terminology because it works best – but I don’t like it) are cheering for joy. I don’t even like the term authentic when combined with religion, religion itself has evolved so many times that we don’t even know if we are practicing the right thing anymore, hence the reason that I don’t have a hashkafa, I work on things I think are important (good thing the sages view most of these things as important too) but the second someone calls me a Torah Jew or Authentic Jew I cringe – seriously – it makes me feel that all of the other Jews out there practicing in ways foreign to the average yeshiva bochur aren’t real Jews and that is wrong.

I guess I never really learned how to be such a fundamentalist that I discard everything else as hogwash when my own religious practice is built on some pretty shaky ground and I am sick of having it proved to me from the 600,000 person revelation stuff, I believe but don’t think everyone should have to or be disregarded and treated harshly because of their varying beliefs.

By Heshy Fried

(Originally Posted Here)

 

Filed Under: Random (Feelin' Lucky?) Tagged With: bible, conservative, Counterculture, Jewish, Jews, Judaism, mitzvah, mitzvot, orthodox, patrick "aleph" beaulier, patrick aleph, punktorah, rabbi patrick aleph beaulier, reconstructionist, reform, Religion, shul, synagogue, temple, Torah

Orthodox Dudes are Hardcore!

April 29, 2009 By punktorah

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcaaTa_PQ-4

Love to @shemspeed, @matthue (matthue roth), @frumsatire, @ylove and more…

Filed Under: Community Member Blogs, Podcasts & Videos, Rants Tagged With: bible, black hat, conservative, Counterculture, haredi, Jewish, Jews, Judaism, modern orthodox, modern orthodoxy, orthodox, orthodoxy, rebel, reform, Religion, renewal, Torah

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