DISNEY GONE REGGAE

Circle of Life - Matisyahu (From The Disney Reggae Club) from Think Tank on Vimeo.

The magic of Disney meets the magical isle of Jamaica, as Walt Disney Records readies an album of classic Disney songs newly recorded by a cross-section of top reggae musicians.

The Disney Reggae Club features songs from immortal Disney animated films – from "The Little Mermaid" to "Jungle Book" – recorded by such esteemed artists as Grammy winning reggae legend Toots (of Toots & the Maytals fame), five time Grammy winner Ziggy Marley, reggae's most prolific and long lasting production team Sly & Robbie, multiple Grammy winner Cedella Marley, Grammy winner Burning Spear, legendary British band UB40 and Hasidic rapper Matisyahu.

MATISYAHU PERFORMING LIVE - TODAY!!

TODAY, September 3rd at 5pmPST Matisyahu will make his way to Twitter's office headquarters in San Francisco where he will perform for the company's founders and staff.

This stripped down set will be broadcast LIVE on Ustream to allow fans to be a part of the audience of this intimate gathering. Additionally, fans will be able to participate and make song requests by using Ustream's chat tool as well as Twitter updates.

This event marks the first time that Twitter and Ustream have been utilized for a live concert broadcast. With over 780,000 Twitter followers and very highly regarded live performances, this is a perfect fit for Matisyahu and fans alike.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...

Matisyahu performed "One Day" on the Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien.

ONE DAY FOR CHANGE

Yesterday marked two major events for Matisyahu - the release of his third studio album Light and the launch of his "One Day for Change" campaign.

On Light, fans will find a much broader sound than what Matisyahu has offered in the past. Produced by David Kahne (Paul McCartney, Regina Spektor, Sublime) and Dave McCracken and the Smeezintons (Depeche Mode, Ian Brown), Light is Matisyahu's most diverse album to date. Billboard marveled at its ability to "Push musical boundaries...dipping into everything from guitar driven rockers to stripped down acoustic tunes."
It finds the musician from Crown Heights, Brooklyn displaying his one-of-a-kind voice in a variety of diverse genres, moving through his familiar reggae-soul stylings to dancehall, ska-influenced new wave, pop-rock and acoustic folk.

Always looking to inspire and positively motivate fans - the socially conscious artist has partnered with Kenneth Cole to create an online movement via Twitter and YouTube encouraging people to share ideas to positively change their communities in one day.

"One Day for Change" asks fans, as well as celebrities, websites, and musicians, to tweet their "ideas for change" using the #ondaychange.net hash tag. Matisyahu will re-tweet his favorites on his own Twitter (which now has over 720,000 followers) and award a signed copy of Light to one tweeter each day. Participants are also encouraged to upload videos expressing their ideas for change to the "One Day for Change" YouTube page between August 25th and September 18th.

On September 25th, a grand prize winner from the video uploads will be announced on OneDayChange.net. The site, built by Republic Project, features all of the video submissions, tweets, and exclusive content for the initiative and can be visited to view the latest entries. The winner will receive a Matisyahu branded camera provided by Flip Cam, and Matisyahu and Kenneth Cole will donate $5,000 towards the charity of the winning entrant's choice. Other participants who upload videos will have a chance to win 1 of 4 Matisyahu branded cameras provided by Flip Cam.

"Consciousness and positivity spread like a wave." Matisyahu explains, "It starts with one person doing one good thing and links like a chain, going from one positive thing to the next."
Be part of the solution - tweet your ideas for "One Day for Change".

Listen to "One Day" http://mailsend.vectorcomp.com/t/r/l/dydtjk/urddglj/y

WORLD PREMIERE VIDEO - MATISYAHU

Once again teaming up with director Paul Brown (also directed the music video for "King Without A Crown"), Matisyahu returns with the first music video from Light,
his first full-length album in three years.

"The idea was to create this kind of organic, underground vibe of how the music and the message gets spread, which is kind of how it happened for me the first time around. It's just people talking to each other and getting out there, spreading the word. In the video you have kids going around the city and putting up posters and fliers and it kind of creates this buzz thing that happens, and ultimately climaxes into this larger thing," explains Matisyahu.

"It kind of goes along with the message of the song 'One Day' and the conscious, positive message. I guess it's how consciousness and positivity get spread like a wave. It starts with a few people, one person does this one good thing and it's like a chain, where you go from one good thing to the next. That’s the idea of the song,that positivity and goodness can spread in that same kind of way."

I wish there were more songs and artists like Matisyahu. His music is so positive and inspirational. It really makes me want to strive to be a better person and do better things.


LIGHT HITS STORES AUGUST 25!

WORLD PREMIERE VIDEO - THE CRYSTAL METHOD

The new video for The Crystal Method's single "Drown in the Now" off the forthcoming release, Divided By Night, is an intense visual interpretation of the album title and cover art, as reggae rocker Matisyahu rhymes his way across a black and white animated urban landscape.

Divided By Night will be released on May 12th and includes collaborations with Matisyahu, Peter Hook (Joy Division, New Order), Samantha Maloney (Hole, Peaches), Jason Lytle (Grandaddy), Emily Haines (Metric), Meiko, Justin Warfield (She Wants Revenge) and LMFAO.

The Crystal Method received rave reviews for their Coachella performance this past weekend, which included a surprise performance by Divided By Night collaborators LMFAO. Don't miss as they take the show across the US in May, or better yet - ENTER TO WIN a VIP flyaway to their Vegas Mandalay Bay appearance HERE: http://promo.livenation.com/sweepstakes/thecrystalmethod//?c=dm-08000341

U.S Tour Dates
4/15 Petaluma, CA - Phoenix Theatre

5/6 Boston, MA - House of Blues

5/7 Montreal, QC - Metropolis

5/8 Toronto, ON - Guvernment

5/9 New York, NY - Webster Hall

5/10 Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of Living Arts

5/11 Cleveland, OH - House of Blues

5/12 Baltimore, MD - Ram’s Head

5/14 Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Revolution

5/15 Orlando, FL - House of Blues

5/16 Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle

5/17 New Orleans, LA - House of Blues

5/18 Houston, TX - House of Blues

5/19 Austin, TX - La Zona Rosa

5/20 Dallas, TX - House of Blues

5/22 Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues

5/23 Tempe, AZ - Marquee

5/24 Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre

5/25 San Diego, CA - House of Blues

5/29 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom

5/30 Seattle, WA - WaMu Theatre (USC Anniv. Party)

6/1 Vancouver, BC - Commodore

6/3 Calgary, AB - Whiskey Nightclub

MATISYAHU’S LIGHT TO BE RELEASED APRIL 21 ON EPIC RECORDS

GRAMMY-NOMINATED ARTIST’S FIRST FULL LENGTH IN THREE YEARS PRODUCED BY DAVID KAHNE AND FEATURING STEPHEN MCGREGOR, SLY & ROBBIE, MEMBERS OF FISHBONE AND MORE

Grammy-nominated artist Matisyahu will release a new full-length album, Light on April 21 (Epic Records). On the heels of a sold-out, critically acclaimed national tour in support of the new Shattered EP, as well as the 3rd annual Festival of Light concerts in New York City, Matisyahu continues the creative momentum with his most adventurous and personal record to date. Further tour dates will be announced shortly.

Produced by David Kahne (Paul McCartney, Regina Spektor, Sublime), Light was recorded and mixed in Jamaica, New York, Los Angeles and Virginia. Several guest artists contribute to the record: son of legendary reggae artist Freddie McGregor and among Jamaica’s youngest and most innovative producers Stephen McGregor (co-producer, keyboards, drum-programming, “Smash Lies,” “Motivate” and “Struggla”—Remix), ground-breaking Jamaican reggae rhythm section Sly & Robbie (drums and bass, “Two Child One Drop,” “Temple,” “I Will Be Light” and “7 Beggars”), noted production team Eric Krasno & Adam Deitch of Fyre Dept. (co-producers and live instruments, “Struggla”) and Fish and Norwood Fisher (drums and bass, “We Will Walk” and “So Hi So Lo”) of the L.A. alt-punk-ska band Fishbone.

Also contributing to Light are Jamaican nyabinghi drummers Delroy Williams as Putus Roots, Samuel Count Ossie “Time” Williams and Nambo Robinson (“Escape” and “Temple”) and experimental turntablist Ooah from the Glitch Mob (co-producer, co-writer, drum programming on “Temple” and “Two Child One Drop”), among others. Long-time Matisyahu collaborator Aaron Dugan plays guitar on most of the record as well.

Matisyahu emerged in 2004 with his debut album Shake Off the Dust…Rise. With the release of Live at Stubb’s (2005), which reached #1 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart, and Youth (2006), which debuted at #4 on Billboard’s Top 200 and reached #1 on the Reggae Albums chart, Matisyahu gained considerable critical acclaim. Both albums subsequently went Gold and Youth was nominated for a Grammy for Best Reggae Album

MATISYAHU WISHES YOU A HAPPY CHANUKAH

Here are a few photos from the Festival of Lights show at Webster Hall in NYC (courtesy of Michael Weintrob). The Disco Dreidel...The Rockefeller Center Tree equivalent for Jews.

I had no idea there was such an event. I love it - I LOVE THE DISCO DREIDEL!!!

HAPPY CHANUKAH!!

FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS...MATISYAHU STYLE

MATISYAHU’S THIRD ANNUAL FESTIVAL OF LIGHT IN NEW YORK CITY
EIGHT SHOWS ACROSS TWO BOROUGHS WILL FEATURE SPECIAL GUESTS BRETT DENNEN, EASY STAR ALL-STARS, ASSEMBLY OF DUST, THE LEEVEES, ASHER ROTH, LITTLE JACKIE AND MORE FESTIVAL BEGINS DECEMBER 21

Grammy-nominated artist Matisyahu announces his Third Annual Festival of Light shows in New York City this December. The eight-show series includes dates in Manhattan and Brooklyn for a total of four shows in each borough, featuring special guests each night, including Brett Dennen, Easy Star All-Stars, Assembly of Dust, Asher Roth, The Leevees, Little Jackie, U Melt and a special surprise DJ soon to be announced. The festival begins December 21, the first night of Chanukah, and concludes December 30. Festival of Light marks the final leg of Matisyahu’s extensive fall tour, which coincides with the release of his upcoming EP, Shattered (Epic Records, October 21). The four-song EP features tracks from his new full-length album, Light (due out in early 2009).

Previous Festival of Light shows have included special guests Tim Reynolds, Blues Traveler and The Wailers. This year Matisyahu will kick off the Third Annual Festival of Lights show at Webster Hall in Manhattan on December 21 with a very special guest DJ set. Acclaimed singer-songwriter Brett Dennen will open the final festival show on December 30 at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, playing a solo set. The Levees (featuring Adam Gardner of Guster), U-Melt, Assembly of Dust and Easy Star All-Stars performing songs from “Radiodread” and “Dub Side of the Moon” will also join Matisyahu on stage during the holiday festival.
Tickets for Festival of Light shows will be available for pre-sale on October 15 and will go on sale to the general public on October 17. Tickets may be purchased either through no fee box offices at the Mercury Lounge in Manhattan and the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn or at Ticketmaster.com
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December 21 Webster Hall w/ DJ set by TBA New York, NY
December 22 Webster Hall w/ The Leevees New York, NY
December 23 Webster Hall w/ U Melt New York, NY
December 25 Webster Hall w/ Easy Star All-Stars New York, NY
December 27 Music Hall of Williamsburg w/ Asher Roth Brooklyn, NY
December 28 Music Hall of Williamsburg w/ Assembly of Dust Brooklyn, NY
December 29 Music Hall of Williamsburg w/ Little Jackie Brooklyn, NY
December 30 Music Hall of Williamsburg w/ Brett Dennen Brooklyn, NY