DeLeon is an indie rock band from New York that plays Sephardic folk songs in a modern context. The band is named for 12th century Kabalistic philosopher

Moses de León Moses de León (c. 1240 – 1305), known in Hebrew as Moshe ben Shem-Tov (), was a Spanish rabbi and Kabbalist who first publicized the Zohar. Modern scholars believe the Zohar is his own work, despite his claim that he took traditions goin ...

and the great-grandfather of front man Daniel Saks, Giorgio DeLeon.

History

DeLeon was formed in 2006, and first played live in April 2007 at the

Bowery Ballroom The Bowery Ballroom is a New York City live-music venue located at 6 Delancey Street in the neighborhood of Bowery in Manhattan. The Bowery Ballroom holds something of a cult status among musicians as well as audiences. ''Rolling Stone'' magaz ...

, alongside

Balkan Beat Box Balkan Beat Box (BBB) is an Israeli musical group. Founded by Tamir Muskat and Ori Kaplan in 2003, BBB was later joined by Tomer Yosef who became a core member. The group plays Mediterranean-influenced music that incorporates Jewish, Southeastern ...

. DeLeon has toured with

Os Mutantes Os Mutantes (meaning '' the mutants''; ) are an influential Brazilian rock band that were linked with the Tropicália movement, a dissident musical movement during the Brazilian dictatorship of the late 1960s. The band is considered to be one ...

Gogol Bordello Gogol Bordello is an American punk rock band from the Lower East Side of Manhattan, formed in 1999 by musicians from all over the world and known for theatrical stage shows and persistent touring. Much of the band's sound is inspired by Ro ...

Ozomatli Ozomatli is an American rock band, formed in 1995 in Los Angeles. They are known both for their vocal activist viewpoints and incorporating a wide array of musical styles – including salsa, jazz, funk, reggae, hip hop, and others. The group ...

Mike Gordon Michael Eliot Gordon (born June 3, 1965) is an American bass guitarist and vocalist most recognized as a founding member of the band Phish. In addition to bass, Gordon is an accomplished banjo player, and is proficient at piano and guitar. He ...

and

. Saks is also a member of

The LeeVees ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

and

The Macaroons ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

. DeLeon's self-titled album was released August 12, 2008 on

JDub Records JDub Records was a non-profit record and event production company that produced Jewish music and cross cultural musical dialogue. JDub, unlike most record labels, derived half its annual income from foundations and individual donors and the other ...

. Saks (vocals, guitar, banjo), along with band mates Kevin Snider (bass), Justin Riddle (drums), Amy Crawford (keyboard, melodica, glockenspiel) and Andrew Oom (trumpet, synth), wrote the songs that combine ancient Sephardic melodies sung in Ladino, Hebrew and English with modern rock, using guitars, horns and drums. In 2012, Saks moved to Mexico City, where he recorded DeLeon's third LP, Tremor Fantasma. They released album independently because their former label

had dissolved. A second version of the band was assembled in Mexico City consisting of Dan Saks and as Mexico City natives Marina de Ita and Cynthia Martinez of Polka Madre, Rodrigo Barbosa of Paté de Fuá and Los Dorados, Fausto Palma of Petra and Strictly Personal and Dante Pimentel .

References

Indie rock musical groups from New York (state) Musical groups from New York City Musical groups established in 2006 Judaeo-Spanish-language singers {{US-indie-rock-band-stub