Moshiach Oi! is an American Hasidic

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier p ...

band from Long Beach, New York. Formed in 2008 by lead singer Yishai Romanoff and guitarist

Mike Wagner Michael Robert Wagner (born June 22, 1949) is a former professional football player, a safety for 10 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He won four Super Bowls as a member of the famed Steel Curtain defense. ...

, they released their debut album, '' Better Get Ready'' (2009), on Shemspeed Records, followed in 2011 by ''This World is Nothing''. They were prominently featured in the 2012 documentary '' Punk Jews''.

Band history

Moshiach Oi! was started in 2008 by singer/guitarist Yishai Romanoff, who had sought to reconcile his then-recently renewed

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

faith with the punk rock music he had loved as a teenager. Initially a solo act, Romanoff eventually brought in his friend

, as well as bassist Mitchell "Mordechai" Harrison and drummer Paul "Pesach" Alpert, to complete the band. The band's name is derived from a combination ''Moshiach'', the Jewish name for the Messiah; ''

oy vey ''Oy vey'' ( yi, אױ װײ) is a Yiddish phrase expressing dismay or exasperation. Also spelled ''oy vay, oy veh'', or ''oi vey'', and often abbreviated to ''oy'', the expression may be translated as "oh, woe!" or "woe is me!" Its Hebrew equival ...

'', a Yiddish expression conveying exasperation and dismay; and

Oi! Oi! is a subgenre of punk rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The music and its associated subculture had the goal of bringing together punks, skinheads, and other disaffected working-class youth. The movement was ...

, a British working-class genre of punk music. The group's debut album, ''Better Get Ready'', produced by Wagner and

mastered Mastering, a form of audio post production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device (the master), the source from which all copies will be produced (via meth ...

by veteran punk producer

Don Fury Don Fury is an American recording engineer and producer who owned three rehearsal and recording studios in New York City. He has recorded and produced music for a variety of punk and hardcore bands including GG Allin, Agnostic Front, Sick of It A ...

, was released by Shemspeed Records and the band's own Shabasa Records label on August 25, 2009. A second album, ''This World is Nothing'', was released two years later just on Shabasa, accompanied by the single and music video "Got Nothing On Me". A third album, ''Rock Rabeinu'', was released on August 10, 2017.

Musical style

Moshiach Oi's music combines the sound of traditional

with lyrics that promote

ideals and values. While the music is inspired by Romanoff's teenage love of punk bands like

Leftöver Crack Leftöver Crack is an American punk rock band formed in 1998, following the breakup of Choking Victim. The band is currently signed to Tankcrimes for CD releases, and Alternative Tentacles for vinyl releases. Leftöver Crack spans several ...

and F-Minus, lyrical topics include blessing God, Shabbat,

Torah study Torah study is the study of the Torah, Hebrew Bible, Talmud, responsa, rabbinic literature, and similar works, all of which are Judaism's religious texts. According to Rabbinic Judaism, the study is done for the purpose of the '' mitzvah'' ("com ...

, idolatry,

Moshiach The Messiah in Judaism () is a savior and liberator figure in Jewish eschatology, who is believed to be the future redeemer of the Jewish people. The concept of messianism originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible a messiah is a king or Hig ...

, and Rebbe

Nachman of Breslov Nachman of Breslov ( he, רַבִּי נַחְמָן מִבְּרֶסְלֶב ''Rabbī'' ''Naḥmān mīBreslev''), also known as Reb Nachman of Bratslav, Reb Nachman Breslover ( yi, רבי נחמן ברעסלאווער ''Rebe Nakhmen Breslover'' ...

Patrick Aleph Patrick Beaulier, known formerly by his professional name as Patrick Aleph, is an American writer, blogger, podcaster, non-denominational rabbi and spiritual leader, educator, and retired punk musician. He has been the lead vocalist for the bands ...

of the website ''

Jewcy ''Jewcy'' is an online magazine of Jewish pop culture and offbeat news. The site was launched on November 15, 2006. ''The Guardian'' has described ''Jewcy'' as "a cultural icon" and "at the forefront of a reinvention of Jewish identity by young U ...

'' summarized ''Better Get Ready'' as "a blistering punk rock

siddurim A siddur ( he, סִדּוּר ; plural siddurim ) is a Jewish prayer book containing a set order of daily prayers. The word comes from the Hebrew root , meaning 'order.' Other terms for prayer books are ''tefillot'' () among Sephardi Jews, '' ...

that effortlessly ties together Black Flag and

Rambam Musa ibn Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (); la, Moses Maimonides and also referred to by the acronym Rambam ( he, רמב״ם), was a Sephardic Jewish philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah s ...

, 7 Seconds and the Rebbe,

The Casualties The Casualties are an American hardcore punk band from New York City, founded by vocalist Jorge Herrera, Hank (guitar), Colin Wolf (vocals), Mark Yoshitomi (bass) and Yureesh Hooker (drums) in 1990. In July 2017, it was announced on the band's F ...

and the Kabballists."

Shabasa Records

All of Moshiach Oi!'s music has been distributed through their self-owned independent label Shabasa Records. The label's roster also includes several other acts, all of whom feature some or all of Moshiach Oi!'s members.

Current artists

* Moshiach Oi! * Blanket Statementstein, an

acid punk Neo-psychedelia is a diverse genre of psychedelic music that draws inspiration from the sounds of 1960s psychedelia, either updating or copying the approaches from that era. Originating in the 1970s, it has occasionally seen mainstream pop su ...

/ alternative hip hop band. Their lineup has at various times included all four members of Moshiach Oi!, the Jewish rapper

Y-Love Yitz Jordan (born January 5, 1978), better known by his stage name Y-Love, is an American hip hop artist. An Orthodox Jew, Jordan was formerly Hasidic.Jerry Portwood"Y-Love is Ready for Love,"'' Out'', May 15, 2012. He is a web developer, activi ...

, and drummer Dennis Donaghy of

Dirt Bike Annie Dirt Bike Annie was a rock band formed in New York City that played pop punk and power pop music. Band history Dirt Bike Annie was formed in 1993 by Adam Rabuck while he was a student at New York University. The band's two other consistent mem ...

. * RockaZion, a Jewish

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

band led by Joseph Rotkowitz. * White Shabbos, a Celtic punk band. The group is led by Alpert's brother, Josh Alpert, who is also signed to the label as a

country folk Contemporary folk music refers to a wide variety of genres that emerged in the mid 20th century and afterwards which were associated with traditional folk music. Starting in the mid-20th century a new form of popular folk music evolved from tradit ...

solo artist under the name Mr. Shabbos. * Shin Shin Mem, a reggae, punk, and

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commerci ...

project by Shlomo Shmuel Moshe Etlinger. * Na Nach Oi!, Yishai Romanoff's acoustic solo project.

Members

* Yishai Romanoff — lead vocals,

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

— guitar, vocals,

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...

* Mitchell "Mordechai" Harrison —

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

, vocals * Paul "Pesach" Alpert — drums

Discography

Albums

* '' Better Get Ready'' (June 20, 2009; Shemspeed, Shabasa) * ''This World Is Nothing'' (June 28, 2011; Shabasa) * ''Rock Rabeinu'' (August 10, 2017; Shabasa)

Singles

* "Got Nothing on Me" (''This World is Nothing''
music video

References

External links

* {{Bandcamp, id=moshiachoi, name=Moshiach Oi! Jewish punk rock groups Hardcore punk groups from New York (state) 2008 establishments in New York (state) Musical groups established in 2008 Shemspeed Records artists Hasidic music Albums produced by Don Fury Breslov Hasidism