name: The Hesh
born: September 8, 1965, New York City
lived:
Long Beach, NY
Atlantic Highlands, Bradley Beach, Caldwell, Interlaken, Long Branch, Ocean Grove, Ocean Twp, NJ
Ginot Shomron, Jerusalem, Rechovot, Israel
Boston, MA
Philadelphia, PA
Los Angeles, CA
occupation: musician-songwriter, artist, writer.
instruments:
KEYBOARDS - piano, organ, electronic keyboards; experienced in MIDI and sequencing environments.
VOCALS - lead and background vocals for music projects. excellent voice for voice-overs and broadcasting.
bands worth knowing:
REALITY SHOCK - "a potent mishmosh of rock'n'roll and middle eastern music with a twist of Jewish humor," NJ & NY.
POLYESTER - 70's party band, NJ.
WHO'S THE BOSS - Bruce Springsteen tribute act, Philadelphia, PA.
MIDNIGHT RAVERS - reggae band, Asbury Park, NJ.
FREEDOM IS PRICELESS - original soul-punk-rock-r & b band, Asbury Park, NJ.
REALITY SHOCK - experimental jazz-blues-rock band, Jerusalem, Israel.
musical experience:
played in bands and as solo act - live and recorded.
assisted with recording in studio.
produced several demos for bands and solo projects.
proficient in musical arranging and direction.
studied music in college: electronic music, music composition, theory, arrangement (AA in Humanities and Music, Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, NJ, 1994).
wrote over 300 songs, with more still in progress.
served:
twelve years in Orthodox Jewish educational institutions.
four years of high school in Israel.
three years in the Israel Defense Forces.
likes:
rock'n'roll of various stripes,
rhythm'n'blues, blues, soul, and mid-eastern music,
Hammond B3 organs and crunchy guitars,
traveling and exploring the beaten path,
taking pictures and capturing the views forever,
peace, love and freedom,
the original American idea,
good times and good people.
dislikes:
endless guitar-solo wanking,
unimaginative electronic dance music,
fake, dishonest, irresponsible people,
ignorant and illiterate false patriots,
politics, politicians, and politicking,
fundamentalists of all kinds,
dictators, antisemites, nazis, racists, snobs,
satan disguised as a man of peace.
other shice:
What else can I tell ya? Ive been musical since my mom went to see Fiddler On The Roof on Broadway with me in her belly, and I began kicking furiously whenever a musical number came on. My maternal grandfather was a cantor and my fathers family is/was Hasidic, so I have the music and the storytelling thing in my genes. In other words, I had no choice but to become a singer-songwriter. So, once I got that out of the way, I took my favorite things, like life, liberty, spirituality, and my various life experiences, into my own idiosyncratic brand of keyboard-based, lyric-intensive rock. When playing solo, I use the piano as accompaniment to my vocals, the same way singer-songwriter-guitarists would use their guitars; when in a band, I prefer to surround myself with crunchy guitars and a tight rhythm section. However, watch out before you decide to lump me into the same stylistic category as other, better-known singer-songwriter-keyboard players, solo or otherwise. Billy, Elton, and Ben F. are all cool, but they do their thing while I do mine. Anyway, I was born in NYC 40+ years ago and since then, Ive lived in many different places including New Jersey, Israel, Long Island, Boston, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles. Ive played in all sorts of bands, including rock, blues, r&b, reggae, 1970s-era disco, cover/tribute acts, and my own original "soul-punk-rock-r&b" thing, in the New York-New Jersey-Philly corridor and in Israel. I just returned to my beloved Jersey Shore after a 2.5-year sojourn in Los Angeles, where I made some great friends, hung out with all sorts of funky musicians and other characters, worked on the mixing and mastering of my latest CD recording project, and succeeded in getting one of my songs placed in an upcoming motion picture. But it's great to be home, and I'm currently in the process of lining up some new gigs and preparing my CD for release. Stay tuned and watch my blog for updates.
contact:
The Hesh Inc.
PO Box 1401
Asbury Park NJ 07712
