Moshe Kasher at the Mocad April 21/ Noman, Sundelles, and Hanni El Khatib at the Magic Stick April 22

   Moshe Kashe's book Kasher in the Rye chronicles his remarkable and unique life.  His childhood with deaf orthodox jewish parents, forays with alcohol and psychedelics, and time spent in a mental ward and rehab clinics is described with intensity and comedic flare. Kashe stated "Most kids in the mental ward were like me they took a soft left turn somewhere and didn't quite know how to go back." Due to his time spent the Seneca Center for the Severely Disturbed he can taste and feel the energy of a room.
   Moshe described the greatest day of his young life which consisted of hitchhiking in a 1970s Datson, smoking weed and listening to 8 tracks with a Robert Crumb hippie character with magical laugh. Other tales described his massive zoloft overdose, humorous drug induced thinking, a near death run in with a subway train in Boston while trying to score drugs, and his quick witted strategy with a cop when caught in a makeshift VW Bug with marijuana. He was also drunk, unlicensed and with buzzed friends one of which was behaving like a narc.
    Kashe's reading at Mocad was top notch. He stated in the middle of his performance that his bookmark is ingenuity and charm. His observation was astute and accurate. His candid and fun performance was perfectly complimented by Joshua White and Gary Panther's light show exhibit on display until April 29th.


   The next night I saw three bands at The Magic Stick. The first band Noman is a local pop rock band with tales of anguish and triumph and a lovely English sound. They sounded a bit like Pulp and the singer reminded me of Noel Gallagher.  Literature worthy storytelling, superb use of phonetic singing, a proficient drummer, and an understated bass player all make this a band to check out. My favorite song of the set was Clock Out which had a catchy melody and a clever mix of tempo.

  The second band Sundelles is a New York lo-fi indie rock band with catchy upbeat songs. I heard a bit of Mark Oliver Everett's band the Eels and the singer reminded me of Pete Doherty.  Their cover of Big Stars Thirteen was melodic and heartfelt. I heard a bit of The Rolling Stones' song Brown Sugar in one song, a sprinkle of Buddy Holly vocal stylings, and a punk backdrop.  

  The third band Hanni El Khatib is a Los Angeles complex and vibrant garage band with magnificent guitar licks, a punk backdrop, masterful vocal variations and breaks.  Loved the hints of 50s doo wop, a cappellas, and falsetto back up vocals.  At times I heard a Black Keys influence. This is fitting since Dan Auerbach will be producing their second album. Near the end of the set a song reminded me of Radar Love by Golden Earring. Their well crafted songs are fiery confessional jackhammers. The Cramps cover of Human Fly was perfect for their high energy set and their singer's confident masculine glow.


By Gwen Joy
Snazzy is as snazzy does