MOURN FOR ME LIKE THE PROPHET..FOR THESE ARE MY MAGIC LAST DAYS"-Steve Lieberman

PRESS AND RECORD REVIEWS

 

Blast-O-Rama(2015)

To really understand what makes veteran singer Steve Lieberman, the Gangsta Rabbi tick musically, one needs to take a close look at the early years of punk rock.  A slick, commercialized, stylized version of pop-punk enjoyed great commercial success in the 1990s and 2000s thanks to the emo trend, but early punk as envisioned by the Sex Pistols in the United Kingdom or Black Flag, Fear, the Dead Boys and the Germs in the United States was anything but slick.  It was raw, crude, primal and totally in-your-face.  And that type of mindset is very much at work on Blast-O-Rama, which Lieberman recorded in 2015.  Listening to the noisy sensory assault of “The Double Clutch,” “Astroland 415” or “Bassett Hound Pull-Toy,” it is evident that Lieberman (who turned 57 on June 21, 2015) could care less about mainstream success and still identifies with the raw, defiant spirit of late 1970s and early 1980s punk.

 Lieberman incorporates elements of marching band music and ska as well.

According to his publicity bio, Lieberman has been battling cancer since September 2011.  A wide variety of  musicians, over the years, have used music to cope with life-threatening illnesses, and the results were often contemplative, introspective and wistful.  But Lieberman, on the other hand, keeps things harsh and abrasive on “The Popsicle Song,” “The Whole of the Moon” and other tracks.  Having a major illness has not caused Lieberman to mellow musically: listening to “Transfusion Pole” or “Big Bad Carburetor 429,” it is evident that Lieberman is determined to rock as loudly and aggressively as ever.

Lieberman functions as a one-man band on Blast-O-Rama, which he produced himself.  Traditionally, punk and metal have consisted of vocals, guitar, bass and drums.  But on Blast-O-Rama, Lieberman plays not only standard punk and metal instruments, but also, wind instruments that include trombone, trumpet and flute.  One might think of the trombone or the trumpet as instruments that are more appropriate for Tommy Dorsey tributes than for metal, punk or hardcore, but Blast-O-Rama demonstrates that they can work perfectly well in a loud, angry, guitar-heavy rock setting.  Lieberman does not use wind instruments to make himself sound more polished; he uses them to add to the sensory assault.  And in fact, polish is the last thing that he is going for on “The Popsicle Song,” “CC Sabathia” or “Driving a Stick Shift with a Hernia.”  There are no signs of Lieberman softening his rough edges, which is a big part of this album’s brutal, uncompromising charm.  Lieberman does not reach out to the mainstream on Blast-O-Rama; he proudly and defiantly rejects it.

Musicians as extreme as Lieberman are an acquired taste, to be sure.  Anyone who complains about how noisy or abrasive these performances are totally misses the point: Lieberman thrives on primal energy, not polish.  And those who have a taste for the extreme will find that his primal energy continues to serve him well on Blast-O-Rama.

Review by Alex Henderson
3.5 stars out of 5

Cancer Ward (2014)

Upon first listen to Steve Lieberman’s Cancer Ward, it’s difficult to suppress the temptation to call this  one ungodly mess. That is until you realize the album’s title is no joke: Lieberman was diagnosed with myelofibrosis leukemia in the spring of 2013.

One also gains more respect for the noise that is this album after realizing Lieberman is a bit of a musical legend. Known as the Gangsta Rabbi, Lieberman is a Jewish-American punk rocker from Freeport, New York. He’s shared concert bills with Weezer and Misfits, for instance. He also signed with Jewish indie label JDub Records, former home to Matisyahu. Although his day job is as a comptroller, Newsday once dubbed him the worlds only orthodox Jewish heavy metal musician with a record deal.

According to his press material, this is Lieberman’s 22^nd full-length album. Sonically, this album doesn’t sound like Lieberman has learned over the years how to become a slick studio cat. Instead, many of these tracks sound like songs coming over AM radio when driving under a bridge and listening in the car. In other words, they kind of fade in and out. The musicianship is Not Quite Ready For The Garage Prime Time, as the guitars grind with dirty feedback, the bass bangs simplistic 4/4 notes and the drummer bashes right along.

Vocally, Lieberman sings a lot like The Sex Pistols’ Johnny Rotten. Each phrase is delivered with equal parts rage and sarcasm. Unlike Rotten, though, you really can’t understand what Lieberman is singing. Whereas Rotten went to great lengths to make sure his angry rants were understood, Lieberman isn’t quite so articulate.

This album includes 18 tracks, with many of them dealing with Lieberman’s health issues. Some of these are quite tragic, too. “My Last Chanukah” and “”My Last Good Day,” for instance, have titles that strongly suggest impending death.

The album closes with a most unusual cover of Terry Jacks’ 1974 hit, “Seasons In The Sun.” That, you may recall, was a song where Rod McKuen put words to a Jacques Brel melody. In its original form, the song was a gentle meditation on facing death. In Lieberman’s hands, though, it’s an angry rage against the dying light.

 Cancer Ward is a tough road to travel for anyone that’s a casual music listener. This music does not fit well into the background. You can’t hum along with it, nor can you dance to it. It’s a collection of confrontational sounds. Just as Lieberman must face up to his impending death, his music forces the listener to face this horror right along with him. It may not be pretty, but it’s no doubt real.

On a technical music level, this is not what one would call ‘great music.’ But as an artistic statement, it’s  pretty darn good. Musical sounds should always fit their subject matter, and nothing matches the prospect of death better than angry punk rock music. Lieberman is a ranting and raving man, and with good reason. He wants to go out with a bang, not a whimper. It’s as if he’s saying, ‘Death, be not proud. Let me embarrass you one last time before I go.’

You probably won’t listen to this album over and over again. It doesn’t get any better or worse upon repeated listening. But it will make you stop and think and reconsider your own mortality. And perhaps that’s Lieberman’s true intention. Rather than skate through life thinking about trivial things, we should be aware that death is always right around the corner and maybe even closer than we think. These are sobering thoughts, indeed, but thoughts certainly worth taking into consideration.

Reviewer: Dan MacIntosh
Rating: 3 out of 5

My Magic Last Days (2012)

Mourn For Me Like The Prophet is the initial track on My Magic Last Days, and it is a track that blends together the gritty sound of late-eighties industrial with hints of psychedelic and new wave. What results is something that is always nuanced and requires a number of listens before listeners can get a full semblance of what is happening. The track keeps listeners firmly focused in, despite possessing a run time considerably longer than the bulk of the disc.

I feel that those tracks that possess more of a laser focus are those that succeed on this title; Lieberman’s version of Red Rubber Ball showcases a singularity of mind and effort that is fairly catchy. In fact, the groove that continues through the middle of the disc showcases a cohesive side to Lieberman that has been missing on prior albums. While there are 18 cuts on My Magic Last Days, I feel that there are more integral tracks here than there have been. Keith Gave Me a ½ Star Review has a bouncy feel that allows Lieberman’s pointed commentary and flutes to shine.

I Hate The State is a late-disc effort that tips the scales at nearly seven minutes. The momentum comes and goes, but Lieberman’s desire to keep things fresh should be lauded. My Magic Last Days is one of the best Lieberman titles that we’ve reviewed, and I feel that if ey can further polish eir overall output, a great album can follow. Check out Lieberman’s music and website, as well as our previous reviews of Lieberman’s work.

Top Tracks: Mourn For Me Like The Prophet, They Milked His Aorta La-La-La

Rating: 6.8/10

The Rabbi Is Dead (2011)

The Gangsta Rabbi is back. New York's reigning king of garage punk, Steve Lieberman hits harder than ever on his 3rd album for J-Dub Records, The Rabbi Is Dead. Lieberman's insight into social, political and religious issues is as wonderfully skewed and-yet-somehow on the mark as always. With 50,000 albums sold, 2 million downloads and 100K YouTube views, The Gangsta Rabbi is an underground revolution.

The Rabbi Is Dead traverses the socio-political landscape, touching on subjects such as STDs, taxes, prejudice, puppies, the Police reunion and the fall of commercial radio. As always, you'll need a lyric sheet to have any idea what Lieberman is singing about, the music is entertaining, and Lieberman's lyrics deciphered offer a slightly twisted yet viable understanding of the world as it is, and perhaps how it should be. Highlights include the wild "A Dove Flies Over Baghdad", "Jewish Boy In The Moshpit", "Plus Sized Girls (Always Rock My World)" and "Over The Sea Of Reeds".

Lieberman fleshes out the sound this time around, adding six-string guitar into the mix, augmenting the usual drums, bass and flute sound and giving his songs more sonic weight and density. It would be nice to listen to a Gangsta Rabbi record without a lyric sheet, but it somehow just wouldn't be right. The Rabbi Is Dead is certainly an acquired taste, but if you really get it, you'll love it.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

DiKtatoR 17 (2009,2010)

Have you ever heard a song on the radio and wondered how that artist managed to get a record contract? That’s the feeling that Steve Lieberman The Gangsta Rabbi’s newest album, DikTatoR 17, leaves the listener with.

Upon seeing an artist who refers to himself as “The Gangsta Rabbi,” one’s first assumption might be that this is someone along the same lines as Matisyahu. After seeing track titles such as “Crank That Kosher Boy,” an obvious play on the song “Crank That Soulja Boy,” one might think they’re in for listening to a Weird Al Yankovich parody-style album. Neither of these is the case.

Instead, what the listener gets with DikTator 17 is a twenty-two-song album that falls flat on every account..

Shake the Missile Base (2007)

Steve Lieberman — Shake the Missile Base Buy it at Amazon Buy it from InSound One of my favorite independent avant garde artists out there, Steve Lieberman, also known as the Gangsta Rabbi, has written me a song. Yes, all of my pleadings finally made him succumb to putting pen to paper, flute to mouth, and guitar plug to amp. A heavily distorted album as is the usual Lieberman fare, he distances himself from the more sunshine-laden lyrics for angry words of rage, heartache, suicide, and depression. “Editor’s Pick” is the one written for me, and it’s yet another dazzling display of musicianship and the off-kilter oddness that makes Steve really shine; ironically enough the song is about all the idiot reviewers that didn’t give him the time of day, or shrugged him off because they just didn’t get it. Well, I’m not sure if I necessarily always get everything that Mr. Lieberman is trying to espouse but damn if I want to. That’s why I listen, intently, to every damn word, note, and flute craziness that comprises “Shake the Missile Base” and more. “J-Sin made me the editor’s pick!” You’re damn right buddy! - J-Sin Technorati tags: Steve Lieberman, Shake the Missile Base, metal, experimental.

Jewish Riot Oy Oy Oy (2005)

Strange anti-rock, live recording of one-man freakout. Wesley Willis meets Jethro Tull in the local psycho ward. Sounds like pre-programmed drums with him bashing out on fuzz bass or guitar, flute, with his omnipresent bizzarre vocals, sung like that of a fucking retard on crystal meth. Bordering on "Outsider Music", but also on the genius of Culturcide, The Residents, Killdozer, or even Zappa-like. If you think this sucks, well, you are certainly entitled to your opinion in this instance. I just love how its obvious theres like 5 people in the audience while this guy gives the performance of his life. It just does'nt get any better

Arbeiter At The Gate (2004)

Studio release by our favorite “gangsta rabbi”. Combines programmed drums with driving fuzz bass, insane flutes and really strange vocals with lyrical themes covering anti-Semitism to all kinds of crazy stuff. Either this guy is not all there or he does a great job of faking it. Totally lovable and adorable, like Wesley Willis. I’ve said it before, will say it again: this is like Wesley Willis crossed with Jethro Tull on a bad acid trip. Borderline “outsider music”, definitely genius in some parallel universe, alternate dimension.

Liquidatia-455 (2004)

When Reagan kicked all the loonies onto the street in the early 80’s, relatively cheap home 4 track style recording had just been made available, but the new technology was still limited to 400 dollar Tascam and Fostex cassette decks. Today, super cheap recording AND CD-R technology is as commonplace as crazy fuckers riding MUNI. Winner.....us! This sounds like some guy who replaced his meds with a mic, playing all the instruments (fuzzy guits, bass, electronic drums, and a persistent omnipresent Flute) and taking the moniker “Gangsta Rabbi”. I think dubbing this a cross between Wesly Willis and Jethro Tull isn’t too far off the mark. Throw in some Killdozer, Culturcide for good measure. Its altogether fucked up, fascinating, and GOOD. Check it out. Check it out, cuz when the mentally ill

Viva The Gangsta Rabbi (2006)

Steve Lieberman is a true rocker through and through – and one of the last to have been recorded at the now defunct Downtown in Farmingdale. This live disc was recorded when he opened for the Viva La Bam show. Lieberman is all over the place, borrowing a bit from experimental rockers Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart, British punk rock, such as the Sex Pistols and even ’80s hair metal, creating his own unique sound.

While the recording isn’t the best – his vocals are muffled much of the time – his musical prowess, his searing and playful guitar styling, shines through. He kicked off the night with “Garbage Man” before launching into “Punkifier” with its crunchy guitar, simple melody and incredibly raw, in-your-face, rock vocals.

He paid homage to The Ramones, playing a medley of “Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment” and “Blitzkrieg Bop.” However, he gave the tunes more of a British punk feel. He opened up the tune “Bonkey on the Donkey” playing the flute, giving the song a bit of a Jethro Tull sound.

He closed the album with another medley of covers, this time paying tribute to Green Day. He played “American Idiot” and “Good Riddance” along with “St. Jimmy.” He definitely makes the songs his own and his vocals are much more punk rock than Billie Joe.

Diaspora (2009)

Raw and untamed, Steve Lieberman the Gangsta Rabbi’s “Diaspora” CD is a challenging blast of noise-rock incitement as discordant and disjointed as it is unsettling. Like the late Wesley Willis, Lieberman – a one man sonic wrecking crew, shuns form and convention over the course of 18 tracks that, instead, rely on shock and awe bursts of scorching bass licks and howls of reverent fury to trace a Judaic arc from pre-Biblical times to the 21st century. With a voice that is both tormented and impenetrable, Lieberman sings of his Jewish heritage and faith with an atonal swagger that matches his frenzied grooves beat for beat. And while the whole may add up to a strained musicality (which, as fans of Sonic Youth might attest, can be an art form in itself), there is no denying that the multi-instrumentalist’s dissonance (check out the frequent and jarring Jethro Tull-like flute interpolations) is neither accidental nor unschooled. Certainly not for everyone, Steve Lieberman the Gangsta Rabbi’s “Diaspora” CD is, nevertheless, genuine and purposed; to that extent, “Diaspora” is no less than a work of self-actualization. -Rice B. and the RadioIndy.com Reviewer Team Jewish Engineer 18 (2010) Steve Lieberman, AKA The Gangsta Rabbi is at it again with his 18th album, his second for JDub Records, Jewish Engineer 18. The post-punk, flute-toting Jewish street poet and songwriter continues down the path he's been on for a number of years now; a bi-polar political diatribe against all that doesn't make sense in the world. Like Lieberman's other albums, it's hit or miss whether you'll understand the lyrics. Lieberman's rants are conducted in sing-song fashion over his highly distorted bass guitar and percussion with Ian Anderson-like flute fills dotting the musical landscape. The result is surreal and fun, particularly when Lieberman works up an angry head of steam over some social injustice or simple act of human stupidity. Lieberman's social observations ("400 Pound Cop", "Garbage Truck", "The Double Clutch") can be as funny as his political ones ("Riot At The Tax Lien Sale", "Life Crisis Man-Machine", "The PBA"). But Lieberman saves his full ire for religious considerations ("Preach The Deuteronomy"), while also acclaiming his own faith ("Cool To Be Hebrew"). Lieberman's best moments come in moments of pique, ("Poor Man's Matisyahu", "I Want A Bass With A Whammy Bar"). Some folks are going to find Lieberman difficult to impossible to listen to, and I'll admit he's an acquired taste. Lieberman rests somewhere between Gibby Haynes and Wesley Willis on the depth chart. His insights come from left-center field, driven by the Bipolar disorder he deals with every day and from years living in a city where poverty and luxury often live across the street from one another. The Gangsta Rabbi knows both sides of the street and speaks from the heart for all of those who will listen. If the music on Jewish Engineer 18 is tempered in hues you could never imagine, then so much the better. Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)