Shiny Shoe Music

What is it?

Shiny Shoe Music refers to Jewish Music produced by a group of Orthodox Jewish artists. This type of music usually consists of the same formulaic mix. This mix is usually brass, horns & strings. These songs are composed from within the same pool of composers and the same pool of arrangers. This music is popular within the Jewish communities of Boro Park, Crown Heights, Flatbush, Lakewood, Monsey & Teaneck (Woodmere).

Shiny Shoe entertainers are not necessarily musicians or songwriters. Many are former Yeshiva students, and perform dressed in a standard set of a dress suit, shirt, etc. down to the shoes, hence the name. Many have day jobs and sideline singing at Jewish weddings. Others moonlight in Kollel study or at Jewish organizations. Many have no formal musical education, and sing mainly pre-arranged songs.

Lyrics are most commonly short passages in Hebrew from the Torah or the siddur, with the occasional obscure passage from the Talmud. Sometimes there are songs with lyrics compiled in English in more standard form, with central themes such as Jerusalem, the Holocaust, Jewish Identity, and the Exile.

Origins

The style and nature of Shiny Shoe Music was first established by the late Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach. Carlebach's songs are among the most popular modern day Jewish tunes, with his songs being integrated into religious gatherings, weddings, and even prayers. Ironically, Reb Shlomo would not fit into the basic mold of today's Shiny Shoe artists.

Composers

Most Shiny Shoe Music is composed by a small group of composers. This leads to the extreme similarities amongst all Shiny Shoe Music. These composers include:

• Moshe Laufer
• Yitzy Bald
• Yossi Green

Artists

While the style of Shiny Shoe Music can refer to any Jewish Music described above, there are a few artists who specialize in the style.

• Avraham Fried
• Dedi
• Eli Gerstner
• Lipa Schmeltzer
• Mordechai Ben David
• Shloime Dachs
• The Chevra
• Yaakov Shwekey
• Yisroel Williger
• Yeedle
• Yerachmiel Begun

Origin of the term 'Shiny Shoe Music'

The term Shiny Shoe Music was first used by MoChassid, a Jewish music blog. Other names for it commonly refer to "Boro Park Rock," "DosPop," "Hemishe Freilachs," and "Muzica Chasidi" (Hebrew phrase for "Hasidic Music.")