Golem

Contrary to popular belief, Golem is neither a towering Jewish Frankenstein who defended the Jews of 17th Century Prague, nor a creature from "Lord of the Rings." Golem is a 6 piece Eastern European folk-punk band.

Fronted by Annette Ezekiel - singer, accordionist, and 5-foot powerhouse, with vocalist / tambourinist Aaron Diskin, violin virtuoso Alicia Jo Rabins, trombonist Curtis Hasselbring, upright bassist Taylor Bergren-Chrisman, and drummer Tim Monaghan, Golem's sound evokes wisps of old-world elegance filtered through the successes and disappointments of new-world dreams. Spending nights in Lower East Side immigrant-owned bagel shops and summers in Eastern Europe, Annette collects Jewish, Gypsy, and Slavic folk songs, adding, editing, and rearranging them along the way. These are the songs to which her Eastern European grandparents danced over a century ago, and now Golem has its unwrinkled fans moshing to the same pulsing beats.

Unrequited love stories? Check. Drunken dances? Check. Warnings to future sons-in-law? Check. Dysfunctional families forcing kids to sell bagels on the street? Fresh Off Boat has 'em all. And they may be in Yiddish (or Russian or French), but when Golem wails that the rent is too high, everybody understands.