In an article by the LA TIMES talking about Jewish Rock:
Though its fan base and CD sales do not rival those of the enormous Christian rock movement, Jewish rock is growing with the performances, recordings and influence of artists like Nichols and Rick Recht, lead singer of the Rick Recht Band. Many in the Jewish community recognize the genre's power in teaching young people the value of Jewish culture and making them feel it's cool....
Nichols and Recht aren't the first musicians to use Jewish heritage in a contemporary way. They follow in the footsteps of Debbie Friedman who, for about 30 years, has performed Hebrew songs with a folk twist — including guitar accompaniment — and is widely credited with fueling the contemporary Jewish music trend. Producer Craig Taubman started performing Jewish rock more than 20 years ago, and his songs reach the adult scene more than the teenage world....
At first glance, a viewer might mistake a DVD of the Rick Recht Band performing live for a scene from a Dave Matthews Band concert. Hundreds of Jewish youths surround a circular stage eyeing Recht, who is dressed in blue jeans and a long-sleeved red shirt. As he stands at the microphone, equipped with his acoustic guitar, hands clap and arms wave in the air. Recht leans into the mike and begins: "This is the hope." His audience, eyes bright and bodies bouncing to the beat, return the words in high-pitched voices: "This is the hope." The call and response continue through the first verse: "The hope is still real. A Jewish home, in Yisrael."
And you thought Orthodox Jewish Music has problems...talk about commercializing it.
