The 2007 'Heeb 100'

Ok. This is it. Apology time. Last week, when talking about 'Jewish Emo' I noted that I wasn't much of a fan of Heeb magazine and was a bit critical of their music coverage. Less than a week later, though, I'm back to say they just did something interesting enough for me to consider re-instating my long departed subscription.

Presenting: The Heeb 100.

"They’re young, smart and innovative... and oh yeah, they also happen to be Jewish. No, we’re not talking about the staff at Heeb Magazine; we’re talking about the second installment of the Heeb Hundred, a roundup of 100 people you need to know about. They are bloggers and newspaper publishers, comic artists and novelists, chefs and fashion designers, and while they’ve already got stellar resumes, we believe that the best is yet to come from each of them."

Now, Heeb's list is still very 'hipster' focused, but the music section makes for a very interesting read. I immediately recognized Temim Fruchter of The Shondes, but didn't recognize any of the other names which include, Max Bemis of the rock band "Say Anything", hip hop producer / musician Squeek E. Clean, DJ James Fucking Freedman, prodigy classical composer Jay Greenberg, celebrity DJ Adam Goldstein, aka DJ AM, British "electro-folk" musician Becky Jacobs, music producer J.R. Rotem, avante-garde rock guitarist Marnie Stern, and British singer Varity Susman.

This is a pretty interesting snap shot of innovative Jewish musicians on the rise. Interesting both because of the resumes of the folks profiled, and because, other than Temim Fruchter, I'm not likely to ever write about them. How come? Because, as far as I know, none of them (other than Tenim) connect their Judaism and their music. (There are hints in the Heeb profiles that Squeek E. Clean and Max Bennis might. I'll check it out.) And, of course, that's what frustrated me about Heeb in the first place. Lots of Jews. No Judaism.

But, it's a great snapshot of Jewish cool and I'm glad they compiled it.