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Since first emerging on the international stage in 2005, Matisyahu has established a reputation for following his muse—from the stripped-down roots reggae of the gold-certified Live at Stubb’s to the trippy ministrations of Youth to the polished pop eclecticism of Light. Then, in 2010, he returned to the venerable Austin venue that introduced him for Live at Stubb’s II, demonstrating that all those travels had somehow only strengthened his connection to his musical bedrock. It was a whirlwind half-decade journey, one that earned Matisyahu a place in pop culture at large.
And it was only the beginning.
Now based with his family in Los Angeles, Matisyahu blasts off yet again with Spark Seeker, a bold new studio album that finds the one-of-a-kind vocalist and songwriter exploring uncharted territory with help from an expansive cast of collaborators. “My musical tastes are all over the board,” he says in reference to a record that mixes ancient traditional sounds with futuristic electro beats, rapping with singing, songs of the spirit with songs of the body. “And, besides, my music has never been about the outer garment. It’s about searching out inspiration wherever it lies. This album is about seeking that spark within.”
Outer garments, of course, long defined Matisyahu in the eyes of many. “I was the Hasidic reggae superstar,” he says with a knowing laugh. So when Matisyahu took to Twitter in late 2011 to post a picture of himself with his new look, he did it with a certain amount of relief. “It just felt good to sort of restart everything,” he says, adding that the transformation actualized one of the central themes of Spark Seeker: the impermanence of the physical form. “The spark seeker digs for truth and meaning and is willing to let go of everything to find it. He’s honest and authentic with himself and lives life from the inside out. He creates music from the depths and doesn’t worry about what category it or he fits into.”
“We live in a world where people tend to think in extremes and categorize with ultimate statements,” Matisyahu says. “While it’s true that at one point it would’ve been pretty accurate to describe me as Hasidic reggae, for most of my career my music has been a blend, a mixture.”
For Spark Seeker—not just a collection of random tracks, but a complete piece of work made with one producer—Matisyahu spent a year recording with Koool Kojak (Nicki Minaj, Travis Barker, Ke$ha) at the latter’s home studio in L.A. Then the pair went to Israel with an open slate. “We booked a studio there and invited various friends and musicians—including Zohar Fresco, Daniel Zamir, Ravid Kahalani and rapper Shyne—to come and simply play music,” Matisyahu says. “We began to blend all of this live instrumentation to create a unique record, made by multi-faceted human beings who have many sides and many sources of inspiration.”
The result reflects that wide array of voices and experiences. In the hard-hitting “Live Like A Warrior” Matisyahu describes feelings of frustration and desperation, while lead single “Sunshine” rides what might be the most uplifting groove in his catalog; elsewhere, “Searchin’” pairs a gritty digital-dancehall beat with chanted lyrics and “I Believe in Love” exemplifies the album’s deep melodic streak. Throughout Spark Seeker you can hear Matisyahu embodying the album’s title—and embracing its humble promise. The album has a depth to it as well as a lightness, which alludes to the most essential theme of the record--that everything in life, especially music, exists in mixtures and blends. “Things are not as black and white as we would like to think. Not everything can be oversimplified," says Matisyahu.
“This is definitely pushing the boundaries of what I’ve done before,” he acknowledges. “It’s a new kind of record for me.” At this point we’d expect nothing less.
I love Matisyahu been following him for years me and my brothers been to almost every concert he’s played in Vegas my brother passed away last year so I still go and represent for my brother. I know he’s there with me every time I go. miss you, michael Lee, Chase .
One of the best shows I've ever seen. Waited too long for a show like that
I am a regular concert goer and I have to say that it was amazing. The venue was nice but the experience with the staff including security, bar, etc. was 5 stars.
So good!! You won’t be disappointed , he was so grateful for the crowd and energy. Such a good time! My girlfriend and I loved it . And the opening act Cydeways was great too. They actually played instruments in his whole set too.
Loved his vibe would good again definitely everything was chill and amazing
I thought Cydeways sounded like Linkin Park, they were alright. I was there for Matisyahu. Loved meeting Him at soundcheck.....FINALLY! I didn't really pay attention to the fact that the show did start a little late, I was busy people watching. Of course there were some intermittent sound issues that can always happen at these venues and with newer bands. Maybe it could be cleaned up a bit and not sound messy. Thank goodness Aaron was playing with him. It was endearing for his son, Shalom, to join him briefly and go down memory lane to his performance at Stubbs 13 years ago. All the F-bombs threw off my chi a bit. You could clean that up. I think he has a stronger, more consistent sound with the more seasoned bands he has performed with in the past. That can make a huge difference. I was impressed that he was able to perform at all with an injured knee. I'm sure he was exhausted from doing several shows in a row. Kudos to him for getting through the pain! Stubbs could step it up a bit on the food selection in their Liberty Lunch area. Overall, the show was good but could use some improvement on sound consistency.
This was not just a show but a movement! Amazing! I was blown away! Matisyahu sounds so good love and the show itself was absolutely incredible! No regrets!
The show did start at 8:00 on the dot, but it started with the warmup act which was way too long, 45 minutes! We came to see Matisyahu not some unknown band. After the warm-up we waited for another 30 min until Matisyahu came on stage, at this point we were already tired after the not so-good warm up and had to leave early to get back home and relieve the sitter. Luckily the tickets were cheap. Overall, not as enjoyable as you'd think.
the acoustics were not great.. Also I think some of the old songs or hits should have been played in the early part of the concert. Also I didn't pay nor come to see his son perform. I do appreciate the love and opportunity he provided him but would rather of just listened to the great songs.
One of the best shows I’ve seen, and I’ve seen a lot 😎 the guy is simply amazing and the band is smoking hot
Everything was perfect! Great venue and in rebuild performance by Matisyahu!
First, let’s get the bad out of the way. VENUE- not a fan of the Taft Ballroom. Ludlow Garage or main Taft Theater would have been better. 1 bar with only 1 bartender. Would have loved a second cocktail but didn’t go back due to long lines. Seating sucked. Hard back chairs in close rows. Ceiling tiles falling down, and generally lacked any character. NO VIDEO POLICY- Not sure if it was the artist or venue, but would have liked to have taken a photo or record short clip but stated policy was pretty hard line. That said, I get it-just don’t agree with it. NOW THE GOOD- in full disclosure, I’ve literally been to thousands of shows and concerts across a wide spectrum of music, but a huge fan of the Reggae music. I’ve probably seen over a thousand Reggae shows over 40 years. Matisyahu is one of my favorites. This was a little different as it was just Adam Weinberg on guitar, and Matisyahu on the mic. The show started a little after 8:00 PM with Adam playing a few original songs as a warm up. Was not a huge fan of the songs, primarily because I don’t think they showcased his talent. He is a heck of guitarist, and can jam, but didn’t feel it on his originals. He played for about 30-40 min and then took a 15 min break which was perfect. On queue, Adam and Matisyahu came back out and lit it up. The sound was clean and crisp. Adam laid down some cool guitar riffs and Matisyahu some cool beatbox riddims and then looped them and came back over the top with more. This created a complex sound from just two people. One of the great things I love about Reggae is that the music creates a powerful stirring emotion that builds and intensifies but is also at the same time reserved and controlled. When done right, it is a powerful sense of jubilation and rejoice. If this is what you are looking for, Matisyahu is the guy. He played some of my favorite songs (think Live at Stubbs I & II) but done in a slower acoustic fashion. That said, I find the songs just as powerful done in the acoustic fashion versus full band. I do love both but something about the acoustic version with a cool beatbox riddim as the backdrop was awesome. Matisyahu also has a great voice and the lyrics are emotional, inspirational and connect with a higher sense of purpose. This is probably the 10th time Ive seen Matisyahu and have enjoyed every show and they’ve all been different. They played for about 90 minutes or so. I did leave wanting more, but that’s because I was digging the vibe and I’m also a fan of the late night jam sessions that go deep into the evening. Miss those days!!! I guess my only criticism is that I would love to see this acoustic arrangement with the addition of a world class Cellist. It would create a richer more haunting sound that lends itself well to his music. Guess I’ll just have to go to more shows of his. Hope this helps. Peace out!
He rocked, seriously! But why can’t I get a gosh darn drink unless I pay for VIP. Guess I’ll bring my own next time.
The whole vibe of this show was fantastic. Cydeways, G. Love & Special Sauce, and of course Matisyahu put on the best show I've seen in a while!
Acoustics were terrible and the opening groups were on for way too long. He was alright. Seen him before and it was better.
Great concert through and through! G. Love was fun and rocked the house! Matis put on a great show and brought wonderful energy! And, the venue was perfect-everyone had a good view of everything on stage. Loved it!
When there is a "VIP"or soundcheck "package"that is offered it needs to be more detailed of what they entail. The soundcheck was fine, i received everything i was supposed to. My only issue was the "group photo". If i knew the group photo didn't consist of me and the band, I would've never paid all that money. I didn't want a group photo with EVERYONE who bought the soundcheck experience with Matthew from Matisyahu in the middle of the picture. I wanted to be with just the band in the picture. Luckily, the show itself was amazing and was worth the stress that came with it.
Matisyahu brought his A game and the venue was great. Bar and bathroom access was easy there was planty of security and staff available to help with anything and the Factory looked very cool.
Matisyahu is such an amazing person and singer. His lyrics, melody, beats and beatboxing are out of this world, and more people should be listening to him, or they are truly missing out. So grateful he came to Madison and the venue was excellent! I had not been to that particular venue, and it was super clean, easy parking, easy to get to and the setup is beyond excellent!!! Super happy with it and will be going to more show there. I have seen Matisyahu every time he comes around to Wisconsin and I bring new people with every time to introduce them to his music, and they all love him! I will see him always when he comes to Wisconsin. Also, I remember seeing he did Electric Forest?? somewhere in way Northern Wisco??? I will look into see if he still does it as I was never able to go but I will make sure to go to his next one!!! Thank you <3 Love and Peace
We had tickets for the Ultimate Experience. We were supposed to have a meet and greet with G-Love and Mastisyahu. We were gifted these tickets and the experience for our anniversary from friends. We received periodic emails from Ticketmaster reminding us of the show but never received instructions or an itinerary for the meet and greet. I tried calling Ticketmaster numerous times and never got through. I called the Sylvee box office and was told we should come around 5:00. We arrived at 5:00, as did two other people with VIP experience tickets who were also told to come around 5:00. We were told we were supposed to be there at 2:00. We did not get to meet the artists and were extremely disappointed. Not worth the money.
