New Single - "The Esther Song" Featuring Alicia Jo Rabins

Dearest Thumpers,

We are so excited, just in time for Purim, to release the first single off our upcoming album "The Revelation Will Not Be Televised," "The Esther Song." We had the immense pleasure of working with the crazy-talented and oh so cool Alicia Jo Rabins. (You may know Alicia from the punk-klezmer outfit Golem or her art pop project on incredible biblical women, Girls in Trouble. They will both rock your world and we highly recommend checking them out!) She added so much depth and richness to this tune, and we can't sing her praises enough.

And now, the song. It's taken from a moment in the Book of Esther when Esther realizes she can't just sit there and let the world fall apart. In the song's refrain she says, "‎For how can I endure the evil that shall come unto my people? How can I endure destruction? How can I stand back and watch my kindred suffer?"

Of course she can't, none of us can. She stands up to the king, in front of the King. Where we see the world crumbling - be it as big as an earthquake in Japan or as (seemingly) small as a friend who needs a shoulder to cry on - you do what you gotta do.

Here's hoping this song will be a call to action, and a call to empathy. May we not stand idly by.

Stereo Sinai's Guide to the Greater Chicago Jewish Festival

Thumpers! We at Stereo Sinai are very excited to remind you that this Sunday, June 13th, at 4:00pm on the Cabaret Stage, we will be playing the Greater Chicago Jewish Festival! We've got all kinds of fun things in store, so we hope you'll join us for some rockin' out, biblegum pop style...

But, shlepping out to the 'burbs, you may as well make a day of it. The following list comprises Stereo Sinai's picks of our Festival favorites - enjoy!

There are a bunch of cool acts performing - here are some highlights:

The Moshe Skier Band - 11:00am, Crain-Maling Stage

The Ruby Harris Band - 12:00pm, Crain-Maling Stage

David Broza - 12:45pm, Crain-Maling Stage

(Get ready for more shameless self-promotion in 3...2...)

STEREO SINAI, HOORAY! - 4:00pm, Cabaret Stage

Aaron Freeman (comedian) - 5:00pm, Cabaret Stage

(Sadly, our friends at Even Sh'siyah will not be playing this year, as they have in the past, but we encourage you to check them out around town whenever you can. Their unbelievable drummer, Matt Kanter, will be performing with a fun, goofy outfit called Tzioni 'R' Us at 11:00am on the Crain-Maling Stage.)

And definitely take some time to stop by the organization booths of some of our brilliant buddies:

Kfar Jewish Arts Center

PunkTorah

The Gan Project

The Board of Jewish Education of Metropolitan Chicago

Limmud Chicago

There are some truly talented visual artists exhibiting and selling their wares. Take a moment to visit Limor Katz-Evans of Ella Klara Designs (a sponsor of Stereo Sinai) and Fran Moss's fun and funky Chai Note Designs.

Once you've done sufficient wandering, there are all kinds of kosher (even vegetarian!) options available at the various food booths.

So go, gey gezunterheyt. See you there!

Upcoming Biblegum Pop Shows - 5/11 and 5/16

Thumpers! We have some exciting events coming up that... well, we just couldn't contain ourselves. We had to let you know.

In case there was any doubt, Stereo Sinai does indeed rock the suburbs. On May 11th we'll be celebrating with Lincolnwood Jewish Congregation, and we hope to see you there!

Yom Yerushalayim Concert (Jerusalem Day)

Tuesday, May 11th

at Lincolnwood Jewish Congregation

7117 N Crawford Ave in Lincolnwood

6:30-8:00pm

Tix are $20 in advance, $25 at the door, $5 for students w/ID

(BUT we have a few FREE tix to give away - shoot us a message and we'll hook you up!)

Also, we are very excited to be playing in the VIP room of Emanuel Congregation's Comedy Night with Fred Armisen, Jeff Garlin, and special musical guest Jeff Tweedy of Wilco!!! (Yes, really.) Info is below, but be sure to check out all the details here.

Comedy, Q & A's with Fred Armisen and Jeff Garlin

Sunday, May 16th

at Emanuel Congregation

5959 N Sheridan in Chicago

7:00-9:00pm (doors at 7, show at 8)

Ask us about ticket prices, or check out www.armisenshow.com

Oy, and there is so much more to come... Keep your ears to the ground, thumpers!

Earth Day Special - Help Us Help the Arava Institute!

Thumpers! Stereo Sinai is doing a huge promotion in honor of Earth Day 2010!

For every 100 new "likes" on our Facebook page, we will donate $50 to the Arava Institute in Israel, an organization that promotes both cooperation and environmental sustainability in the Middle East.

So what are you waiting for? Find us on Facebook, tell your friends, help us get there!

Happy Earth Day, everyone!

Huh. Turns Out Kids' Music Doesn't Suck - "Eats Paste" Out Today!

No April Fools, we promise.

ToyBlock Music, that unique and funky project dedicated to making children's music not suck, released its EP, aptly entitled "Eats Paste," today! Talk about punking kids' music. Anyway, Stereo Sinai's version of the Dutch lullaby "Wynken, Blynken, and Nod" is featured, so download away!

Other tunes included are a funk version of "The Wheels on the Bus," a surf-punk "The Cat Came Back," and...well, go see for yourself at toyblockmusic.com.

Also, we have to mention that Miriam is more intimately involved in this stupendous project - she wrote all those snarky descriptions of the songs and has done other fun things behind the scenes.

We're really proud to have been included in this amazing effort. Keep your eyes open for the full-length CD (due out in the fall) with more cool interpretations from your favorite biblegum poppers...

Stereo Sinai on TV

Stereo Sinai's performance on E.N.E. Chicago Rocks will be aired on Chicago Cable 25 this Wednesday at 8pm, then again on Sunday at 5pm!

And now for the story...

Last night Stereo Sinai was out at the Subterranean for the filming of a very cool local live music show called E.N.E. Chicago Rocks. ENE, apparently, stands for "errores no eliminados/errors not eliminated." The show is a fixture of latin alternative media in Chicago and has featured some very cool acts. When we walked in, two TVs were screening a movie on the story of the life of Jesus- specifically a scene where two characters were getting married under a chuppah. Between that and the poppy Spanish-language dance tunes pumping through the speakers, we felt right at home.

We got nine minutes to play and were then interviewed by the show's host, Beatriz Castillo (also known as Mean Little Bumble Bee- check out her awesome music blog here). We want to give a big thank-you to Bea for inviting us out to play. AND thank you to all our wonderful Thumpers who came out to make crazy noise and keep the show sounding good- y'all are the best. Lotsa love.

Again, the show will air this Wednesday night on Cable 25 at 8pm, then again on the same channel on Sunday at 5pm. Really, it's totally worth checking out. In the meantime, we hope these pics will tide you over...