Yeah Yeah Yeahs drummer finds his Jewish roots

Way back in 2001 my darling friend Amittai and I ventured to a packed Los Angeles club to try and somehow finagle our way in to a sold-out Yeah Yeah Yeahs concert. We worked the long, twisted snake of a crowd asking for spare tickets. Toward the very end of the line, after asking far too many people, "do you have an extra ticket to sell?" a sweet young boy looked at me with an outstretched hand and said "here, it's yours!" Victory.

Amittai eventually found a ticket as well and we danced our way through the giant glass doors. The show was sticky, sweaty and loud. While stunning lead singer Karen O was the obvious star attraction (torn-up prom dress, hands on hips), behind her drummed another kind of star, the ultimate musician. Brian Chase clearly knows what he is doing behind a drum set. His musical skills were out-of-control but his demeanor, startlingly calm.

It was a spectacular show.  The crowd ate it up. I ate it up. I jumped in and didn't come back out until the encores were over and they turned on the bright lights.

It wasn't until years later, when working on a story for this paper, that I realized Chase was a) Jewish and b) the drummer for another phenomenal band. Since 2007 Chase has simulatanously drummed for YYY and the cantorial rock act The Sway Machinery, a band a bit closer to his Jewish roots.

Now the YYY are set to play Israel (alongside Depeche Mode) and the Jerusalem Post recently wrote an excellent article about Chase, his bands and his renewed interest in Judaism.

In the article Chase says "I had some Zionist background, but only recently I've sort of rediscovered the Torah, which has rekindled the spark and desire to come [to Israel]."

I highly suggest checking it out. You can do so here: "Fever to Grow"

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