In only its third year, the “Avenue J Music Festival” headlines “Too Close” star Alex Clare who comes to Miami for a single performance Sunday, Jan. 24, at The Barnacle, Coconut Grove.
In 2011, the British singer-songwriter released “Too Close” and rose to No. 7 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Nominated for the Brit Award “Best British Single” at the 2013 Brit Awards, Clare has more than 100 million views on YouTube while his song received wide attention as a Microsoft advertisement theme
Also on the lineup: Zusha, a Hasidic hipster soul band from New York, and returning for the second time, Moshav, a dynamic duo blending rock, soul and Israeli sound.
An alternative/indie rock concert with a Jewish twist, the show will be staged from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. at The Barnacle State Park, 3485 Main Hwy. Tickets are $36. Various food and drink vendors will be on site.
“The Festival is all about bringing people together for an incredible evening of music, food and community in the heart of Coconut Grove,” said Rabbi Getzy Fellig of Chabad of the Grove, presenters of the event.
The distinctly alternative music festival with religious undertones attracted over 3,000 attendees in its second year at The Barnacle last year. Fellig got the idea for the festival when he thought about what he could create that was different in the South Florida Jewish music scene, which is usually Chasidic or Klezmer styled.
“While it is certainly Jewish, this isn’t your grandfather’s Klezmer fest,” says Fellig. He also hoped to provide an opportunity to have people from all faiths come together to see what Chabad is about. “We’re about the Coconut Grove community – all of the Coconut Grove community.”
Clare is one of those fairytale rise-to-fame stories, first earning a deal with the Island Records label in the United Kingdom, where he was paired with producers Diplo and Switch. He was in Israel when Microsoft came knocking for his song “Too Close” to use as a backdrop for the introduction of its Internet Explorer 9. That’s when the world stood up and took notice of Clare.
Zusha is a Hasidic soul band made up of Shlomo Galsin, Elisha Mlotek and Zachariah Goldshmledt who focus on the Hasidic musical style known as neegoon, a wordless melody that seeks to inspire people of all backgrounds and faiths to live with intention, meaning and love. Their first EP debuted at No. 9 on Billboard’s world chart. On Jan. 5, Zusha will release its first full-length album entitled “Kavana,” along with several music videos, and a world tour.
Internationally acclaimed as an American/Israeli rock group, Moshav began when childhood friends Yehuda (vocals, percussion) and Duvid (vocals, guitar) made music together on Moshav Mevo Modiin in Israel. In 2012, Moshav toured with Alex Clare and they continue to tour throughout the U.S. and the world.
For more information, tickets and sponsorship packages, log on <www.avenuejfestival.com>.
