SHIR CHODOSH ORCHESTRA

1-877-NOT-LOUD

HISTORY:

Ten years ago, after playing keyboard with a full band for many years, I started Shir Chodosh as a one-man band. My goal was to provide music that is as lebidig as any full band - but at the cost of a one-man band. I was not crazy about the typical "casio" style one-man bands that are so common in New York. I needed to be so good that I could compete with the local full band (which rivals any top New York band), not with other one-man bands. So I pulled together my music knowledge, and combined it with my skills as a software engineer to develop a quality product. I spent two years in development; but in December of 1995 Shir Chodosh was born.

 

PHILOSOPHY:

The phone number above is not just an advertising gimmick. It is a reality. If you can not talk to your neighbor without raising your voice during the dinner music, you are at a concert - not a wedding. The music is kept respectfully in the background during the dinner: Loud enough to hear and quiet enough to enjoy. During the dancing, I turn it up so the dancers can really feel the music. However, with the right sound system (which I use), it is possible to do this without causing ears to bleed. In general, I try to start low and turn it up as needed rather than the other way around.
However, there is one disclaimer. Since the customer is always right, if the customer wants it louder, it goes louder. If your crowd likes the music loud you will get it loud - even if it means that I lose a job or two because a potential customer in the audience thinks it is too loud. All I worry about at your affair, is your affair.
The human ear can hear very subtle differences in volumes, and the brain often interprets "louder" as "better". This is why there often is an inverse relationship between the quality of the one-man band and the volume. My music is so good that I sound good without being loud.

 

SUCCESS:

I started off with about 40 jobs in the first year. In a city like Cleveland, that was quite a few considering that I did almost no advertising. Happy customers yield more happy customers! I am now playing at over 100 affairs a year. I travel and play in Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Baltimore, and more.

 

MUSIC:

Now that we have established that this is the best one-man band you will ever hear, let me tell you what types of music I can play.

• While I can play a wide variety of styles, my bread and butter is the Orthodox/Chassidic music - i.e. Carlebach, Shwekey, MBD, Fried, Wald, Dachs, Yeedle, Yehuda, etc.
• I can play an entire wedding of only Chabad Nigunim.
• I can play many other styles (i.e. classical, show tunes, pop, and others) upon request.
• I can lead the kids in games (at a Bar/Bat Mitzvah).
• I sing while I play.
• Music can enhance an affair of any size. I have played affairs from a Sheva Berachos in a home with 30 guests, to a wedding in a massive catering hall with over one thousand guests, to a black tie, fund raising dinner.

DEMOS:

I am personally not a big fan of demo tapes for a few reasons:

1. An unscrupulous band may not give you a tape of what they really sound like.
2. The music almost always sounds better live than it does when recorded to tape. When I play live, the music is mixed to sound best over large speakers, with a lot of power, in a large room full of people. Also, the acoustics of the room play a factor in how I tailor the sound. If I record that great wedding you were at last week and you play it on your computer speakers or in your car stereo, you have seriously degraded that fine performance. It is missing the "oomph" added by the speakers and the room.
3. My music is not static. I change equipment and technology to upgrade the quality of my sound whenever I find a new way to improve. So if I give out a demo that I recorded a few months ago, I am selling myself short as I have since upgraded some of my equipment (not to mention my skills).

However, I can understand that sometimes word of mouth is not quite enough. You want to hear it yourself. OK.

If high tech makes you dizzy, then call me (toll free...1-877-NOT-LOUD) and I will put these files on a CD or tape and mail them to you. If not, read on...

Here are some demos in mp3 format. The best way to listen to these is to download them to your computer (right click on the link and choose "Save Link..." or "Save Target As...") and then listen to them using your Media Player that is in most versions of Windows and Macs. If you know how, you can burn them to a CD that will work in most CD players.

Second Dance Live at a Wedding
Swing - Live Dinner Music
Old Slow Nigun
Old Demo - First Wedding Dance
Old Hora Demo

These are large files. I compressed them a little but I really am hesitant to degrade the original recording any more by making them any smaller.
Only two of these demos are actually live. The rest were done (years ago) in my home. The live ones are "Second Dance Live" and "Swing - Live Diner Music". They are clips from a larger file, but are both pretty large themselves. The equipment that I used to create the older songs has been replaced with newer (translate: better and more expensive) models; so I really sound much better than these old demos...