Zeda's Beat Box

Friday night is when observant Jews put aside worldly concerns in favor of Shabbat's spiritual joys. Kabbalat Shabbat is the service that kicks off the traditional Jewish day of rest, and Zeda's Beat Box — a local group featuring Dave Simon and four of the more advanced members of his Rock School — has now given Kabbalat Shabbat a reggae remix. It turns out that traditional Jewish music's minor keys and soulful delivery are tailor-made for such an approach. (Just ask Matisyahu, who mixed dancehall with Hasidic chants and stumbled onto a hit formula.) Even if you're not Jewish (or haven't been to shul since your bar or bat mitzvah), you'll drink a l'chaim to Zeda's Beat Box and sing "Lecha Dodi" all the way home.