CD review, “Take” 2: The “Moshe Skier Band, Live”—these guys rock!

Sometimes I get these notions in my head about how something is supposed to be (or, in this case, sound) and I find it hard to try looking from a different perspective. Such was the case when first I heard this CD—I was so busy mourning the absence of a keyboard player that I failed to pay proper attention to who was present.

Coming back from Israel, I realized that I hadn’t played this CD in about a month, and decided to give it another listen. Boy, was I surprised!

Present and accounting for themselves very well indeed are drummer Dan Lawitts, bass player Mark Skier (also the band leader, lead singer, and composer of a good deal of the music that this band plays, known around the Jewish blogosphere as PT), and, last but not least, lead guitar player Mendel Appel.

. . .of whom I can only say, “Holy Moses, Mark, where do you get this guy?!!!” No wonder you enjoy working with Mendel! I once described his playing as so hot that it’s a wonder he doesn’t burn his fingers on his own guitar strings. He doesn’t need cigarettes—he’s “smokin” all by himself. :)

Mendel’s playin' wild stuff, Mark’s bass line is dancin' around the guitar line—as they used to say in the old Pall Mall cigarette jingle, “over, under, around and through”—and Dan’s tappin’ time to beat the band :). Way cool! This is some serious “park it in your CD player and you won’t fall asleep at the keyboard in the office” music. Next time we rent a car, this is going to be our “stay awake at the wheel after 11” music. "Good morning. This is your wake-up call." :)

You can find some of this rockin’ music here. E-mail Mark here mskiermd@sbcglobal.net for the rest—the CD is well worth the investment. (So are his “Rock of Ages” CD and his Kabbalah Band and Moshe Skier #1 CDs.) Enjoy!