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Arts 416 ife

McCORMIC K & S CHMI CK S

SEAFOOD RESTAURANT

Even Our Seas
Were Stilled with the
Giving of Torah

ENERGY EXPLOSION

from page 81

singer-songwriters who made a living
at what he loved doing best, and it
changed his outlook on the possibili-
ties of being an entertainer.
Before going out on his own, Jonas
worked in a duo, the Billys, with Bill
Melanson, still a close friend. During
their five years of touring, he shared
stages with acoustic artists, such as
Patti Larkin, Ani DiFranco, David
Wilcox, Richard Thompson and Pete
Seeger.

McCormick and Schmick's Seafood Restaurant
of Troy would like to invite you to join us in
celebrating Shavuot from the week beginning
May 23rd through June 1st as we roll out our
First Fruits (of the Seas) menu. Enjoy our
award-winning menu featuring 40 different
varieties of fresh seafood, including such
delicacies as Wild King Salmon, Atlantic
Halibut, Boston Baked Scrod, Ahi Tuna,
and Gulf Water Grouper.

Dine with us during this occasion
and receive our complimentary Shavuot dessert,
consisting of cheese blintzes with fresh fruits,
served in a white and dark chocolate kippah
on a bed of Creme Anglaise.

"BillypolOnas Live — 8 Songs" reflects
the performer's spiritual side in songs
like "God Is In" and "ONE."

We may even provide you a waitress named Ruth!

McCormick and Schmick's Somerset Collection
2850 Coolidge Rd. Troy, Ml 48084

(248) 637-6400

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"What Kind of Cat Are You?" earned
a Parents' Choice Gold Award in
2002.

Open 7 Days
thr Lunch
& Dinner

our 2nd Livonia location at:

37273 W. Six Mile Rd. (in Newburgh Plaza)

(734) 464-5934

FEATURING AUTHENTIC CHINESE/ASIAN
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Szechuan Empire Restaurant

Szechuan Empire North

525 N. Main St., Ste 150
Milford

29215 Five Mile Rd.

39450 14 Mile Rd.

(just N. of Commerce
in the Valley Plaza)

5/21
2004

84

(248) 684-0321

Dim Sum & Sushi Bar Available

Livonia

(corner of Haggerty
in the Newberry Square Plaza)

(734) 458-7160

(248) 960-7666

Dim Sum Available

"My primary instrument is really thy
audience," says the showman, who is
single but finds he connects with chil-
dren very easily. "I provide voice, gui-
tar, percussions and what I call 'reper-
cussions,' the homemade instruments
I've developed."
Jonas, active with a Reform temple
near his home, directly expresses spiri-
tuality through some of his songs and
has performed at a Jewish event in
West Bloomfield. He finds spiritual
inspiration in nature, a connection he
first realized while attending summer
camp in the Huron-Manistee National
Forest in Michigan.
Jonas, who lived on a kibbutz in
Israel for six months, writes and per-

Billy Jonas: "My primary instrument
is really my audience."

forms some songs with religious
themes but not just for religious audi-
ences. "Pharaoh Pharaoh," for exam-
ple, gives a rock beat to the message
"Let my people go."
Jonas has new CD and DVD proj-
ects that he hopes will excite audi-
ences.
"The Vitamin Alphabet," for
instance, offers unexpected ways of
defining energy sources; he sings,
"Vitamin B, don't say maybe; it's the
vitamin you get when you hold a little
baby." His updated version of
"Rockin' Robin" recalls the sounds of
certain birds.
"I believe all music is spiritual
because it connects people with one
another through their heads and
hearts," says Jonas, who expresses his
belief in the omnipresence of God
through "God Is In," which mixes
serious and comic lines.
"I believe that the foundation of
Judaism is in the Shema," adds the
performer, whose song "ONE"
expresses the following thought:
"One plus one plus one plus one
makes ONE."
The Shema, he says, "defines the
idea of oneness, and I try to facilitate
a sense of oneness among each
audience." ❑

Billy Jonas entertains 6 and 7:30
p.m. Friday, May 28, during
Detroit Family Day at the Detroit
Institute of Arts. There is no sepa-
rate fee for his performance,
which is considered part of the
museum admission charge, rec-
ommended at $4 per adult and
$1 per child. (313) 833-7900.
Jonas goes on to perform 7:30
p.m. Saturday, May 29, at
McKenna's Village Tavern, 321 N.
Lincoln Ave., Lakeview. $10 in
advance/ $12 at door.
(616) 636-5759.
For more information and song
lyrics, go to vvvvw.biLlyjonas.com .

-V i Ztrn:WZWXM I SVAMMTRzi,