arts & entertainment East Side, West Side Matisyahu returns to Michigan for two concerts. Don Cohen Contributing Writer M atisyahu's newest album, Live at Stubbs, Vol. 2, released this past February, has him back in Austin, Texas, at the music and barbeque venue where he recorded his 2005 break- through, Live at Stubb's. That recording put him on the map as the world's favorite black-hat Chasidic Jew — singing, rapping and beatboxing about HaShem to reggae beats. Last month he played in Hawaii and Israel and began a nationwide tour that brings him to Detroit on Sunday, July 10, and to Grand Rapids on Tuesday, July 12. That Matisyahu is swinging his tsitsit in Western Michigan and Maui, as well as in New York and Los Angeles, should remove any doubts — if anyone still has any — that he is some kind of nov- elty act. Matisyahu (nee Matthew Miller) turned 32 a week ago. His metamorphosis from nonobservant Jew and Phish tour devotee to the guy who charts songs about Jerusalem, Jewish history and Mashiach (the Messiah) is pretty well known by now And each year, Matisyahu leaves Matthew further behind. While in Jerusalem this month, the musician sat on a panel on "Jewish Identity: The Young Generation vs. Ancient Tradition" at the annual Israeli Presidential Conference hosted by Israeli founding father and octogenarian President Shimon Peres. Paired with comedian-actress Sarah Silverman and prominent academics, the organizers must have thought he would personify the nexus of both the young generation and ancient tradition. But it didn't quite work out that way. "The presidential conference was a little weak:' said Matisyahu, in a low-key phone interview on his way to a tour stop in Cleveland. "It really didn't make much sense to me, at least the part that I was in:' Asked what he would like to share about Jewish identity, he said: "I have nothing to say about it. There are people who are doing it and people who talk about it. I am Jewish identity — that's what I am, that's what I foster, that's what I promote. When somebody looks at me or people listen to my songs — that is what I do. It's part of the fiber of my being." Matisyahu first visited Detroit in about 2000, he said. He was a college student and looking for work. "One of the first times I ever got paid to make music was in Detroit at the auto show:' he recalled. "This was before I was religious, and I signed on for what I thought was a Volkswagen commercial. What it was, however, was a Volkswagen slot at the auto show for three weeks. I did the same song, eight, nine times a day." There have been rumors going around that Matisyahu is moving away from Chasidism. He didn't mince words setting the record straight. "I have the feeling that people who say that really have no clue about anything," he said, noting that his 2009 release, Light, is "based on two years of study- ing one Chasidic story, 'The Seven Beggars' (written by Rabbi Nachman of Breslov in the early 1800s). "My work and music today is as drenched in Chasidus, Kabbalah and Judaism as it has ever been." Matisyahu will perform in Detroit and Grand Rapids. Matisyahu, with special guest Tea Leaf Green, performs Sunday, July 10, at Saint Andrews Hall, 431 Congress, in Detroit. Doors at 6:30 p.m. $25. (313) 961-8137 or livenation.com . On Tuesday, July 12, he'll be at the Intersection, 133 Grandville Ave., in Grand Rapids. Doors at 7 p.m. $25. (616) 451-8232 or sectionlive.com . All ages welcome. sews Nate Bloom •tom Special to the Jewish News 16. ine Multi Talented Geek - Opening Friday, July 8, is the black comedy Horrible Bosses. Jason vow Bateman, Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day play three buddies who would like to get rid of their terrible bosses (Kevin Spacey, Colin Farrell and Jennifer Aniston). They can't quit their jobs so after tossing back a few too many drinks they seek advice about their problem from a hustling ex- con (Jamie Foxx). Together, the quartet Lindsay devises a complex, Sloane but seemingly fool- proof, plan to get rid of the bosses permanently (as in dead). But things don't quite go as planned. Lindsay Sloane, 33, has a supporting role as Stacy. The script was co-written by John Francis Daley, 26, now best known au 34 July 7 . 2011 John Francis Daley for his co-starring role as psychologist Lance Sweets on the hit FOX TV series Bones. Daley has written some short films, but Bosses is the first feature he has penned. He says, "When I'm not acting, I'm writing screenplays." Daley began as a teen actor. Prior to Bones, he was best known for playing the lead character Sam Weir on the teen-oriented comedy series Freaks and Geeks (1999-2000). Although the show was canceled quickly for anemic ratings, it went on to become a cult hit and is currently being aired by two cable networks (IFC and TeenNick). Freaks co-creator Judd Apatow, 42, went on to be a famous director- writer-producer. Two of Daley's co- stars, Seth Rogen, 29, and James Franco, 33, have made their marks as both actors and writers. Daley is the son of an Irish-Catholic father, R.F. Daley, who is mostly a stage actor, and a Jewish mother, Nancy Daley, a piano teacher. Visiting Israel On June 27, actor Josh Charles, 39, arrived in Israel as a guest of El Al Airlines. He is now touring the coun- try and visiting with relatives who live in Israel. This is Charles' first visit to Israel. He, too, began as a teen actor. His first notable role was in The Dead Poet's Society (1989). The Baltimore native went on to Josh Charles show his talent in a variety of parts, but stardom eluded him until he got a co- starring role on the CBS TV series, The Good Wife. The show began in 2009 and gradually built a big audi- ence. It's now arguably the smartest drama on TV. A rebroadcast of the episode of the A&E network reality show Family Jewels, in which series star Gene Simmons of Kiss rock group fame vis- its Israel, airs 10 p.m. Tuesday, July 12, and 2 p.m. Wednesday, July 13. Gene Simmons was Simmons born Chaim Witz in Israel and moved to America with his mother, a Holocaust survivor, when he was 7. His father remained in Israel and remarried. Simmons' now very elderly mother is seen early in the episode. You don't see much of Israel - just places (a house, a cafe) connected to Simmons' childhood. He picks up an award from the city of Haifa for being a successful native son and meets, for the first time, with a half brother and two half sisters - the adult Israeli children of his late father's second marriage. I Contact Nate Bloom at middleoftheroadl@aol.com .