arts & life

mu s i c

The “It” Guy

Musician, educator and charisma-laden
Renaissance Man Billy Jonas visits Metro Detroit.

Hazzan Daniel Gross | Special to the Jewish News

T

hree years ago, I traveled with sev-
eral local Jewish educators to my
hometown of St. Louis to attend
a conference called Songleader Boot Camp.
This is a unique leadership training program
for all Jewish educators, not just musicians.
I benefited greatly from the conference, but
the greatest part of this experience for me
was meeting a fellow musician and educator
from Asheville, N.C., named Billy Jonas. My
first encounter with Billy was hearing him in
an evening concert that featured several dif-
ferent performers.
From the moment Billy ascended the
stage, I was riveted.
There is something rare that all great per-
formers have, and it is not something that
can be taught. It is something innate. There
is no word for this in the dictionary and,
therefore, I call this “it.” “It” is the ability to
be completely natural and free on stage, cap-
turing the complete and undivided attention
of the audience. When you go to a dance,
theater or instrumental performance, and
you find yourself focusing on one person,
that’s because this person has the most “it.”
Billy has “it.” And he is bringing “it” for
a weekend of events March 25-27 at Adat
Shalom in Farmington Hills.
Billy’s performance style is one of a kind.
He’s a singer, guitarist and “industrial re-per-
cussionist” — a term that Billy coined. This
last element was most captivating for me.
More commonly known as industrial percus-
sion, it is the taking of household items and
converting them into instruments. You may
have encountered this with guys on the street
enthusiastically banging away on buckets
after a Tigers game or in the theatrical show
Stomp or perhaps in your own kitchen when
you gave your child those pots and pans to
bang away on until it was time to reach for
the Advil.
Billy has created an art form out of this
genre, and his percussion kit sounds like
a top-of-the-line drum kit. Watching him
maneuver and master the different drums is
a sight and sound to behold. Moreover, Billy’s
voice is natural, clear and beautiful, and
emanates from his heart. All of these charac-
teristics combine to become “it” and create a
truly unique talent.
He also is a gifted songwriter, whose poet-

ic lyrics are accessible, meaningful and pow-
erful. His music is original, memorable and
catchy, so much so that when I came home
from the conference with his CDs, my entire
household was singing his music — and con-
tinues to do so, three years later. What is so
special about Billy is that his music is for all
ages. He is a true folk artist.
Lastly, Billy is an educator. I had the privi-
lege of learning from him as he led several
workshops at the conference. Billy grew up
in a Conservative Jewish household in the
suburbs of Chicago. His Jewish roots are
deep, strong and sincere. He combines his
knowledge of Jewish tradition with modern
sensitivities that touch on the body, mind
and soul. The latter element, the soul, is one
that we often struggle to connect with, and
Billy has a special gift of making the intan-
gible seem tangible.
In preparation for Billy’s visit and for this
article, I asked him the following questions:

DANIEL GROSS: When and how did you
become an industrial re-percussionist?
B.J.: It all started in summer camp, sitting
around the campfire, where the counselors
were singing these great new songs: “Blowing
in the Wind” and “Leaving on a Jet Plane.”
Inevitably, the songs would get more and
more upbeat and people played whatever
was at hand — buckets, sticks, handclaps,
rocks, keys to jingle … I was hooked! Then,
in high school, my friends and I would have
jam sessions in the kitchen on the pots and
pans, using chopsticks as our mallets. In
college, I was in a band called the Big Bang
Theory, which took it to a new level. The rest
is history.

D.G.: Have you ever performed in Metro
Detroit and is there anything special about
this area that you are excited about?
B.J.: I have often traveled to the Detroit/
Ann Arbor area to play — the DIA [Detroit
Institute of Arts], the Ark and various librar-
ies. I grew up in the Midwest [Chicago] and
spent my summers in Michigan, so returning
to Detroit feels like coming home!

D.G.: What do you hope an audience
member will take away from your perfor-
mance?

Billy Jonas

B.J.: Joy, wonder and connection. That’s
it! Joy in collective creativity, singing along,
hearing great music; wonder from looking
at the world in a new way, through the lens
of the songs I will bring; connection to one’s
own deep heart, the other audience members
and the great beyond … That’s all there is.

D.G.: Why is it important to you to include
Jewish songs in your repertoire?
B.J.: I have a brand-new CD recording
called Habayta — homeward, a collection of
songs inspired by my work and experiences
as a cantorial soloist in the Jewish commu-
nity in Asheville, as well as around the world
[U.S., Canada, U.K., Israel]. These pieces are
all reflections of my journey toward greater
understanding and embrace of my heritage,
my continued wrestling with it and with
God. For me, Judaism is a conversation at its
core. I see these songs as heartfelt contribu-
tions to the discourse.

*

details

Billy Jonas will perform 6 p.m.
Friday, March 25, at the Shabbat
Rocks Service & Dinner program,
followed by a presentation by Jonas
(reservation required and a fee for
dinner); 10 a.m. Saturday, March
26, Soulful Shabbat: Mindfulness &
Meditation with Billy Jonas; and 11
a.m. Sunday, March 27, at a family
concert with his band. Adat Shalom
Synagogue, Farmington Hills. (248)
851-5100; adatshalom.org.

Daniel Gross is cantor at Adat Shalom Synagogue.

March 17 • 2016

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