Matisyahu and Who??

Matisyahu underwent a transformation a couple of years ago. After achieving fame early in his career as a bearded Hassidic reggae rapper, and becoming a darling in the Jewish community, the singer caused a stir when he shaved his beard and began performing without a yarlmuke. However, the larger conversion was in his music, when the The Dub Trio became his full-time band. Last year's uplifting Spark Seeker, arguably the best album of 2012, was buoyed by an expansive sound where ancient sounds are blended with electro and  fused with hip-hop and reggae.
The singer's live shows, always funky and inspirational, have evolved into a masterful display of yin and yang between Matisyahu  and the Trio, who constantly tweak arrangements while keeping the melodies intact. The Beet Seeking Missile has seen the group a remarkable five times in the past 13 months and each show has been different. "We're just his backup band," said Dub Trio bassist Stu Brooks, with a sly hint of modesty, when we talked to him in Sacramento before a show last week. But for all the band's anonimity, they are regarded around the music world as a technically masterful threesome, who seem to be able to read each other's minds on stage.

Matisyahu at the Harmony Festival last fall.

Bassist Stu Brooks

 Starting as a headliner at High Sierra in 2012, where the band were mystical and hypnotic to last night's show at the Greek Theater in Berkeley, where at one point, a friend pointed out that they were "rocking out like the Smashing Pumpkins." The band not only varies their set lists, but I can honestly say that in the five outings, they haven't played any song exactly the same twice. That is a tribute to both the singer and the band. It's not going to far out on a limb to say that this is the most versatile band on the road.