Rock Balaila

Featuring "Inasense"

The venue, The Union for Traditional Judaism in Teaneck, promised much on their flyers, but left much to be desired. What was supposed to recreate the informal closeness and mellow atmosphere of a village night spot turned out to be a dark Beit Midrash studded with tables, each with a glowing candle illuminating the blue plastic that covered them. Around the tables were plastic folding chairs that also did not help achieve the effect that the organizers had hoped for. The stage, shining under two angled flood lights, seemed out of place but was well stocked and fairly impressive.

"Inasense" (In-A-Sense) was scheduled to play back-to-back shows. The crowd for the second show began to assemble outside (in the rain) at around 10 p.m., and what a crowd it turned out to be. It might as well have been officially called an NCSY event, as about a hundred local Yeshiva high school students, donned in their best or baddest or down right phattest Urban Outfitter garb, formed a line in front of the ticket counter, eagerly announcing their reservations, while reaching deep into their baggy pants to separate $8.50 from their chained-linked leather wallets. The line, dampened with rain and saturated in CK-1, was completely filtered in as the 10:30 show began precisely at 10:55. The MC tried to look appealing to all of the three major divisions in his audience: the kids who came psyched for a Motzai Shabbat kumzitz, those mentioned above who weren't allowed to drive to Philly to see Green Day, and their parents.

Inasense opened up with a Tambukka drum solo, and then went into a very warm Shlomo Carlebach medley that seemed to pump some positive vibes into the audience or at least reminded people of what they came to see. The band, carried by a truly talented and genuinely soulful guitarist, as well as a versatile vocalist created an excellent blend of percussion and harmony that broke the ice with the audience and did Shlomo justice. At one point one could actually shut their eyes and imagine themselves in Talpiyot or the Russian Compound, where a band like this, when complimented by a wet bar that goes beyond tea and Pepsi, as well as a slightly more mature crowd, would provide a much better experience.

The high point of the evening, as expected, came after Inasense decided to do "a couple from their new CD," the morbid words of death at most concerts. However, it wasn't a Carlebach song that did it but that of another Jew who influenced millions, Bobby Zimmermen a.k.a. Bob Dylan. Their excellent rendition of "Tangled Up in Blue" raised spirits again, this time for good. The venue seemed less inhibited and the atmosphere became much more inviting. The encore was another very warm Carlebach medley that lasted for over ten minutes. Taking everything into consideration, a night that started with slightly mixed emotions ended with truly positive ones.