At the moment, Paula Valstein can’t walk on the street of her native Tel-Aviv without getting noticed. The reason being is that Paula, who now calls New York City her home, has been a participant on the highest rated television program in Israel, a sort of American Idol reality show. Paula clinched Best Performance honors and it’s made her a household name all over that country. All of this is exciting, of course, but also quite surreal considering that just a few weeks back, she played to an packed house, but at NYC’s cool and intimate venue, the Rockwood Music Hall. Valstein came to NYC about four years ago after a two years spent in the Israeli military. She says, “New York was always a dream of mine, and so, one day I just bought a ticket and came.” But really, music was always Paula’s life. At the age of 4, she co-opted her Grandma’s piano and became obsessed and she’s been writing songs ever since.

Nelson transcends differences between races and faiths through his music. He is a Jewish Gospel singer in the tradition of Mahalia Jackson. Through his composing, gospel singing, and chanting Torah, Nelson is the musical embodiment of cultural harmony, with his rich voice, charismatic personality, and personal mission to build bridges between the races. Nelson created a new sound that blends Jewish liturgical and African American spiritual styles.

“Butt shaking and heartbreaking at the same time, Hank & Cupcakes’ distinctively beat-driven electro-pop bursts with fresh bass hook lines, sexy grooved and remarkably multifaceted vocals. Their immediate and straight forward sound offers an amazing mix of emotive power and free thinker attitudes exploding into stirring electro fantasies…” The Deli Magazine – Fall 2009

J.Viewz is the electronica project of the Brooklyn-based Israeli Producer & Remixer Jonathan Dagan. Jonathan often collaborates with various musicians & vocalists under this alias. In March 2008 J.Viewz released an EP called “The Besides”. The EP is an innovative collection that includes a number of original tracks, a collaboration with the Three-time Grammy award winning master drummer Glen Velez , a brilliant cover to Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal”, the J.Viewz remix to Nina Simone, and a special live version of “Under the sun” which was featured in the debut album.In January 2009 J.Viewz released 5 new remixes of “Smooth Criminal” in a limited edition single. The release featured remixes by Bugz in the Attic, S.T.Louder and Chris Simmonds.

Citigrass plays “urban bluegrass,” a blend of rock and jam influences with traditional bluegrass, to create a hot, modern sound that attracts a much wider audience than most bluegrass acts. It’s a style crafted and tested in New York City. Citigrass is a favorite at many top venues and festivals, appeared recently on ABC TV Live from Lincoln Center, and have been a featured soloist at the Mobile Symphony Orchestra pops concert.

Blue Fringe is an American Jewish rock band whose songs cover a range of genres including pop, rock, punk and R’n’B, based around Jewish themes. Blue Fringe was formed in 2003 and has released 3 albums. To date Blue Fringe has sold more than 20,000 copies of their first 2 albums combined.The band has toured in South Africa, Australia, Israel, England, and Canada, as well as every major urban market in America. Blue Fringe made it’s mark as an Orthodox band to embrace the jamband concert scene, and continues to garner acclaim as a powerful force in Orthodox culture.

Soulfarm was founded in Israel by guitarist and lead singer Noah Solomon Chase and lead guitarist C Lanzbom. Their sound has been dubbed as New American music, full melodic song writing and progressive modern arrangements. Soulfarm has a wide range of influences from rock and Latin, to Hebrew and Celtic folk music. Their live shows are full of Mediterranean flavor with captivating guitar leads, dance rhythms and strong percussion breaks.

Eprhyme spits rhymes designed to refine the mind of the listener. Kabbalah, psychology, politics, and party rocking are intertwined with elements of jazz, funk, klezmer, and Middle Eastern music to create a powerful and poetic plea for peace, justice, joy, and unity.

Before moving to Brooklyn, Eprhyme played a pivotal role in establishing a diverse and positive hip hop community in Olympia, Wa.- the dark and mythic homeland of D.I.Y. grunge, punk, Riot Grrrrl, and other underground art forms. Eprhyme has built a reputation both as a dynamic performer and an inspiring lyricist. He appears in a wide range of venues, from clubs to synagogues to youth detention centers.

Based in the stereophonic heart of Brooklyn, world music maestro Diwon (aka Erez Safar) is one of the most innovative and versatile Producers and DJs performing and recording music today. Diwon’s beats are strongly influenced by the musical traditions of his mother’s family, whose roots lie in Yemen. He blends Yemenite music with electro hip-hop and cinematic psychadelia, and draws inspiration from the Middle Eastern musical canon.

A prolific producer, Diwon releases a clutch of albums every year. The last twelve months has seen The Beat Guide to Yiddish, the quirky Rarities & Remixes and the hour-long meditation Shir Ha Shirim (The Song of Songs), mixing heartfelt Moroccan song with hypnotic hip-hop, rock, and Middle Eastern beats.