Billy Jonas
Interview topic:
BRIDGING DIVIDES - using music to heal divisions in ourselves, our families, our communities and the world.
Billy has taken his natural creativity and deepened it so that he gets the most out of the ideas he generates. His approach captures his own genius along with that of anyone he’s collaborating with, and the consciousness he brings to it is a beautiful example of how extraordinary creativity is within all our reach.
“I’m Jewish and in the Jewish tradition there’s a prayer called the Sh’ma. Sh’ma, which means listen. In it’s deeper meaning it means “pay attention.” so you get to this point in the service and you all come in and you hear these prayers and you get to this one point where “shhh” you’re coming in and you say “time for the Sh’ma, Sh’ma, Listen up, all you people wrestling with this life, it is what it is, and everything’s connected.”
Gift:
http://WWW.BillyJonasBridgingDivides.COM
4 cd (or download) sampler pack:
- Adult cd: Billy Jonas - Life So Far
- Family cd: Billy Jonas Band - Build it Back Again
- Multi-faith: Abraham Jam - White Moon
- Jewish: Billy Jonas - Habayta / Homeward
Bio:
Billy Jonas is Bridging Divides — using music to help heal divisions in ourselves, our families, our communities, and our world. As a performer, songsmith, educator, and multi-faith advocate, Billy has performed worldwide for three decades. His current projects include the Billy Jonas Band (funky folk music for all ages), Abraham Jam (Jewish-Muslim-Christian singer-songwriter trio with Dawud Wharnsby and David LaMotte), and BRIDGING DIVIDES 2020: Dreaming the New Decade (a special project from Dec. 2019 to Dec. 2020, creating new commissioned, dedicated, and sponsored social justice-oriented songs, to guide us into and through the next ten years).
Billy’s 11 CDs, 2 DVD’s and PBS special feature voice, guitar and ‘industrial re-percussion’ -- instruments made from found, foraged and recycled objects. The Billy Jonas Band was honored with a White House concert in 2010. Originally from Chicago, Billy lives in Asheville, NC with his wife and daughter.