Yishai Romanoff Biography

Yishai Romanoff (born 1986) is an American Hasidic musician, best known as the lead singer for the Breslov punk band Moshiach Oi!. Romanoff, as well as the rest of the band, is featured prominently in the 2012 documentary Punk Jews. He is also a drummer for Shabasa labelmates Blanket Statementstein, RockaZion, and Shin Shin Mem.

Biography

Early life

Romanoff was born in 1986 on Long Island. His father was a secular Jew, while his mother was an atheist who converted to Orthodox Judaism. He attended a Modern Orthodox yeshiva at a young age. Frustrated with the yeshiva's rules and strictures, he left and began going to public high school. During his teenage years, Romanoff became a fan of punk rock, following bands like Leftver Crack and F-Minus and going to shows at CBGB and ABC No Rio. He also dabbled in drugs, smoking marijuana daily and developing a heroin addiction.

Later on, Romanoff took trips to Israel with Birthright Israel and Young Judaea, which left him curious about his heritage. With the help of his friend Mike Wagner, he ultimately kicked his drug addiction and renewed his commitment to Judaism.

Career

Template:Main article In 2008, Romanoff and Wagner formed a Jewish punk band, Moshiach Oi!, with bassist Mitchell "Mordechai" Harrison and drummer Paul Alpert. The group's debut album, Better Get Ready, produced by Wagner and mastered by Don Fury, was released by Shemspeed and Shabasa in 2009. A second album, This World is Nothing, was released independently in 2011. The band was featured heavily in the 2012 documentary Punk Jews. Romanoff in particular appears in the film's opening scene, where he is shown screaming on a rooftop.

Performance style

In typical punk fashion, Romanoff's live performances are often wild and exuberant. John Leland of The New York Times described him at a 2013 concert, "side curls flailing, knees jackknifing up around his torso, leaping, crouching, shouting..." Matthue Roth, in a Tablet Magazine piece covering Blanket Statementstein, referred to Romanoff as "the drummer for whom Animal the Muppet is probably not only a musical guide but a fashion icon."

Discography

With Moshiach Oi!

• Better Get Ready (2009; Shemspeed, Shabasa)
• This World is Nothing (2011; Shabasa)

Other work

• Blanket Statementstein, Blanket Statementstein (2008)
• RockaZion, In This Generation (2011)
• Shin Shin Mem, Shirei Moharan Vol. 1 (2014)