What: Matisyahu When: 8 tonight Where: BMU Auditorium
He grew up in the suburbs of White Plains, N.Y. He dropped out of high school. He followed the band Phish around the country. He had a "spiritual awakening." He embraced Hasidic Judaism. He made his name as a reggae artist and became a cultural icon.
The life of Matisyahu has been unpredictable.
Blending hip-hop and dancehall, Matisyahu will be performing at the Bell Memorial Union tonight. Advance tickets are $25 for students and $30 for general admission. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Matisyahu has been touring North America in support of his upcoming release, "Light."
"It's a different sound," he said. "But in a lot of ways it's the same. There's more hip-hop, more rock."
The four-song EP "Shattered" was released in late October. The tracks from his forthcoming album give a good glimpse into what fans can expect, he said.
It was the release of his second album, "Live at Stubb's," that took his career to the next level. The album gave fans a taste of Matisyahu's live shows in all their exuberant glory. The album quickly climbed the charts and went gold.
Billboard's Modern Rock chart also reported a No. 7 hit for Matisyahu with the song "King Without a Crown." Matisyahu's next release, "Youth," also went gold.
With three albums and a host of raucous live performances behind him, Matisyahu has built up a legion of supporters, including Chico resident Ben Burrichter, 26.
"He's the best live show I've ever seen," Burrichter said. "He killed it."
Matisyahu has also piqued interest with his religion. Matisyahu is most often seen wearing traditional Hasidic clothing.
His face is adorned with a bushy beard and curls of dark hair at his temples.
Pharmacy supervisor Carmela Perez, 19, thinks it's cool that he puts himself into his music.
"His life is in his lyrics," she said.
Religion is central to Matisyahu and his music, he said. He partly credits music for helping him find religion.
"My spiritual awakening came to be through music," the singer said. "Music is an aspect of my spirituality."
As for Hasidic Judaism, Matisyahu found it to be the best way to celebrate his spirituality and get over his own limitations, he said.
"I felt that it was a life-changing and completely saturating form of spirituality," Matisyahu said. "I was looking for a way to get past my own boundaries."
Matisyahu began gaining notoriety as he pushed himself fully into religion.
"When I started to become known, my life was about being Hasidic," he said. "I was saturated in it. I never felt that to be at odds with music."
Now an established artist, a sort of Rabbi Bob Marley, Matisyahu is looking to touch people with his music, he said.
"The ultimate goal is to give meaning to life," he said. "To give compassion and depth."
Eric Wendt can be reached at ewendt@theorion.com
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