These Questions Go To Eleven: Annette Ezekiel of Golem

February 26, 2009 - 3:53pm — Katie Camosy

Each week ZIO asks a different musician the same 11 questions via email. Visit Zoom In Music every Wednesday for a new installment or subscribe to the RSS feed.

This week, Annette Ezekiel steps up to to the plate. She is the vocalist, accordionist, and founder of the "six piece Eastern European folk-punk band" Golem. Despite having been classically trained in opera, piano, and ballet, Annette eventually fell for punk music, and she fell for it hard. Such disparate influences are common for Golem - their sound and performance are a mixture of various languages, cultures, and styles.

Praised by SPIN, NPR, Blender, The New Yorker, and Rolling Stone, Golem are pioneers of the gypsy punk genre that includes Gogol Bordello and Golem's fellow labelmate Matisyahu. The New York-based band's third album, Citizen Boris, was released earlier this year.

1. What music was played in your home while you were growing up?

Classical music. My grandmother was a concert pianist and my mother was a ballet dancer. Not much of a rock and roll family!

2. Who is the best artist we have probably never heard of? 

Aaron Lebedeff, the Elvis Presley of Yiddish Broadway. Girls used to swoon when he sang.

3. What record did you used to love, but now can't stand?

I still love them all, especially my Gogo's records. My first record was the soundtrack to the movie Grease.

4. What song do you want played at your funeral?

Something happy but in a minor key, because that's how I'd like to be remembered. Preferably played on a tuba.

5. What is your favorite b-side?

(don't have one)

  6. Which medium do you prefer: vinyl, cd, or download?

Cassette, because that was the main medium for getting Eastern European music that was hard to find elsewhere. Now people fileshare on the internet, but even just a few years ago it was all passing cassettes back and forth.

7. Which artist would your fans be surprised to find out you like?

Michael Jackson - he is such a great dancer, singer, songwriter. Maybe that doesn't exactly go with klezmer punk, but I love him!

8. What musician would you choose to cover one of your songs?

Nick Cave - he's so amazing and I know he could do an interesting interpretation of anything. Plus he's not averse to minor keys! I love how he sings Bob Dylan's "Death is not the end" on Murder Ballads.

9. Who is the most overrated artist?

Lots of them. After watching the Jonas Brothers with Stevie Wonder at the Grammys, I'd have to say the Jonas Brothers. That was painful. But then again, can all those teenage girls be so wrong?

10. What musician or band do you wish you'd seen play live in their prime?

Mickey Katz - he is the father of actor Joel Grey (Cabaret) and grandfather of Jennifer Grey (Dirty Dancing). He was a great clarinetist and comedian and I'm sure his stage show was hilarious.

11. What non-musical influences do you have?

Ballet (I learned everything about music and theater from the choreography of George Balanchine), literature (mostly French and Russian novels), life (all the little stories from it!)

Visit Golem on MySpace.
Watch a video about Golem that includes an interview about their song, "Warsaw is Khelm."
Check out Golem's first two albums, the self-released Homesick Songs and also Fresh Off Boat, as well as their most recent record Citizen Boris.
Discover the music and personality of Aaron Lebedeff.
Listen to Mickey Katz sing Duvid Crockett, King of Delancey Street.