Music Blog #6- Yale Strom with Hot Pstrami & Common Chords

Date Seen: April 21
Location: Cal State San Marcos
Band Website: http://www.hotpstromi.com/

 I was walking on campus last week, preparing to leave for the night, when I heard this mysterious, funky music coming from somewhere nearby. Turns out it was coming from the Earth Day festival outside the library. It was a bustling scene- vendors and clubs had set up tables, artwork was being displayed on the grass, and a few live bands entertained the crowd of students with diverse music. The band currently on stage was a six-person Eastern folk band called “Yale Strom with Hot Pstrami & Common Chords.”  Yale Strom is the band leader and violin player, with Gene on drums, Elizabeth on vocals, Jeff on bass, Norbert on reeds, and Lou on accordion. Together they create a New Jewish/traditional klezmer fusion which I had never really heard before.

What is klezmer, you ask? According to Wikipedia, klezmer is a Jewish musical genre which has “expressive melodies, reminiscent of the human voice, complete with laughing and weeping.” I could definitely hear the “weeping” sounds from the violin and accordion.  Elizabeth sang in both English and Yiddish, her voice husky and somber, which added to the melancholy mood of some songs. I especially remember the “Bonesetter’s Last Song,” during which Elizabeth imitated an old man’s coughing during the breaks in the song.  Overall, Yale Strom and company were an interesting surprise to find on campus.

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