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Bulletproof Stockings
Also known asBPS
OriginBrooklyn, New York, USA
GenresJewish rock, alternative rock, post-punk[1], jazz, funk[2]
Years active2011 (2011)–present
MembersPerl Wolfe
Dalia Shusterman
Dana Pestun
Elisheva Maister
Websitebulletproofstockings.com

Bulletproof Stockings is an American Hasidic alternative rock band from the Crown Heights area of Brooklyn, New York. Formed in 2011 by lead singer Perl Wolfe and ex-Hopewell drummer Dalia Shusterman, the group independently released its debut EP, Down to the Top the following year. They have been noted for their unique sound among Jewish music, as well as their adherence to the prohibition of kol isha by performing for female-only audiences.

Band history

Following her second divorce in 2011, lead singer Perl Wolfe moved from Chicago to Crown Heights, Brooklyn and began writing music for the first time.[3] Looking to form an all-female band to perform the songs, Wolfe was introduced by a mutual friend to ex-Hopewell drummer Dalia Shusterman, and the two formed Bulletproof Stockings in December 2011.[4][3]

The band independently released their first official recording, Down to the Top EP, on April 1, 2012.[5] They subsequently announced plans for a full-length album.[3]

A documentary about the band, The Bulletproof Stockings, was screened at the 2013 DOC NYC film festival.[6]

On August 7, 2014, the band performed at Arlene's Grocery in the Lower East Side. The show was filmed by the Oxygen Network for the reality show Living Different.[6][7][8]

In 2015, the band opened a Kickstarter campaign to fund their debut full-length album, announcing that they had begun recording at Strange Weather Studios with producers Marc Alan Goodman and Howie Feibusch and would soon release the album's first single, "Mind Clear".[9] The album is set for release in December 2015.[10]

Musical style and performance

Bulletproof Stockings are known for playing alternative and indie rock music[3][11] influenced by the members' Hasidic beliefs, even using melodic structures from traditional Chabad Niggunim.[12]

Their sound has been compared to that of Adele, Nina Simone, Fiona Apple, and Florence and the Machine, while the band themselves has cited influences including Radiohead, The White Stripes, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Jane's Addiction.[3] Lead singer Perl Wolfe has said that her lyrics, while not always blatantly religious, are nevertheless inspired by "Torah and by Lubavitch’s version of Hasidic faith".[12]

In concert, the band is known for adhering to the rabbinic prohibition of kol isha by only admitting women to their live shows. Wolfe argues that this is beneficial to their audience: "Women will party and rock out in a completely different way when there’s nobody there but women."[13]

Band members

Touring members
  • Laura Kegeles — cello

Discography

Albums
  • Homeland Call Stomp (December 18, 2015)
EPs
Singles
  • "Frigid City" (Down to the Top; 2012)
  • "Mind Clear" (Homeland Call Stomp; 2015)
  • "Homeland Call Stomp" (Homeland Call Stomp; 2015)

References

  1. ^ Nirenberg, Michael (Aug 13, 2014). "The First Hasidic Rock Band". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  2. ^ Antoaneta Roussi (Dec 24, 2015). "Bulletproof Stockings, World's First All-Female Hasidic Rock Band, Gets Debut Album". The Forward. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d e Ghert-Zand, Renee (Oct 2012). "Ladies (and not gentlemen): The Bulletproof Stockings!". Times of Israel. Retrieved 26 March 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ Shire, Emily (Sep 30, 2014). "The Sisterhood of Bulletproof Stockings: It's Ladies' Night for Hasidic Rockers". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  5. ^ "Down to the Top". Amazon.com. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  6. ^ a b Sara Trappler-Spielman (August 6, 2014). "Hasidic 'Rocker Chicks' Bulletproof Stockings Seek Broader Audience". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  7. ^ Ohlheiser, Abby (August 8, 2014). "Here's what happens when an all-female Hasidic rock band bans men from its audience". The Washington Post. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  8. ^ Euse, Erica (August 29, 2014). "Hasidic Rock Band Bulletproof Stockings Just Want an All Girl Party". VICE. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  9. ^ "Bulletproof Stockings's First Full Length Album". Kickstarter. 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  10. ^ Dreyfus, Hannah (March 9, 2015). "Chasidic Female Rock Band Kickstart First Album". The Jewish Week. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  11. ^ Tabachnick, Toby (Aug 2012). "Indie band Bulletproof Stockings refreshingly original". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 31 March 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  12. ^ a b Osgood, Kelsey (Dec 10, 2012). "Abrahamic Rockers". The New Yorker. Retrieved 31 March 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  13. ^ Marsh, Julia (Oct 2012). "Hasidic girl band Bulletproof Stockings lights up Crown Heights". New York Post. Retrieved 31 March 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
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