Canadian-raised, Brooklyn-and-Philadelphia-based Rothman approaches music as a dialogue. “It’s two-way,” she explains, “We each have a role to play in creating the dynamic.”

Rothman’s music, using two languages and ancient texts to address social ills and joys of today, brings a universal appeal. “Rothman’s music bubbles with a conscious vibe that’s capable of bringing people together,” writes Richard Antone of Elmore Magazine, “She is adept at using religious imagery and bilingual lyrics as a bridge rather than a wedge.”

Chana Rothman’s tunes, born of her native Canada, Himalayan trekking, adventures in Israel, and current muse, the New York City subways, have earned a growing pile of accolades. New York Times called her recent River-to-River Festival concert “well worth checking out” and The Jewish Week gave her debut cd, We Can Rise (Oyhoo Records), four stars. Popsyndicate.com calls her music “Bob Marley meets Edie Brickell,” and the album was voted “Best of 2007” by jewschool.com. Rothman has shared the stage with Hasidic reggae phenom Matisyahu as well as DJ Shadow and Lou Reed.

Israeli Stars Chana Has Opened For:
Habanot Nechama
HaDag Nachash
Kooloosh

Some notable recent appearances:
Zulu Bar (Cape Town, South Africa)
Limmud South Africa (Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg)
Rockwood Music Hall (NYC)
Limmud Conference (United Kingdom)
City Winery (NYC)
Highline Ballroom (NYC)
World Cafe Live (Philadelphia, PA)
River to River Festival (NYC)
Levontin 7 (Tel Aviv, Israel)
Cape May Singer-Songwriter Festival (Cape May, NJ)
Jewlicious Festival (Long Beach, CA)
Mercury Lounge (NYC)
60 Main (New Paltz, NJ)
Club Helsinki (Great Barrington, MA)
Langdon Street Cafe (Montpelier, VT)
Radio Bean (Burlington, VT)
Chicago Jewish Music Festival (Chicago, IL)
Oyhoo Festival (NYC)
New York University (NYC)
Gladstone Hotel (Toronto)
CAJE Conference (Burlington, VT)
Mercury Lounge (NYC)
CBGB’s (NYC)

and many more.
RADIO PLAY
WFUV (90.7 FM) – Sunday Breakfast with John Platt
Northwestern University
Breakthrough Radio
Staten Island University
Acoustic Coffeehouse
last.fm

Instrumentation
Chana performs with anywhere from 2 to 5-piece band:

Chana Rothman – guitar, vocals, freestyle MC
Ronen Itzik- drums
Yoshie Fruchter – guitar
Assaf Hakimi – bass
Shoshana Jedwab – percussion

Acoustic solo and trio performances also available

Discography
CURRENT RELEASE:
We Can Rise – Oyhoo Records
national distribution with Allegro
Tracks:
Ana (Pop/Rock)
We Can Rise (Pop/Groove)
More Than One Way (Pop/Reggae)
Summer (Folk/Pop)
Gates of Justice (Pop/Funk)
The Wind (Folk/Pop)
One Stone (Rock)
Walk A Mile (Pop/Hip hop)
Lay Down Your Swords (Folk)

Radio appearances:
XM Radio with New York’s Oyhoo Festival
Radio Amsterdam

Television appearances:
360 Vision Toronto
Shalom TV – National Jewish Television
Aspen Cable

Tinges of reggae, worldbeat, folk, and hip-hop infuse Chana Rothman’s Hebrew-English tunes with rhythm and positive vibes. After trekking the Himalayas with a guitar strapped to her back, Chana settled in Brooklyn and began writing songs that reflected her mountain-turned-urban polyethnic lifestyle. Her debut album, “We Can Rise,” (Oyhoo Records) was voted “Best Album of 2007” by jewschool.com and she was recently featured in “Top 5 Women Who Rock” by American Jewish Life and Lilith Magazine. She plays regularly in New York – Highline Ballroom, Knitting Factory – and tours summer camps and clubs throughout North America, Israel, & the United Kingdom from BBYO and NFTY Conventions to Limmud UK. Two years as Union for Reform Judaism Kutz Camp Co-Head Songleader helped Chana develop a passion for music as a tool to bring communities together. The result is an uplifting, highly participatory live performance. Chana recently performed with Israeli sensations HaBanot Nechama. HaDag Nachash, and Koolooloosh. Chana’s music is available on iTunes, Amazon.com, and in stores. www.chanarothman.com

WORKSHOPS AVAILABLE: – Write Your Own Song – Banging On Things –

Canadian-raised, world traveled, Brooklyn-based Chana Rothman uniquely fuses singer/songwriter folk mentality with progressive worldbeat in two languages. Live performances feature a tight rhythm section, commanding stage presence and spontaneous rhymes tailor-made to vibe with the audience. Chana Rothman uniquely fuses Lilith-esque singer/songwriter folk mentality with progressive worldbeat in two languages. Like an eclectic ’07 Rickie Lee/Joni, her politics, her obvious bohemianism and her delicate vocal phrasing push her sound into a delicious left-of-center mix that also incorporates reggae and hip hop. The 10/24/07 release of We Can Rise (on Oyhoo Records, owned by Michael Dorf, founder of The Knitting Factory) is a likely addition to Dorf’s revered sensibility of avant-garde experimentation. This is a strong young woman—a classically-trained Canadian living in Brooklyn—who trekked around America, Italy, Israel and Nepal with a guitar strapped to her backpack… a Pied Piper of the Himalayas making friends along the way from Kathmandu to the Lower East Side. The message is unity through music. Her poetry demands thought, and is provocatively accentuated with her genre crossing style. Clearly, Chana Rothman is an important new voice who cannot be ignored.

Sept-June 2008
June 11 – New York, NY – River-to-River Festival – Museum of Jewish Heritage with Clare Burson & Michelle Citrin
June 4 – Philadelphia, PA – World Cafe Live! with Avi Wisnia
May 15 – New York, NY – UPZ Benefit with Looping Madness
May 13 – New York, NY – Highline Ballroom, with Habanot Nechama

October – New York, NY – Mercury Lounge – CD RELEASE!!
October – New York, NY – Knitting Factory – part of Shemspeed Launch

December
New York, NY – Think Coffee – w/
New York, NY – Parkside Lounge – part of Jake Marmur’s
Jan
January __ – Philadelphia, PA – World Cafe Live – MLK/Tu B’Shvat Birthday Bash! co-sponsored with Moishe House, Philly Grad Student Network, and Kol-Tzedek Synagogue

New Paltz, NY – 60 Main – with Aliza Hava
January __ – Long Beach, CA – Jewlicious Festival

February
New York, NY – Knitting Factory – Girls’ Night On!
Chicago, IL – Opening for Israeli hip hop superstars HaDag Nachash
March –

Cape May, NJ – Mad Batter – Cape May Singer/Songwriter Festival
March __ Montpelier, VT – Langdon Street Cafe
March __ East Burke, VT – Bear Den Singer/Songwriter Series
March __ East Burke, VT – Tamarack Grill

April

April __ – Toronto, ON, CANADA – Homecoming CD Release! Co-sponsored w/Koffler Center for the Arts, Birthright Alumni, Hype Productions, and the Annex Shul