Schmekel

Schmekel
Schmekel at Hampshire College (2012)
Schmekel at Hampshire College (2012)
Background information
OriginBrooklyn, New York, United States
GenresFolk punk, queercore
Years active2010–2014
LabelsSchmekel Music
Members
  • Lucian Kahn (guitar and vocals)
  • Ricky Riot (keyboard and vocals)
  • Nogga Schwartz (bass and shofar)
  • Simcha Halpert-Hanson (drums)

Schmekel was an all-transgender, Jewish folk punk band from Brooklyn, New York, known for their satirical lyrical material.[1] Schmekel made their audiences more comfortable with transgender topics through jokes, but also often included lyrical references to obscure queer, Jewish, and punk content that only cultural insiders would recognize.[2] Their most popular song was "FTM at the DMV" (released in 2013), which has over 400,000 plays on Spotify as of 2024.[3]

Hugh Ryan for The New York Times compared Schmekel's sound to Pansy Division and compared Lucian Kahn's songwriting to Jewish singer-songwriter and satirist Tom Lehrer.[1] The Advocate compared Schmekel to Pansy Division and Tribe 8,[4] and the book Listen to Punk Rock! Exploring a Musical Genre compared Schmekel's song "I'll Be Your Maccabee" to Pansy Division's song "Homo Christmas."[5]

Schmekel was active from 2010 to 2014. They broke up in February 2014 to focus on other projects.[6]

  1. ^ a b Hugh Ryan (November 25, 2011). "Schmekel, a Band Born as a Laugh". The New York Times. Retrieved March 31, 2012.
  2. ^ Croland, Michael. Oy Oy Oy Gevalt! Jews and Punk. Connecticut: Praeger, 2016. p. 66.
  3. ^ Schmekel. "FTM at the DMV". Spotify. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  4. ^ "Reasons to Have Pride in 2012 Part 1". www.advocate.com. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  5. ^ Pulliam, June Michele. Listen to Punk Rock! Exploring a Musical Genre. ABC-CLIO, 2021. pp. 104
  6. ^ "So Long, Schmekel". The Forward. April 1, 2014. Retrieved March 22, 2023.