[JI EXCLUSIVE] Except Saturday – L’cha Dodi

Here is a band new track from the brand Except Saturday. This song will be on their upcoming EP. For more please check out their website.

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about Except Saturday:

Started in 2004, Except Saturday was formed by Erez Cohen and a couple of friends in their freshman year at Brooklyn College. As soon as he was asked, Jeremy Linder, from Queens, jumped aboard as the band’s keyboardist. All the band needed now was a drummer. Elan Kugel was excited to join the band, but knew he had to be in Israel first. Though it took two long years for Elan to return, it was well worth the wait.

For the first two years, Except Saturday was constantly working hard on becoming the next big Jewish pop-rock band. An EP of two songs (“Mizmor Shir” and “Be There”) was recorded during the summer of 2004 just before Kugel was to leave for a second year in Israel. Not too long after, the band played its first show, opening for Moshav (then called “The Moshav Band”) at Brooklyn College.

From there, the band continued to build its repertoire, while simultaneously playing shows at numerous college scenes. In 2005, Except Saturday released its demo CD, this time containing four tracks (“Ha’aretz Sheli,” “L’cha Dodi,” “We’re Coming Back,” and “Mizmor Shir”). In Elan’s absence, Ben Lieb graciously filled in on drums and percussion. Upon Elan’s return, the band continued to develop and tighten their sound even further.

In 2006, the band was quickly rising to the top of the Jewish pop-rock music world. Except Saturday’s fan-base was growing rapidly, and it showed tremendous support when the band claimed the title of first place in the NYU Battle of the Bands. A number of months later, Except Saturday did it all over again, securing first place at the Yeshiva University 2006 Battle of the Bands, as over 400 members in the audience cheered and applauded with a standing ovation.

However, 8 months later, things took an unexpected turn for the worse.

The band had started to record its debut album titled “Today,” and had invested much time and effort. Recording sessions could sometimes be difficult, and even once went until 5:00 am. But overall, the sessions were extremely productive and exciting. The music was sounding better than ever, more professional than ever.

Then it happened.
Erez developed ringing, along with hypersensitivity in his ears. He could no longer tolerate loud sounds, to the point that he could not sit and play an acoustic guitar for more than a few minutes without feeling anxious and physically uncomfortable. Playing, writing, and recording music were out of the question. To make matters worse, he also unexpectedly developed vocal problems, to the point that even normal speech over an extended period of time would cause him immense pain in his throat. Singing was definitely out of the question.

Without its lead singer and songwriter, Except Saturday was at a halt, along with the debut album. Three years of hard work had to be put aside, with all band members not knowing if the album would ever be recorded and if Except Saturday would ever play again…

Elan continued his studies at Brooklyn College, deciding to pursue a career as a math teacher. Jeremy, now starting at Columbia University for a graduate degree in computers, had his hands full with classes and his numerous side-projects. Erez, with nothing holding him back, went to yeshiva in Israel for a few months.

Upon Erez’s return in April 2008, Elan and Jeremy eagerly hoped to hear of some progress with his physical conditions. None so far.

Fast forwarding a few months to September 2008, things gradually started to change. Within a short time, Erez’s throat problem had finally been diagnosed and was easily treated with minor changes in diet. Around that same time, the sensitivity in his ears began to dim. After a number months of gradual recuperation, he and the rest of the band decided it was finally time to get back to the album, now more determined to release it than ever before.

The Band would like to publicly thank Hashem for bringing us back together and giving us another chance to make the beautiful music that we enjoy and hope you will appreciate and come to love.

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