Soul In Exile II by The Hesh Inc.

Fueled by the onset of adolescent hormones and a nascent love of rock'n'roll music, spurred by a flash of inspiration from a "cool" character then in the American pop-culture consciousness, eight quick strokes of the lever brought on Heshy's ugly-duckling reinvention as The Hesh, and from that point on life was never the same. The meaning of life, as expounded by rabbis and historical religious figures, became compounded by the sound of the beach poets and boardwalk prophets of Jersey Shore rock'n'roll, which astounded and confounded his parents and peers to no end.

A year later The Hesh was in Israel, having moved there with his parents. Ostensibly attending yeshiva (Orthodox Jewish religious) high school with its strict delineation of morals and adamantly opposed to participation in "the outside world," Hesh nurtured his rock'n'roll dreams for several years until he emerged in Jerusalem as the keyboard player and lead singer for experimental jazz-blues-rock band Reality Shock. These dreams and ambitions were put on hold, however, when Hesh entered the Israel Defense Forces for his mandatory three-year service, but he compensated for the enforced hiatus by honing his songwriter skills with his heartfelt and sometimes irreverent commentaries on the world at large. During his entire nine-year spell in Israel, incorporating his time in yeshiva, in bands, and in the military, Hesh incorporated the influences of ethnic Sephardic/Mizrahi music with its distinct Arabic rhythms and scales, combined with the songwriting sensibilities of Lou Reed and Tom Waits. And through it all, he always remained tuned to the musical frequency emanating from the Jersey Shore, 6000 miles away, which gave his songwriting a distinct Bruce/Southside tinge. It was then that The Hesh became The Hesh Inc., which was either predictably Incorporated or more likely Incomplete, since there always seemed to be more to dream, write, and sing about.

After his honorable discharge Hesh got married and moved to Boston, a hotbed of creativity and radicalism that at once attracted and repelled him. As an attempt at life as an art student crumbled along with his marriage (a cataclysm chronicled in his first CD, 1999's independently released Soul In Exile), he felt the Jersey Shore subtly but insistently tug at his shirttail and finally, 12 years after being renamed in Lee's Arcade, The Hesh Inc. descended on Asbury Park.

Partnering with his high school compadre and Reality Shock drummer Izzy Kieffer, The Hesh Inc. assembled his original band, Freedom Is Priceless, playing their idiosyncratic brand of “soul-punk-rock-r&b” in clubs from Asbury Park to Greenwich Village. A regular at open mics throughout the area, Hesh befriended many musicians from diverse genres. One such jam session led to a several-year stint with roots reggae band the Midnight Ravers, for which he was nominated for a local music award in the early 1990s. Additionally, he played keyboards in three different Springsteen tribute bands spread across the heart of Boss-land from Philly to North Jersey, as well as 1970s-style disco and funk with Polyester in NY and NJ.

The turn of the 21st century saw the long-overdue release of Reality Shock's debut recording, comprising a number of songs that Hesh and Izzy played from their high school days all the way through the big bad 1990s. Shortly afterward, Hesh began recording sessions for Soul In Exile 2: Jersey Shore Baby, sequel to his first CD, at Retromedia Sound in Red Bank, with a lineup including 28 musicians drawn mostly from his musical travels in the NJ and NY area – notably Izzy (once again), E Street percussionist Richard Blackwell, local luminaries Mike Dalton and Rory Daniels, PK Lavengood from John Eddie's band, Mark Nuzzi of Soul Engines, Ken Sorensen a/k/a Stringbean, and virtually the all the members of Polyester, among others.

In 2003 The Hesh Inc. relocated to Los Angeles, where he became involved with The Happy Minyan, an Orthodox Jewish congregation that based its services on the songs and teachings of the late, famous "singing rabbi" and mystic, Shlomo Carlebach. While Jewish spirituality had always been in Hesh's consciousness, never before had it been brought to the forefront as it had during his time in LA. The Minyan was a magnet for creative types who operated in the secular entertainment world but were not ashamed of letting their roots show, and its influence upon The Hesh Inc. was profound.

Although he didn't go to the West Coast with the goal of making it in music or movies, The Hesh Inc. managed to get one of his songs placed in the 2006 comedy "When Do We Eat?" with Jack Klugman and Lesley-Ann Warren. He also joined yet another Springsteen tribute band, coincidentally and appropriately named Asbury Park, which consisted mostly of the road management and crew for the Doors of the 21st Century. That connection led to an offer to be Ray Manzarek's keyboard tech for the new Doors' tour, but Hesh had to decline because of family and personal considerations. During the latter half of his spell in LA, Hesh completed the recording of Soul In Exile 2: Jersey Shore Baby, with mixing, mastering, and some additional recording done at Punch Sound in Santa Monica as well as at Retromedia back in NJ; the inevitable influence of LA and the Happy Minyan can be heard in the final cut as a result.

2007 is Year Of The Hesh Inc. Back in New Jersey, he has taken everything he incorporated throughout his travels and sojourns over the years, synthesized it into his own brand of Jersey Shore rock'n'roll, and is primed to blast it out into the universe with Soul In Exile 2: Jersey Shore Baby, his first CD on AERIA Records.

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