American Jews have long embraced pop, rock and hip-hop. We all know about the Beastie Boys, Van Halen and the Bangles (Susanna Hoffs is a nice Jewish girl from L.A.). Discover some newer bands this month, such as the San Francisco-based punk duo Happy Fangs featuring singer Rebecca Bortman, a Pittsburgh Jew; New York City’s The Sway Machinery, whose amalgamated style is rooted in band leader Jeremiah Lockwood’s early experience singing in the choir of his grandfather, Cantor Jacob Konigsber; and L.A.’s indie-folk pop duo The Wellspring, whose members Talia Osteen and Dov Rosenblatt had an official showcase at this year’s SXSW festival and who are scoring tracks for the upcoming feature film “Coffee Town.”
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