Bryan Zive and Kol Echad - Making Jewish Music Stronger

Bryan Zive: Lead Vocals, Acoustic Guitar and Piano Bryan Zive and his band, "Kol Echad" (translated to English as "One Voice"), is one of the most popular emerging artists and educators in Contemporary Jewish music. Combining love for music and Judaism, Bryan uses his music to set the mood for people of all ages, merging traditional liturgy, Jewish themes with modern music to help them become more connected with their Jewish identities. His cutting-edge musical and performance styles have been compared to those of The Fray, Guster and Counting Crows. Bryan’s music is widely included in congregational and camp repertoires across North America. Kol Echad has released two full length studio albums since its inception. "*Its' No Dream", produced by Josh Nelson features tracks such as "Hareiu* and Or Zarua", complete with a radio-ready, dynamic sound. One of its tracks, "Rock and Redeemer", was chosen to be included on Transcontinental Music's Compilation release "Ruach 5769" as one of the 19 most popular new Jewish songs. Released in 2010, "*Follow in My Footsteps", produced by Scott Leader, features even stronger instrumentation and powerful harmonies in songs such as "Avodah", "Return" and "Answer Me". Bryan has performed in hundreds of Jewish venues throughout the world, and has brought his stimulating performance style to cities including Los Angeles, St. Louis, Rio de Janeiro and Jerusalem. He is included on Jewish Rock Radio* as a featured emerging artist and has brought his music toregional NFTY and BBYO conventions, as well as many of the URJ affiliated Summer Camp Institutes. Bryan is the current full-time Cantorial Soloist/Music Director at Temple Sinai in Denver, CO, and has consulted with more than 300 communities across the globe to develop and stabilize their modern Jewish music curricula. He received degrees from The Ohio State University’s Melton Center for Jewish Studies and Ethnomusicology. His thesis, titled “The creation of Contemporary Jewish Music and it’s affect on Synagogue Life” is widely used in congregational Adult Education programs. With love and passion for our Jewish community, religion and culture, Bryan Zive and Kol Echad will continue to promote, perform and educate using Jewish music, keeping the legacy of music alive for generations of Jewish people, past, present and future. Feel free to contact Bryan directly at bryan@bryanzive.com. You can purchase all of Bryan and Kol Echad's music by visiting www.bryanzive.com or on iTunes.
Jason Ruby: Elecrtic and Acoustic Guitars and Vocals Jason Ruby is a guitarist and drummer who enjoys creating and performing original music with a variety of bands, whether that be in an intimate setting or in front of hundreds of sweaty and rambunctious audience members. He recently recorded a full length album with the punk band he drums for, Tone Deficit, which plays throughout the Denver Metro scene and occasionally in the punk rock town of Casper, WY. Other current projects Jason is involved with include Abajian, an acoustic-electric progressive rock band, and a guitar-based project that draws influence from some his favorite genres: metal, jazz, rock, punk, avant-garde, blues, and klezmer. In addition to playing music, Jason enjoys teaching guitar and drum lessons, as well as his other main means of creative expression: practicing architecture. With Kol Echad, Jason is excited to play for a different audience, which may be slightly less rambunctious, but no less spirited. You can reach Jason via email at jason@bryanzive.com.
Josh Mills: Lead Bass and Vocals Born and raised in Illinois, Josh Mills is the youngest of a family of exceptional musicians. Classically trained on many instruments, Josh brings and instinctive musicality to playing electric and acoustic bass. By the age of 12, Josh had seen many stages touring Illinois with his family's band. It was at age 18 that Josh decided to focus on playing bass and quickly developed into a local force on the bass guitar. In his early to mid twenties, Josh played for a Chicago based rock band called KSG and toured all over the midwest, sharing the stage with such bands such as Better than Ezra, Pomeroy, Cowboy Mouth , Bottle of Justus, and MER. Josh has rescently moved to Denver, Colorado in the interest of advancing his musical career, and is heavily involved in it's exciting music scene. Josh is excited to work with Bryan and Jason and looks forward to making great music with Kol Echad. You can reach Josh via email at Josh@BryanZive.com.