Voice from the Heart
BY JENNIFER GOLDBERG
You
may have seen him perform, may have heard his powerful voice and passionate lyrics.
Since Todd Herzog and his wife, Karen, moved to Arizona in September 2006, he
has been sharing his thoughtful, uplifting Jewish music with audiences around
the Valley.
Life in the Herzog household is pleasantly hectic on this particular day, as Todd and Karen prepare to leave for the Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education's annual conference at Washington University in St. Louis.
Griffin, a rescue dog, barks cheerfully, while Flower, a black-and-white guinea pig named for the skunk in "Bambi," recuperates in his cage (he's been under the weather).
"Don't let the name fool you," Herzog jokes about the guinea pig. "He's all man."
Musical beginnings
Born in Pennsylvania, Herzog grew up playing instruments and singing in New York. "Ever since I can remember, I was always singing," Herzog says.
He began college at Tufts University with an interest in international relations, but soon realized that music was becoming central in his life.
"I had always thought of music as a hobby, but as I went through college, music classes were really the only classes that I loved," he says.
Through a special program, Herzog earned a philosophy degree from Tufts and a degree in jazz and vocal performance from the New England Conservatory of Music. He then taught voice lessons, did session work in recording studios (he plays bass, guitar, piano, violin and saxophone) and wrote songs.
Herzog's first album, 2000's "What I Wouldn't Give," is a collection of songs written in response to the illness and death from leukemia of his girlfriend, Rachel.
"At that point," Herzog says, "my outlet became the music. I was wondering what should I write about, and there it was: a life-and-death situation. I tried to sort through all of those feelings and emotions, and that's what really got me started as more of a writer."
Herzog continued to write and perform secular music until he met Karen through JDate in July 2003. He was living in Los Angeles; she was a fitness instructor at the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center in Scottsdale.
"Karen had been on JDate one day, and I had been on for two weeks, but neither of us thought we'd meet anyone online," Todd Herzog recalls. Todd drove to the Valley to meet Karen, and "I knew I was
going to marry him," Karen says. She moved to Los Angeles to be with him, and they were married in Sedona in October 2004. Rabbi Albert Plotkin, rabbi emeritus of Congregation Beth Israel in Scottsdale, performed the wedding.
Jewish spirit
Todd Herzog's interest in Jewish music began when Karen introduced him to Craig Taubman, a nationally recognized Jewish recording artist. The two performed
together on numerous occasions, and Taubman referred Herzog to New Community Jewish High School in West Hills, Calif., where he began teaching music.
The experience changed him spiritually and musically.
"I had experienced a lot of hypocrisy in Judaism growing up," Herzog says. "But (head of school) Bruce Powell is somebody who not only talks the talk, but really walks the walk. The kids were not allowed to gossip. There were no cliques. It was a really inspirational place to be around and work."
As Herzog taught his students to write their own music based on Jewish concepts, he began giving himself similar assignments. The result, his newest album, "Proverbs," which was released in April, contains songs inspired by quotes from Jewish texts, including "If I Am Not For Myself," based on the words of Rabbi Hillel.
Desert living
The Herzogs left Los Angeles when Karen made Todd an offer: Move to the Valley, she said, and I'll be your manager.
Herzog booked gigs around the Valley to perform both his Jewish and non-
Jewish music, but his performance at the McDowell Mountain Music Festival earlier this year set him on a different path.
The Scottsdale event draws acts from around the country, but Herzog found himself unsatisfied after the gig.
"As with many things in the secular world, the hype didn't match up to the reality," he says. "When you play a gig like that, you get disappointed.
"But then," he continues, "I would perform at a temple, and people would come up to me after the service and say, 'You know, your music really touched me.' That's what it's about. It became less about me having fame and fortune and more about making a difference and bringing a community together through music."
Now, Herzog performs Jewish music exclusively, at congregations, camps, JCCs and "any place people are open to a positive message," he says. He spent the High Holidays performing inspirational music at the Wood River Jewish Community in Sun Valley, Idaho, and has upcoming events scheduled around town (see sidebar).
Karen has found the local Jewish community to be "so open, so embracing" of Todd's music.
"We're really grateful - we don't take anything for granted, so when people help us out I like to form relationships and keep in touch. The networking has helped to form bonds and friendships."
For Herzog's part, he has found his place as a spiritual voice in the community.
"I think my goal all along was to make a difference," he says.
MUSICAL INTERLUDES
Todd Herzog has several performances scheduled around the Valley in the coming months:
Nov. 18
Central Phoenix Unity Church
1219 E. Glendale Ave., Phoenix
602-277-0353
Nov. 23-24
Shabbat services
Congregation Beth Israel
10460 N. 56th St., Scottsdale
480-951-0323
Herzog's music is available on iTunes, on cdbaby.com and on amazon.com. For
more information, visit toddherzog.com.