Words to Bring Us Home

Jeremy Shanas and Elijah Palnik met at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin when they were 11. Now, 13 years later, they make up St. Louis’ hottest new band.

The Northwoods is a two-man folk band that maintains a serious voltage of energy throughout its acoustic riffs. Its songs are poetic and thoughtful, catchy and harmonic. Show by show, Shanas and Palnik are taking the Midwest by storm, and they largely credit their Jewish roots for inspiring them to make music in the first place.

“Judaism provided a platform for us,” said Shanas. “That’s where we got started. From being in shul to hearing the Torah… That’s how we met.”

Palnik agreed, “More than anything else, it set the groundwork for who we are and what is coming out.”

Indeed, what’s coming out is full of good messages as well as subtle Jewish undertones. The songs off their album, “Morning, Noon, and Night,” speak of growing up, growing older, and getting wiser. “The message is a positive one, a reflective one, because that's how we’ve been raised,” Palnik said. They sing about friendship, existence and purpose, and aging. But most of all, they sing about a hope surrounding life and an optimism that never dies, not even with youth.

Here lies a man of 82 years old in bed
Barred not by aging bones or wrinkles on his head
Speaks to his children of his time and what he's done
He says his life has just begun
Waiting for the sun

“Growing up is about prioritizing what's important. As you get older, there are certain things that you just have to let go,” Shanas expressed.

If lyrics tackling deep subjects fuel its songs, The Northwoods’ powerful harmonies provide the engine. When “Morning, Noon and Night” was released this past winter, few could have predicted that a Simon and Garfunkel-like duo would emerge as a craze amongst the college-aged. Now, Shanas and Palnik are bringing a force and vitality to folk music that hasn’t been heard in decades.

After The Northwoods performed at The Loyal Earth Festival this past April on the same stage as Medeski Martin & Wood, Neil Salsich of Jambase. com said, “I’ve yet to find a band that can pull off Crosby, Stills & Nash-style harmonies so genuinely.” St. Louis’ Riverfront Times agreed, naming The Northwoods “Best New Band of St. Louis” sweeping the category “by a comfortable margin.”

This past July, The Northwoods took a break from their usual Midwest performance schedule and ventured back to where it all began, Camp Ramah. They taught workshops, performed live on camp radio, and offered music lessons. For The Northwoods, this was an opportunity to inspire the next generation of Jewish musicians.

“The Jewish community has just been so supportive,” Shanas explained. “It’s been our support system, our foundation. We never forget that.”

With a large Jewish fan base, frequent gigs on Jewish platforms like Ramah and USY conventions, and a proud Jewish identity, The Northwoods constantly remind themselves of their roots. It’s why they named the band after the boonies in Eagle River, Wisconsin that brought them together.

“There’s a new outlook of Jewish youthfulness,” said Palnik. “We’re not getting up there and singing Jewish songs, but they [audience members] like that we’re openly Jewish musicians who play professionally. They’re looking for role models.”

It is not hard to find The Northwoods’ personality infectious, connecting to fans via YouTube, MySpace, and Facebook. Layered behind the poetry are funky grooves and hard-hitting rhythms, and Palnik and Shanas have been known to break out in beat-boxing sessions between songs at shows. It is exactly that combination of insight and levity that makes the music contagious.

“We know each other well. We know what works and what doesn’t,” Palnik said of the songwriting process. “We’re always evolving. Sometimes it takes days to write a song, sometimes it takes years. There are songs where the melody just shoots out and others that start as just guitar riffs. It always takes different forms.”

Whatever the process, it is working. The chemistry between the musicians resonates inside every song and every harmony. That’s just the way things have always been for them, dating back to their camp days.

“Our story revolves so completely around Judaism. Now it’s our turn to really give back,” Palnik said. “Growing up Jewish, we were part of something special and unique, part of a community that gave us strong roots, core values, and good keppies. It is only right that we thank them by creating good and positive music for everyone to enjoy.”

The Northwoods’ music is available on iTunes. Visit their website at www.thenorthwoodsmusic.com.