Drew Brodsky is looking forward to his second Hanukkah Hullabaloo this year. In 2024, he heard the music but never saw the performers on stage.
“I was backstage recording, so I actually didn’t see most of the Hullabaloo until the video came out,” said Brodsky, 27. “When I watched it, I was like, ‘Wow, this is amazing—I can’t believe I missed it.’”
Such is the life of an audio technician, a role Brodsky also serves at Central Reform Congregation. It’s an important function, especially during a live performance, but you don’t always have the luxury of sitting back to enjoy the music. At the 2025 Hullabaloo, he’ll also be the production manager.
“That means coordinating monitors, front of house staging, even where the latke lounge will be, and then bringing in some folks to help run the lights, bringing in my company to help with some atmospheric lights, and hiring a video jockey. It’s 100% behind the scenes. I try my hardest to stay off stage, but I think David Lazaroff might pull me up for a bit of a drum jam in one of the songs, because I’m also a drummer by trade.”
Brodsky is the resident percussionist at CRC. He also plays drums, accompanying Alex Rich, the popular Jewish artist, radio personality and host of “Jews In The Lou.” In high school, Brodsky had his first experience in a recording studio when he recorded music with some friends.
“I talked to the engineers and realized that there’s a profession in this, and that you can be the one to bring all of these elements together,” he said. “I just turned the passion into a profession.”
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Brodsky described the Hanukkah Hullabaloo as a formal sound mixing situation where he’ll be floating around the venue making sure the sound is at an optimum level to create a festive celebration.
“I just love helping people tell their story and capture their art and hopefully let them see it and hear it in a way that they’ve never thought of before and giving them exactly what they’ve been wanting from their art,” he said.
Buy tickets to this year’s Hanukkah Hullabaloo.
