I’m Geoffrey Sloshay, the Folk Rock Rabbi — a songwriter, performer, storyteller, and founder of A New Song USA.
Music has been part of my life for many years, but for me, songwriting has never been simply about making songs. It has always been a way of trying to understand life — the difficult things, the beautiful things, the mistakes we make, the relationships that shape us, the possibility... of beginning again, and the questions that stay with us long after a song ends.
I write and perform original English folk-rock music that is personal, reflective, and accessible to people from many different backgrounds. My songs touch on hope, regret, relationships, faith, change, personal growth, perseverance, and the ordinary experiences that can sometimes reveal something much bigger about being human.
As the Folk Rock Rabbi, I bring that music into intimate spaces. I perform home concerts, community gatherings, libraries, schools, Jewish community events, special programs, and other settings where people can experience music up close rather than from a distance.
A home concert can be very simple. A room full of people, a guitar, a few songs, some stories, and the opportunity to slow down for a little while. I don't believe every meaningful concert needs a large stage, elaborate lighting, or a huge audience. Sometimes a small room can create the kind of connection that is difficult to create anywhere else.
My performances often include stories and reflections between songs. I may talk about where a song came from, something I was thinking about when I wrote it, or an experience that changed the way I looked at something. The goal isn't to lecture an audience or tell people what they should think. It's to give people something to listen to, consider, and perhaps carry with them after the music is over.
That is also why I enjoy performing for communities.
A community gathering doesn't have to be a formal concert. Music can become a reason for people to come together, listen to one another, and experience something together. I can adapt the performance to the setting — from a small living room or backyard to a library, synagogue, school, community room, or larger gathering.
I also founded A New Song USA, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing original live English music programs to incarcerated individuals and communities. Through this work, I have performed inside correctional facilities and learned firsthand how powerful a simple live musical experience can be in a place where opportunities for connection, reflection, and encouragement can be limited.
Those experiences have shaped the way I perform everywhere else.
I have learned that an audience doesn't have to look a certain way for music to matter. People may come from completely different backgrounds and still recognize themselves in a song about regret, hope, loneliness, love, second chances, or simply trying to become a better person.
That is one of the things I value most about music: it can create a shared space without requiring everyone to be the same.
My Jewish identity is also an important part of who I am. I am an Orthodox rabbi, but my music is meant to welcome everyone. I write and perform in English because I want the songs to be accessible to people from many different backgrounds. Whether I'm performing in a home, a community space, a synagogue, a school, or a correctional facility, my hope is the same: to create a meaningful experience through music, stories, and connection.
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