Amish outlaws hidden in Rutherford
When Amish children reach 16 years of age, they have the opportunity to live free of the strict code of conduct they are raised with. During the tradition called "Rumspringa," which translates to "running around," Amish youth are free to engage in the vices of modern life, including modern music, forbidden in Amish culture.
After Rumspringa, the vast majority of Amish youth return to their communities to become baptized. A few remain in the "Devil’s Playground," the Amish term for the modern American world. Enter the Amish Outlaws.
Following a chance meeting at a "Rock and Roll Hootenanny" in Pennsylvania, four Amish men with a shared love of music decided to start a band. Brothers "Eazy" Ezekiel (bass) and Amos "Def" (keyboards, guitar, banjo) grew up together in the same Amish community in Pennsylvania. During Rumspringa, Amos and Ezekiel spent plenty of time catching up on the 16 years of pop culture they missed, particularly music.
While most of the band members live in Rockland County, NY, the band rehearses at Fox Studios at Station Square in Rutherford, a popular local studio for area bands.
For Brother Hezekiah "X," who sings lead vocals, the decision to leave the Amish way of life was "sort of a necessity." His family was the "black sheep" of the community, some of them musicians themselves. Eventually, all of them ended up leaving.
Five years ago, the Amish Outlaws were born. The band does not shy away from its gimmick: men in Amish garb performing songs you would never expect them to perform. Each band member has a stage name: Brother Jakob the Pipe Layer plays the drums. Brother Ishmael L Cool J plays guitar. Brother Big Daddy Abel sings lead vocals and plays guitar.
The Amish Outlaws perform cover songs from any and all genres. At an Amish Outlaws concert, one could hear renditions of songs by the Beatles, Elvis, Led Zeppelin, Marvin Gaye, Sinead O’Connor, Judas Priest, Snoop Doggy Dogg and Alanis Morissette, to name just a few. "Myself, Amos and Hez didn’t grow up listening to music. Once I started to listen to music, it just became a passion. We like it all and we play it all," says Ezekiel during a rehearsal at Fox Studios last week.
Watch the Amish Outlaws perform "Dead or Alive"
Every band member has his own favorites. Jakob is particularly fond of "Gin and Juice" by Snoop Doggy Dogg. Abel likes "I Just Wanna Love You" by Jay-Z.
While the band plays rock instruments, they do not perform pop and hip-hop songs in a rock style. "We do it very much like the recording, which is one of the things that surprises [the audience] so much," adds Ezekiel.
Ezekiel prefers heavy metal songs, such as Judas Priest and System of a Down, while Hezekiah is partial to "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Sinead O’Connor. "It’s an opportunity to do a lot of great things," he said.
Another favorite of Hezekiah’s is "I’ve Had the Time of My Life," the theme from the movie "Dirty Dancing." Typically the last song on their set list, the song usually evokes a reaction from the crowd. Hezekiah recalled times when a heavy metal biker will hear the opening words of the song and greet the band with a rude gesture but five to ten seconds into the song, the biker will be singing along. "We’re kind of a guilty pleasure," says Ezekiel. "We pride ourselves in being a band that can play a party and your 22-year-old sister and your 60-year-old mom is there and they both like it."
As novel as the songs they perform may be, it is their stage show combined with their Amish uniforms that grab the most attention. The band members wear light blue button-down collared shirts, black pants, black shoes and black suspenders. Members occasionally also wear Amish-style hats.
By the end of an Amish Outlaws show, their shirts are five shades darker after being drenched with sweat. While not the most comfortable performance attire, it was a step up from the white starch shirts the band members wore when they started. Hezekiah said the old digs were more in tune with the dress code of their more conservative Amish brothers in Ohio. The blue shirts were more in line with the dress of the Amish in Pennsylvania, where Amos, Ezekiel and Hezekiah hail from.
On stage, the band members are used to the funny stares they receive while dressed in Amish garb, but off stage, the stares can be uncomfortable. Ezekiel recalls being glared at while drinking at a beer garden prior to a performance at an outdoor venue. But as they head from their parking spot on Park Avenue into the studio as rush hour last week, traffic slows and motorists honk in appreciation.
