Mostly Kosher, the Los Angeles-based Klezmer/Rock band, radically reconstructs Judaic and American cultural music through ravenous klezmer beats and arresting Yiddish refrains. The acclaimed ensemble is a musical feast that explodes into a global food-fight of Jazz, Latin, Rock, and Folk. In response to the poetry and folk music of Judaic roots, their original voice resounds with themes of social justice, human dignity, and mutual understanding. Led by front man Leeav Sofer, one of Jewish Journal’s "30 under 30" most accomplished professionals in the Southern California Jewish diaspora, Mostly Kosher is comprised of some of the highest regarded Los Angeles musicians: violinist Janice Mautner Markham, drummer Eric Hagstrom, bassist Adam Levy, guitarist Nadav Peled and Ben Tevik on clarinet and sax.

 

Mostly Kosher is a fixture at renowned California stages such as the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre, Skirball Cultural Center, Torrance Center for the Arts, and Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center. They have also graced the stage of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion for a live television broadcast to over half a million viewers in 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2023.

The ensemble has headlined multiple summer festivals including the Silicon Valley Jewish Music Festival, Claremont Folk Festival and The Ashkenaz Festival in Toronto. Mostly Kosher had the honor of being the first Jewish music ensemble at the Disney parks with 2024/2025 marking their 8th season performing during the 2-month long Festival of Holidays; and the band was credited for “stealing the Festival of Holidays Show” by the acclaimed Fresh Baked Disney podcast. For the 2017 holiday season, Mostly Kosher added Epcot Center in Florida to their list of venues, becoming Disney’s first Jewish cultural ensemble with a holiday season performance schedule on both coasts.

 

Staying true to giving back to the community, Mostly Kosher is proud to be teaching artists for Urban Voices Project, performing and educating in underserved areas in and around Southern California including prisons, community clinics and shelters serving men and women suffering from homelessness. Mostly Kosher is also a mentor ensemble to the Jewish Youth Orchestra, a project of the Jewish Federation of San Gabriel Valley,  offering performance opportunities and ongoing workshops for middle school and high school musicians. 

                        

The band’s self-titled debut album has won international acclaim by World Music Network, Songlines Magazine, and BBC radio. The first track, Ikh Hob Dikh Tsufil Lib (I Love You Much Too Much), was recognized as one of World Music Network’s Top 6 Songs of 2014. Mostly Kosher’s music videos have been garnering accolades on the film festival circuit, receiving two nominations at the Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema and Best Music Video at the Glendale International Film Festival. 2021 marked the indie film debut of Mostly Kosher, as they are featured in the wedding scene of the feature film, “The Accursed”, starring Izabela Vidovic and Melora Walters. Mostly Kosher's music video for "Vitebsk" has won numerous awards, and has been screened at festivals (2024/2025) throughout the USA, including the Los Angeles Music Video Festival, the Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival and the Greater Phoenix Jewish Film Festival. 

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  In 2022 Mostly Kosher was honored to be included in the flagship series, “Secret Chord”, a live concert taping sponsored by the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, and the Lowell Milken Center for Music of American Jewish Experience at The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. 2024 wrapped up with a double bill with the Grammy-winning klez-Icons, The Klezmatics, at the Carpenter Center in Long Beach, California. This performance coincided with the release of their version of Woody Guthrie’s “Hanuka Dance”, featured on a new Hanukkah Album from the Klezmatics. Mostly Kosher’s 2025/2026 season is already looking bright with a return to Palo Alto, CA, their debut at the Soka Performing Arts Center, and upcoming performances in Texas and the East Coast. Fun Fact: Mostly Kosher’s recording of Wade in the Water made it onto Billboard Magazine’s “10 Songs to Make Your Seder Rock” list in April, 2025!  On to summer and fall of 2025, the band is currently working on their much-anticipated Hanukkah album - stay tuned for more info!