Steve Lieberman returns with punk stimulation in “Skinheads in My Yard Oy! Vey”

NewFire Magazine May 15, 2025

Steven Paul Lieberman, widely recognized as The Gangsta Rabbi and the self-proclaimed King of Jewish Punk, has boldly challenged the status quo. With his latest track, "Skinheads in My Yard Oy! Vey," he’s breaking barriers with a flamboyant menorah.

At 66 years old, Lieberman embodies a unique contradiction: he is an Orthodox Jewish punk-metal rebel, wielding a bass guitar in one hand and a Torah reference in the other. The Freeport, NY native creates music as jagged as barbed wire and as urgent as a siren. His song "Skinheads in My Yard Oy! Vey!" is no exception; it is raw, unfiltered, and uncompromising in its sonic chaos.

The song erupts like a street protest set to lo-fi metal. Screeching feedback and groaning basslines accompany Lieberman's signature vocal style, a frantic, nasally chant-scream that pierces through like a rusty shofar. It embodies punk not by design but by necessity. The intentionally rough production mirrors the song’s anxiety-inducing theme: a surreal confrontation with neo-Nazi aggression in suburban America.

Lieberman stands out because he seamlessly integrates his Jewish identity into every decisive moment of his work. The title’s contrast between “Skinheads” and “Oy! Vey” perfectly encapsulates his mission: to use punk music as a weapon against antisemitism, racism, and hatred. He accomplishes this with wild energy, humor, and genuine emotion.

This track is not meant for easy listening; it’s intended as a battle cry for the weird, the marginalized, and the spiritually defiant. Lieberman has become a cult legend among longtime outsider music fans, and "Skinheads is in My Yard Oy! Vey" solidifies his status as one of punk's most iconoclastic voices.