It is a gray, rainy morning here in Atlanta and I am at your site enjoying a bit of Klezmer. I'm just a Georgia Peach, born and raised in Atlanta, BUT I know I was Yiddish in another life. I always loved your kind of music, but did not know the name of it until I heard a blurb about Klezmer music--on PBS, I think. They defined it and played a bit of it and I was off on the hunt. When I found your site, I enjoyed your videos and clips so much I e-mailed Good Morning America and suggested you as a guest. I hope they take my suggestion. I read that one of your members came to you from Atlanta--give him a big Georgia hello and "bless your heart." Your works are on my Christmas wish list. So just know there is someone in the deep South who is dancing around to your tunes. Thank you.  -  Shelia H., Stone Mountain, GA

My wife, mother-in-law, kids and myself recently saw you perform in Two Rivers at their ethnic fest. 3 words... WON-DER-FUL! We hope to see you again very soon. God Bless!  -  Ken D., Green Bay, WI

We want to thank you, Steve and the band again for making our event so memorable. I know you're probably accustomed to hearing praise, but we thought everything was fantastic. And our out-of-towners who hadn't seen Maxwell Street before were totally blown away. We look forward to seeing you and the band at another event. Best regards,  -  Jonathan

Our party was a great success and everyone had an absolutely great time! I can't tell you what a great way it was to end our summer. You were right, though, it went by in a flash. My sister said she wants to do it again (she'll have to pay, though) and my other sister wants her own bat mitzvah. I will try and send pictures of the party showing the band and our dancers when I get my act together. Kimber and the entire band were great as usual. The kids all had a great time and you'll be able to see that from the pictures! Thanks again.  -  Carla Z,  mother of Anna, Bat mitzvah, 8/2008

My mom's Yiddish class was at the party, as were all of her dear friends and family. You could see that the band put everyone into a reverie; we were transported! My mom and I cried during Kimber's singing of my Yiddish mama. Thank you for bringing the Yiddish language alive, the culture alive, and for giving my 90 year old mother, and all of her family and friends, joy for a lifetime. I know my mother will think of the day, and the music, all the days of her life. yes, with love,  -  Lloyd Z

First, I have to say THANK YOU for the amazing performance of Maxwell Street at our wedding! It was really wonderful and was just what we had hoped. Our guests loved it, in fact it was probably the single most complemented aspect of our wedding. My father, who played lead trumpet in a jazz band for 17 years (before I was born) was even impressed and complemented Aaron and I on our choice of entertainment. He had wanted us to hire another Klezmer band they had seen but was so impressed with Maxwell Street, he said he was glad we didn't follow his advice. We all had a wonderful time! Kimber was amazing as usual. She made the hosting look effortless and very professional. She even managed to get most of our guests to have some fun with Israeli dancing. I hope everyone also got a chance to enjoy the dinner. I was so busy with guests, by the time I went over to the table, the band had eaten and left, so I did not have a chance to thank them in person. I hope this note finds its way to them as well. In addition to the Thank You, I wanted to let you know that we have Ralph Wilder's music notebook which he left behind by accident. I am happy to send it to you or to leave it with the doorman of my building for Ralph to pick up if he chooses. Thanks again for everything. Kind regards,  -  Alina, bride

We recently attended our good friends' child's bat mitzvah party in Chicago- Hannah F.- a very joyous simcha. Maxwell Street was there. We were impressed not only with the quality of your musicianship, singing- and dancing!- but with your ability to seamlessly involve people of all ages and hesitancies- the bat mitzvah group, the family, the seniors, the younger children, the adults; those ready to dance the horah heartily, those who needed encouragement- it was quite something. You led, you performed, you invited, you urged, there was a tango contest for the kids- a fine time was had by all! The large group of 13-year-olds was involved and enjoying themselves, and so was everyone else. And you did all that in extreme heat!! And I had forgotten the heat till Lorri reminded me! You are fine musicians, and we had a blast; may you go from strength to strength,  -  Julie S-F, bat mitzvah attendee

How can I put into words what it meant to have you part of my son's Bar Mitzvah celebration? Surrounded by friends, wonderful music and amazing musicians....it just doesn't get any better than that! Thank you for everything. You are very special people.  -  Barb, Mother of the Bar-Mitzvah

"The event at Pottawattomie was a celebration of love and friendship and spirituality. You were such a pivotal part of that, and we cannot begin to tell you how much it meant to have you weave into the fabric of our day. Your music, your talent, your kindness, your passion were evident throughout the afternoon. It was hard to imagine that you do this multiple times a day, many days of the week. We felt as if we, alone, were special. That is a gift, and we thank you for sharing it with us."  -  Barbara P., Bride

"Just want to say thank you again for the wonderful music and incredible energy you and the band brought to Nathan's bar mitzvah. We are still getting calls from friends and family telling us what a great time they had, esp. how much they loved the music. (The chocolate cake was a close second). The ultimate compliment came from 2 kids who have been to lots of bar and bat mitzvah parties, big fancy ones with DJs and dancers, lots of give aways, etc, all done with the belief that "kids love it." They both told Nathan and me and even wrote it in the guest book that "this was the best bar mitzvah I've ever been to. The music was the best!" High praise from tough critics!"  -  Joan H., Mother of the Bar-Mitzvah

"The week slipped away from me, and I missed the chance to thank you all for helping to make Laura's Bat Mitzvah such a warm and wonderful experience. You are all so talented and so great at engaging quite a diverse group in terms of ages and backgrounds. Everyone loved it. What I'll always remember most is talking to people in the lobby after the service, and hearing strains of beautiful Jewish music beckoning me into the Social Hall. Thank you so much."  -  Linda P., Mother of the Bat-Mitzvah

"We can hardly find the words to express our joy and appreciation for your performance at our daughter's wedding. We had many, many calls from visitors on both the East and West Coasts. They all had the same reaction to your music: incredible! The New Yorkers told us they wanted to bring you back home; they had never heard Klezmer music played the way you played it. Thank you for an evening our whole family will never forget. Our daughter summed her wedding up with these words: "It was everything I ever dreamed of and more."  -  Ira and Gerri E., Parents of the Bride

"A very belated thanks...I can't tell you how much your band added to the wedding... It couldn't have been better. Everyone still raves about the event, but the band, in particular. It was really wonderful to be able to join with family and friends to celebrate. The band gave everybody the opportunity to just let loose. I still get teary thinking about it... "  -  Katie and Larry., Bride and Groom

"On behalf of our entire family, we want to thank you and your talented musicians for making our wedding such a freylich celebration. Your music set the tone for a night of light-hearted simcha, and our guests enjoyed every minute. We greatly appreciated your professionalism, flexibility and versatility."  -  Linda H., Mother of the Groom

"I want to thank each and every one of you for helping to make the celebration of Sammy's Bar Mitzvah so meaningful. Your warmth, spirit and love made the day extraordinarily special. Thanks for being with us at this special time in our family. This was a day we will never forget."  -  Mindy F., Mother of the Bar-Mitzvah

"We're patting ourselves on the back for being smart enough to choose the Maxwell Street Klezmer Band, who made our simcha such a success. You're all great!"  -  Shirley and Mel, 50th Anniversary Party

"This is a belated but very sincere thank-you to you and the Maxwell Street Klezmer Band for making Daniel and Marta's wedding one of the highlights of our lives! We were just blown away--and the guests are still talking months later about how great the band was. In the first place--of course--you guys are just SO GOOD. It was wonderful just to listen to you--and impossible not to get up and dance. Many people--including me--hardly ate their dinner, because every time they tried to sit down, there was another tune that they just had to dance to. My friend told me that when you played your first song, he was heading to the dance floor with his wife, and she protested that "It's not proper to start dancing before the wedding couple. But he said "Forget that--with this music, we've got to dance!" But I think the most wonderful thing about the Maxwell Street Klezmer Band is how perceptive you are. You are able to fit the music to the physical space and to the group. It's not every band that can do that-- And that's how you created the moment that will live forever in all of our minds. When you listened to the toast the Best Man was making, heard him talk about playing "City of New Orleans," set it up with the band members, and then at the first opportunity--hit it! What a moment! Did you know that, in our family, we sing a lot--and if we have one favorite song, it's "City of New Orleans." So--to have you pick up on that--to get to dance to it--AND to have Danny get up and sing with you--what a peak experience! So, thanks, Lori, from the bottom of my heart."  -  Becky, Mother of the Groom

"Your band definitely created the spirit that pervaded the whole event. This was what Debbie and Brian wanted and everyone could feel it. We are grateful for all you did for this very important celebration for our family. Please let each of the band members know how much we appreciated their exciting participation. Thank you."  -  Janet and David M., Parents of the Bride