SWAMPSCOTT – When you think about a Purim spiel performance in a shul, it’s doubtful you think the Book of Esther would be set to the funk and soul sound of The B-Side Hustle.
However, along with cries of “Haman” and the grating sound of groggers, that is exactly what is in store at Congregation Shirat Hayam in Swampscott on March 2.
That’s when a new local band called The B-Side Hustle will take the stage during the megillah reading for a “Funk Soul Purim” spiel that evening.
The B-Side Hustle is made up of friends and musicians from Marblehead and Swampscott.
Many of its members are members or former members of Congregation Shirat Hayam’s Ruach Rally Band that performs on Shabbat. The B-Side Hustle also rehearses at the synagogue on Atlantic Avenue.
The six-member band has been catching fire with general audiences outside of temple since it formed in 2024 and debuted at Swampscott’s Porchfest, according to articles in the Marblehead Weekly News and the Swampscott Tides.
The lineup consists of Sacha Bodner (vocals, guitar and percussion), Michael Bourne (bass), Jay Mahler (lead guitar), Michael McClung (keyboards), Jesse Piascik (sax), and Micheal Smerka (drums). You can also find McClung on stage during Swampscott Town Meeting as the town moderator.
The band has played gigs across the region, performing from the deck of the Hannah Glover during a private party and lighting up Minglewood Harborside in Gloucester, The Landing in Marblehead and Brodie’s Seaport in Salem.
In addition to many of them knowing each other from synagogue – five of six are Shirat Hayam members – three bandmates have kids the same age who attended preschool together. They were friends before they were bandmates.
McClung comes to The B-Side Hustle from the North Shore band The Distant Ships, which covers songs by Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Black Keys, Tom Petty and others. Bourne plays bass in this group with McClung on keys.
“Our whole point is to have fun,” said Bourne, 52, who works in software and services consulting and plays both guitar and bass.
He strums guitar in the congregation’s Ruach Band and plays bass with The B-Side Hustle. In the Ruach Band, he’s filled in at guitar for Mahler, who formerly played guitar in the temple’s band.
Bourne said the intent is not to be a jam band with extended improvisations. Instead, they are “trying to play songs that we like that don’t have to form to anything cohesive except the vibe is cohesive.”
The band uses call and response to get people to participate, much like a cantor or rabbi does during Shabbat prayers.
What more call and response is there than a Purim spiel, with the crowd “booing” and spinning groggers each time Haman’s name is mentioned in the story? Bourne said the band will play during interludes of the Purim story.
McClung said he is looking forward to the band participating in the spiel with Cantor Sarah Freudenberger getting the kids and the congregation involved.
“It’s going to be a ton of fun,” he said, noting that it’s going to be “a lively show, that’s for sure.” McClung also plays bass, keyboards, and lower brass instruments in bands on the North Shore. He also plays trombone and tuba in the Blue Big Band, a program of the Swampscott Senior Center.
A consultant in marketing analytics and automation, McClung also has a connection to the Jewish Journal having created the first version of the paper’s website.
Mahler said he was in the Ruach Band for about seven or eight years through the coronavirus pandemic before stepping back. The temple band has been a key part of the synagogue’s modern progressive identity in recent years.
Mahler was looking forward to what The B-Side Hustle with its upbeat funky sound has to offer when it comes to accompanying the Purim spiel.
“I’m excited that the definition of a Purim spiel is being expanded to us and what we do,” he said.
Bodner, of Marblehead, whose wife, Rabbi Samantha Safran, serves as the associate rabbi for youth learning and family engagement at Temple Emanu-El in Marblehead, said the Purim spiel is a timeless story, and now they get to place it in a modern setting.
“We try to play the music that puts a smile on people’s faces,” he said of The B-Side Hustle.
“The B-Side Hustle is a phenomenal local band whose popularity is growing rapidly,” said Shirat Hayam Rabbi Michael Ragozin in an email. “All but one member of B-Side Hustle is or has been (to my knowledge) a member of the Shirat Hayam Ruach Band. And Shirat Hayam provides practice space to The B-Side Hustle.”
“The Hustle’s groove will drive the Purim spiel,” Ragozin said. “Their library is extensive, and we collaborated to select songs that align with the Purim story and have a funky, soulful vibe. The B-Side Hustle’s musical and vocal talents will create a lively, not-to-be-missed Purim spiel.” Θ
To learn more about The B-Side Hustle, go to bsidehustle.com.
Correction: The name of The B-Side Hustle band member Jesse Piascik was misspelled in the story on page 3 in the Feb. 26, 2026 edition and online.
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What: Funk Soul Purim featuring The B-Side Hustle
Where: Congregation Shirat Hayam, 55 Atlantic Ave., Swampscott
When: Monday, March 2
Schedule of events: 5:30 p.m. – Dinner, registration required
6:20 p.m. – Purim spiel featuring Rabbi Michael Ragozin, Cantor Sarah Freudenberger and youth and adult choirs accompanied by The B-Side Hustle
7 p.m. – Costume parade of your best groovy funk soul attire. Register by Feb. 27. Space is limited for dinner. Event is open to all ages.
To register, go to https://bit.ly/cshpurim2026
