Westchester singer finds fans in Israel

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Updated: November 24, 2011 2:59AM

Westchester’s Jim Green has come a long way from being nervous about playing his music in front of an audience. And he has come and gone a long way literally, with travels that have involved his music taking him to Mexico, New Zealand, and just this past month, to Israel.

An inventive guitarist and singer-songwriter, Green performs under the name, The Wandering Endorphin, a playful but descriptive moniker that perfectly suits his music and lifestyle.

“When I started out back as a solo artist in 1999, there were three guys named Jim Green playing guitar. I thought nobody else would possibly pick this name. A guy came up to me when I was playing and told me the music was giving him an endorphin rush. And endorphin stuck in my head, I thought of ‘runner’s high’ and spicy food. And I’m a runner, so it made sense,” he explained.

Green, 41, took lessons as a teenager from Jim Simms of Dyer, Ind., and later studied at the Atlanta Institute of Music. Influenced by Michael Hedges, Green plays guitar with a piano-like approach, using harmonics, double pull-offs, and percussive rhythm. He has released four CDs since 2000, receiving airplay on radio stations across the country, including NPR, WXRT and WDCB.

Mexican favorite

He was named “one of the best independent artists in the Midwest” by the editors of Billboard Magazine. His music has also been aired in other countries, and Green’s song, “Firefly,” was voted by listeners of a Mexican Internet radio station as among its top songs of the year. Green also performs on electric guitar and harmonica.

Green recently returned from Israel, where he was much more than your average tourist. He also ran a 10K in Tel Aviv and performed his music in clubs, bars, and on the streets.

“But the number one reason I went to Israel was my girlfriend there, Merav,” said Green, “but she helped line up some gigs for me. She helped me with the e-mails and venues.”

Of the venues he played in Tel Aviv, Green said, “The folk clubs are basically just a room, and you are not plugged in whatsoever. They really keep it traditional. There are also big rock clubs, and I played those too, with big lights and a sound machine. What was cool in Israel, I would just walk to my guitar and they would start clapping. They really appreciate and respect musicians there.”

It was nothing like too many gigs he’s had at home.

“In a bar here, people would be drinking, yelling, watching TV, and you’d be in the background,” said Green. “In Israel, I filled up a bar and everyone was quiet and listened. But there are sports bars there too, a chain called ‘Mike’s Place.’ And blues are actually very popular in Tel Aviv.”

Asked about security concerns, Green noted that, “It’s always in the back of your mind, and there is all the security you go through on a daily basis. When you go into a café, there’s a security guy first thing, to ask you if you have a weapon, to check your bag, checking the ladies’ purses. There is a ‘security fee’ added to your bill everywhere.”

Taking the cure

Green wasn’t always a confident performer, and regularly experienced “stage fright” years back.

His cure for his nervousness was bold and unique, to say the least.

“I decided to play an open mic at a biker bar in Oak Lawn, a place known for its heavy metal bands,” he said. “So I took my acoustic guitar and signed up to play. When I approached the stage, the guy said, ‘this isn’t acoustic night, boy,’ but I went ahead and played ‘Over the Rainbow.’ They hated it, but I knew that this was the worst response I would ever get, so if I could get through it there, I’d be fine anywhere.”

Green plans to return to Israel in August, and is also practicing on a nylon string guitar, as he explores a new passion for flamenco music.

For more information about The Wandering Endorphin, aka Jim Green, and his recordings, see www.wanderingendorphin.com.