Photo by Kathy Gardner

We need to see things that boggle our minds because clearly we're bored and we require something new. Here's some entertainment that qualifies: The Amish Outlaws—six guys in suspenders who hit the stage with outlandish cover tunes, playing everything from Barry White to David Bowie, Neil Diamond to Devo, Twisted Sister to Frank Sinatra, punctuated by the occasional TV show theme song or commercial. Between numbers, they spin yarns of their Amish upbringings. Now this is new.

In truth, only four of the six are actually "Brothers" (as the Amish menfolk call themselves). Brother Amos "Def" (keyboards, guitar, banjo, vocals) and Brother "Eazy" Ezekiel (bass, vocals) grew up together in a strict Amish community in Lancaster, PA, but didn't become close friends until they left for the Devil's Playground (as the Amish call the American way of life). This means they didn't have access to electricity, alcohol, musical instruments, or any other modern conveniences. But at the age of 16, like all other Amish youth, they were encouraged to participate in the Amish tradition called rumspringa (or "running around"), in which they're given the opportunity to leave the community, abandon the strict Amish code of conduct, and experience the way of "the English." After weeks, or even years, they must decide—come back and be baptized into the church, surrendering the pleasures of the outside world, or leave the comforts of home forever. Interestingly, 90 percent of youth return. Brothers Amos and Ezekiel did not.

Due to a hectic tour schedule, Ezekiel was the only member of the Outlaws available for an interview. I was dying to know what he did during rumspringa.

"The better question, Sister Sharon, would be, 'What didn't I do for rumspringa?' Actually, I wasn't that wild by today's standards. I wore English clothing, played Nintendo, drank beer. I never tried drugs, but I'll never forget the first time I got drunk. It was like a cartoon when they show someone on drugs, and they say, 'Look at all the colors!' But mainly I listened to a lot of music. That's what I loved most, and one of the things I couldn't imagine being without if I went back. Listening to modern music—I mean really listening to it—was like a revelation to me." The first album Ezekiel heard, The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, blew him away. "The harmonies, the guitars, the driving beats. I'll never forget it."

Most teens return from rumspringa to the Amish lifestyle because of deeply ingrained faith, a true love of simple life, or, in many cases, the guilt of "sinning" exceeding its pleasure. During his rumspringa Ezekiel was convinced that eventually he'd return, but the more time that passed, the more he loved his freedom and the joy that music brought him. "I couldn't imagine going back to the completely simple Amish life. It's a pretty popular misconception that if you don't return, you're shunned, but that's not the case. I still see my family. If I couldn't, I would have returned. Of course, my parents aren't thrilled that I didn't return, but they still love me."

The Amish Outlaws (photo provided)

Brothers Ezekiel and Amos stayed in close contact after leaving home. Years later they ran into Brothers McMullen and Hezekiah "X" (vocals), who had also grown up in Lancaster and flew the coop during rumspringa. They bonded immediately over their upbringing and deep mutual love of music, lamenting 16 years without classic MTV, radio, and CDs. But they needed more and decided to form a band. Ezekiel had taught himself to play bass, Amos had music lessons, and both McMullen and Hezekiah had vocal training. But something was missing. They needed another guitarist and a drummer and knew they had to find them among the English. So, the four Brothers brought in Brother Jakob "The Pipe Layer" (drums) and Brother Ishmael "L Cool J" (guitar), and they became "honorary Amish." With the passion that only 16 years of repression can yield, The Amish Outlaws were born and came screaming into the lap of the world.

Of course, there's the question of why they choose to perform cover tunes instead of originals. Since the four Brothers discovered music relatively late in life, the songs we've all heard a million times—"Dancing with Myself," "Comfortably Numb," or even "Baby Got Back"—all seem new to them. They play a wide variety of covers, everything from rock and rap to metal, funk, and country. "It's all exciting!" says Ezekiel. "I've heard from English friends that while growing up, social lines were often drawn based around music. You had the metal heads, people into Hip Hop, the Goths into stuff like The Cure. Those lines never existed for me. When I left on rumspringa, I was hearing all this music for the first time. Some of it I loved, some I didn't, but I appreciated it all."

Will the Brothers ever perform original tunes? Ezekiel admits that they've written some original music, and have even played a song or two in public, but they always come back to the covers. "We love the songs, and we love the reaction we get from people when playing them. What I get most out of the band is spreading joy, and that's easiest to do playing the songs people love but don't usually hear a cover band play. There are still so many more songs we want to play before we really start doing originals."

There is no such thing as a typical Amish Outlaws performance, but here's one visual you might enjoy. Imagine the six Brothers, in full Amish regalia—wide-brimmed straw hats, crisp white shirts, suspenders, the occasional fluffy beard scooping around the chin. They fall into the first notes of "We Are The World." Vocalists Hezekiah and McMullen, enormously talented in mimicking voices, do their perfect Bruce Springsteen and Joe Perry lines, then move onto Michael Jackson and Willie Nelson. Brother McMullen adds a glaring omission to the original song, a mouth trumpet solo, ala Chuck Mangione. People in the audience are swaying back and forth, singing along, waving lighters in the air. Suddenly, Eazy Ezekiel launches into a death metal vocal solo, his demonic voice deep and frightening, roaring from the depths of hell. The audience jumps a few inches, their faces drained in fear and confusion; everyone at the bar stops dead cold, staring at Eazy in shock. The shock turns to laughter as the rest of the band launches into a death metal blast behind him, the song reaching a frenzied pitch. And just as quickly as the evil has reared its head, the band cuts back to a gentle la-la version of the song. The whole place is in stitches.

"My wife calls it my heavy metal solo," says Ezekiel. "After I do it, I get a lot of comments from people like, 'You scare me.' It's a lot of fun!"

There's no question that they're having fun (I'm trying to envision their version of the Chili Peppers' "Suck My Kiss"). But do they ever regret leaving the Amish lifestyle, even just a little?

"There are some things I miss a lot," says Ezekiel. "But concerns are different. Work is still very important, but for different reasons. In the modern world, so many people work to get the money they need to live lavish lifestyles, while in the Amish world working to obtain material goods goes against the spirit of glassenheit (or humility). I still believe in hard work. I have to work to pay my bills and mortgage, but I miss working for the result of the work itself, like raising a barn or growing crops, as opposed to working to make money to cover expenses."

Does he still believe in Amish teachings? "I'm not looking to ever get rich or own a fleet of fancy cars. I just want to lead a good life, spend time with family, and do what I can to spread some joy in the world, which is a big part of why I love performing music so much. But at the end of it all, what really matters is that you worked hard in life, whether at your job, raising a family, or being a good person. So, do I still believe in the Amish teachings? Yeah, I do. The basic tenets."

May the Brothers continue to bless us with their buggy beat. They'll be at Vintage Restaurant & Bar in White Plains on Friday, March 11, at the Triangle Pub in Nanuet on Saturday, March 26, and Fennell's Finish Line in Pearl River on Saturday, April 9. To listen to MP3s, purchase "Amish Men Do It With A Hoe" t-shirts, or to update your quilt pattern collection, visit www.amishoutlaws.com. If you're not entertained, they'll eat their hats.