I know what you're thinking.

Jewish ... reggae?

Wednesday at Crowbar, 420 E. College Ave., the Chabad Jewish Student Organization will present Matisyahu, the self-proclaimed Hasidic reggae superstar.

Still, though. Jewish reggae?

"Lyrically, he works from the context of being a Hasidic Jew, but in a lot of ways, it's traditional dancehall reggae," JDub records executive director Aaron Bisman said. "It's really unique."

Rabbi Nosson Meretsky, director of Chabad at Penn State, said bringing Matisyahu is an effort to connect to students who might not otherwise attend Chabad events.

"We hope to attract some Jewish students who wouldn't necessarily come to a more religious event," Meretsky said.

Meretsky said Matisyahu's blend of Orthodox Jewish beliefs and reggae beats isn't as much of a stretch as some might think.

"A lot of the themes in reggae music are common to Judaism," he said. "Both Rastafarianism and Judaism are concerned with looking for a world of good for all people."

The artist himself agreed.

"The lyrics in reggae are mostly based on the Old Testament," Matisyahu said. "They took a lot from the Psalms and King David. They speak of the lion of Judah."

He went on to explain that artists like him help explain the connection between beliefs.

"You could hear a Rastafarian singing a reggae song and not think anything of it," Matisyahu said, "But if you hear a Hasidic Jew singing it, you'll probably think of it differently. Before, you wouldn't think it was Jewish."

Matisyahu said he uses music as a vehicle to help people identify more deeply with their religion.

"People come looking for a way to connect to their spirituality, their Jewishness," Matisyahu said. "Judaism maybe wasn't presented to them in the right way."

Ultimately, though, Matisyahu said he just wants his audience to have a good time.

"When people come to any show, they're looking for an extraordinary experience," Matisyahu said. "We try to give them that. We try to really kill the show, really rock people."

Dave Wells, director of operations for Crowbar, said he worked closely with the Chabad organization to bring this event to Penn State.

"[Chabad] wanted to do something different culturally," Wells said. "We thought this was a great opportunity."

Wells said he hopes a diverse audience comes out to appreciate Matisyahu's gift.

"Hopefully, people realize how talented he really is," Wells said.