Asaf Avidan is quite probably the most happening act in the Israeli music industry, and the most talked about internationally for some time (his songs are only in English). And yes, he’s actually pretty good! I first got to see him perform when he supported Morrissey in Tel Aviv last year – I was so impressed, as soon as he’d finished I was at the back of the concert hall buying his CD.
Asaf Avidan, and his band of support musicians The Mojos, are getting some well-earned critical reviews thanks to an amazing debut album “The Reckoning”. Even the legendary Rolling Stone magazine is hooked – in December 2008 they decided to release their European version of the magazine wrapped up with a copy of the single “The Reckoning”.
Asaf is a born and bred Jerusalemite, though did spend 4 years in Jamaica due to his father’s work with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He studied cinema at art school, before being drafted by the Israeli army (where he apparently served as a translator of Jamaican – yah man!). While serving his country he was diagnosed with lymphoma, which took a heavy 2 years to recover from and which had some influence on his musical aspirations, including being the motivating source for his song “Maybe You Are“.
Asaf Avidan was accepted at the prestigious Bezalel Academy in Israel after recovering from his bout with cancer. In 2006 he self-released the “Now That You’re Leaving” EP and began performing solo gigs around Israel which got him first noticed. He then decided to form a band and hence The Mojos were born. After touring with his new band, they released their debut album “The Reckoning” in 2008.
We say watch out for Asaf Avidan and his Mojos. They are going to have a great couple of years, though of course, that problematic second album may well determine their level of success. But the more artists there are of Asaf’s calibre in Israel, AND singing in English, the happier I and many other music fans will be…
You can catch Asaf Avidan in Israel at the following gigs before he embarks on his European tour:
- 19.6.09 – 4pm at the World Refugee Day Benefit Concertin Tel Aviv
- 4.7.09 – 10pm at the Barby clubin Tel Aviv
- 6.7.09 – 8pm at the Festival Beshekel Benefit Concert in Jerusalem
And here are a couple of his songs. Be warned, you might actually get hooked!