Asaf Avidan is an Israeli singer-songwriter and musician.
He is also the creative force and front-man of Asaf Avidan & the Mojos, an Israeli folk
rock band that he established in 2006 in Jerusalem.
The band released three albums, The Reckoning in 2008, Poor Boy / Lucky Man in 2009 and
Through the Gale in 2010.
Starting in 2012, the Mojos band project was shelved so that Avidan would concentrate on
a solo career.
In 2012, he released Avidan in a Box, an acoustic live album which covers older songs by him,
digital copies only.
He also launched his solo studio album Different Pulses in Israel, to be made available internationally
in 2013.
Asaf Avidan also had an international hit with "One Day / Reckoning Song".
Biography and early career Avidan was born in Jerusalem in 1980.
His parents were diplomats for the Israeli Foreign Office, and he spent four years of
his childhood in Jamaica.
After the mandatory army service in Israel, Avidan studied animation at Jerusalem’s
Bezalel Academy of Arts & Design.
His final project short film, “Find Love Now”, won its category at the Haifa Film
Festival that year.
After his studies, Avidan moved to Tel Aviv and worked as an animator, until a breakup
with his long-time girlfriend shook his world and made him move back to Jerusalem, quit
his job and turn full-time to his up-till-then hobby – music.
Six songs about that breakup and subsequent heartache would constitute his debut EP, Now
That You're Leaving, which was released independently in 2006 to critical acclaim.
Asaf Avidan & the Mojos In late 2006, while playing solo acoustic
tour across Israel, Avidan put together a support cast of musicians who would become
the Mojos.
The group became very famous in Israel, playing extensively there, and even got out to a tour
in New York City in 2007.
Here, they also took part to MEANY Fest, advancing to the finals.
The band has released three albums: The Reckoning in 2008, Poor Boy / Lucky Man in 2009 and
Through the Gale in 2010.
The Reckoning In 2007, Asaf Avidan & the Mojos went into
the recording studio together for the first time, and recorded The Reckoning.
The album’s 15 tracks blended rock, folk and blues with Avidan’s lyrics about relationships
and betrayal.
By now the band had accumulated a huge live following in Israel and most record labels
expressed interest.
But Avidan decided to continue on the independent path, and founded Telmavar Records, on which
The Reckoning was released in March 2008.
It reached gold status in a year, platinum later, and would become the biggest selling
independent record of all time in Israel.
It was chosen as Album of the Year by various media, including Time Out Tel Aviv.
"Weak", the second single of the album, became a huge radio hit and its video was Video of
the Year on Israel’s music channel.
"Weak" would also be the title song of the film "L'Arbre" by Julie Bertuccelli, which
starred Charlotte Gainsbourg and was the closing film at Cannes Film Festival 2010.
While several European labels put offers on the table, the band opted to embark on a self-funded
summer tour in 2009, playing dozens of festivals and venues across Europe.
By the end of that summer, Telmavar Records signed a licensing deal with Sony-Columbia
in Europe, for "The Reckoning" and for the band's future second LP.
The Reckoning was released in parts of Europe in 2009, to generally good reviews.
In 2012 the "Reckoning Song" of the album became popular in Germany by a remix of DJ
Wankelmut.
It was available on Soundcloud for months before it was released as a proper digital
release named "One Day / Reckoning Song".
The track charted on sales charts in June 2012 and reached number 1 in August.
Poor Boy / Lucky Man Poor Boy / Lucky Man, the band's second album,
was released in Israel on 909.
The album's title song and main theme would revolve around a boy born with a hole instead
of a heart.
The album was originally released in two different names and covers, leaving it up to the audience
to decide whether this figure was poor or lucky.
It would reach gold status in Israel in 5 months, and garner ecstatic reviews.
It was released in parts of Europe in April 2011.
Among others, it was album of the month on France's national FIP radio, in the newspaper
Libération, and in Germany's Eclipsed magazine.
The band continued to tour non-stop from 2009 all through 2011, building up a devoted following
and a reputation for a legendary live show.
Amongst the hundreds of shows, they played at Brandenburg Gate at The World Championship
of Athletics in Berlin; at the closing event at Cannes Film Festival 2010; at China's biggest
May 1 festivals; and at a tribute concert for The Who in Carnegie Hall, New York.
They played at dozens of festivals across Europe as well as a number of radio and TV
shows.
Through the Gale On November 30, 2010 the band released their
3rd album in Israel, "Through the Gale", a concept album telling the tale of the voyage
of a blind and stubborn captain and his loyal crew in search of immortality, to the realms
of the gods themselves, only to understand at the end that a voyage with no home, that
a life without death, is meaningless.
Band members Asaf Avidan – lead vocals, guitar, harmonica
Roei Peled – guitar Yoni Sheleg – drums
Ran Nir – Bass guitar Hadas Kleinman – Cello
Solo career
In July 2011, following another summer tour that saw them sharing the stage with Robert
Plant, Ben Harper and Lou Reed among others, Asaf Avidan & the Mojos announced that they
are taking an indefinite creative break.
Avidan had continuously played solo and duo acoustic shows throughout the band's career,
including "regular" venue shows as well as a TED Global Conference performance, supporting
Bob Dylan, playing a tribute concert for The Who at Carnegie Hall and many radio and TV
performances.
In 2012, Asaf Avidan announced that he was leaving Sony to join Polydor, and that he
was abandoning the Mojos for a solo career.
He released the track "Different Pulses" in preparation for a solo international album
in 2013 but to be made available in Israel in September 2012.
Prior to his first expected solo album, Avidan toured Israel with a guitar, harmonica and
added vocals.
The response of the crowds to these intimate, acoustic shows were tremendous.
Encouraged by this, Avidan agreed to perform in a series of low key events spread on 48
hours renditions of some of his earlier stuff in a small rented space in south Tel Aviv.
The sessions were done with no rehearsals, with just simple guitar accompaniment and
in presence of a select few friends attending.
His acoustic performances were accordingly recorded without much studio production with
the result being the limited release Avidan in a Box.
On February 13, 2013 Avidan performed a piano vocal version of his hit "Reckoning Song"
at the Sanremo Music Festival in Italy.
Different Pulses Different Pulses is the first studio album
of Asaf Avidan after the break-up of his band.
Different Pulses is also the name of the first single Avidan released from the album, the
song had a music video made for it by director Vania Heymann.
Discography Asaf Avidan & the Mojos
Albums Singles
Asaf Avidan Albums
Studio albums Live album
(Seventeen acoustic live renditions of earlier songs)
EPs Singles
Notes "Taratata" French TV performance
TEDxTLV performance "Ce Soir Ou Jamais" TV performance
Israel "Haproyect" video blog NYC show review
The Reckoning album review, UK References
External links Official website
Official Soundcloud profile Asaf Avidan on Myspace
Asaf Avidan on Facebook Asaf Avidan's channel on Vimeo
Asaf Avidan's channel on YouTube