Unity now - voila! culture

In recent months there has been an extraordinary wave of reunions of bands and bands in Israel, which have returned or will return to one activity or another.

Among these we can mention Ethnics who reunited with Tamir Kalisky, Subliminal and the Shadow who returned to collaborate, Shebek S., Baruch, Mango, the Porcupines, Izvo, Terry Poison, Nechama Girls, Shulim Youth, the Shwang of the Pitah, Punch, Pollyanna Frank and the Jing Yot.

Not all of these unions are the same in scope and form.

Some of them include a new piece, as in the case of Shabak S, while others return to perform the old songs, as in the case of the Dervans. In some of them, a central rib has been replaced, as in the case of Marginal Youth, while in others, such as Ethniks, it is a return to the original composition. Some of the bands only reunited for a few songs at others' concerts, such as the girls Nechama or Mango, while others plan to return to full activity.

In this article, the second in a special series of articles in Vala!

A culture that deals with the phenomenon, we will talk with musicians from some of these bands, and examine the key questions with them: what are the reasons for this increasing wave, and what had more influence - the money or the emotion;

Is it necessary for the original cast to get back together, and is it possible to reunite without one of the key characters;

When does union become a healing or corrective experience for the past;

And how should such a union actually sound: faithful to the original - or in a new and updated arrangement for 2022?

The varied answers are before you.

"The cypress that used to be is not the same cypress that we made in Sukkot"

The rock and jazz band Brush was founded by Ariel Zilber in 1978 as the singer's backing band.

Zilber brought together guitarist Shmulik Budgov, bassist Yossi Menachem, drummer Ikki Levy and violinist Tony Brewer.

After the joint performances, Brosh continued as an independent band and, among other things, appeared regularly on the program "This is this!", in transition segments.

45 years after they worked together on Zilber's second album, and almost 20 years after they played together for the last time in the United States, Ariel Zilber reunited in mid-October with the Cypress band, for two rare performances.

Zilber, in a conversation with Walla!

Culture, not excited about all the unions in the current wave.

"The union of marginalized youth is worth nothing without Mikyagi! Without Mikyagi it is not a union!", he says.

"I don't know why others united. I know why Cyrush united now, and why Tammuz united in the past: because it's gratifying to meet friends with whom I used to work a lot together, and then there was a disconnect. So we said let's come back, let's have fun, because for us it's fun. The reason for the mergers is that we need innovations, we need to be renewed. Something needs to be renewed."

"Yes, but look, the cypress that used to be is not the same cypress that we did in Sukkot. We are almost 50 years older. So it's already a different thing. It's for the audience that loved cypress and for the people we grew up with. Like Subliminal and the Shadow come together for those who love them."

"The truth is that there was no moment of magic in the performance because there was pressure from the performance. But there was in the rehearsals. The rehearsals were very nice. Because it was really intimate, ours. It was nostalgia for us, we remembered all kinds of moments. For me, rehearsals are always better than performances. At concerts You're already after that. Rehearsals are the main thing."

"Happy to meet with friends."

Ariel Zilber and the Cypress Band in a reunion performance at the Tamar Festival (Photo: Gil Rubinstein)

You said in the past that you and Shalom Hanoch united Tammuz even without being friends.

It's different in Beruch, are there more friendships there than in Tammuz?

"Yes. It was more my friends. In Berosh there was not so much tension of talents and there was no tension between the creators as in Tammuz. In Berosh there was tension of music. We would argue about music and that. In Berosh I usually created. And after 20 years of not meeting, since the union The little one in Los Angeles, during the rehearsals we started to remember the arrangements - 'You did it like this' - and during the rehearsals came the talks and the laughs and the memories."

"There will be no more unification of Tammuz. There won't be. We are already Hatyars. Each of us in Tammuz has a lawyer, and when lawyers start talking to each other it always breaks down."

"And now," Zilber adds, "I want to tell you that I'm making a band called 'The Gatekeepers.' Then he will be happy, and the whole audience will say: It's a shame they broke up, it's a shame they broke up."

"I'm not planning anything. Well, I hope I stay the same at the shows."

"I told Mikiyagi: we are like divorced parents with successful children"

Despite Ariel Zilber's understandable disapproval of the idea, Shulim Youth unexpectedly reunited more than 30 years after its disbandment without its most familiar face, vocalist Mikiyagi, who refused the offer to participate in the comeback.

The one who stepped into his shoes is Michael Ben David, who represented Israel this year at Eurovision.

The band became famous thanks to huge hits such as "Paint a mustache", "Anoug", "Go with her", "Amsterdam" and "Lila".

After a delay in the performance of band member Dodi Levy, and a surprise performance as part of the "Cat in a Sack" evening at Barbie, where the audience does not know who will take the stage, they will hold their first full performance at the same venue on December 15th.

Those who do remain of the original members of the band are Levy, Aran Amir, Roy Shaked and Michael Schwartz.

Amir Zoraf, who was a member of the band at the time of the first album, is not part of the union.

Mikiyagi himself looks on indifferently from the sidelines at the happening.

"For me, it's not a reunion, and it's not a comeback. I don't deal with it, I'm in a completely different place in my life," he tells Walla!

culture.

"For years my uncle [Levi] has been constantly turning to me for reunions, because there are constantly such obscene proposals, but as far as I'm concerned it doesn't interest me, I closed the story 32 years ago. It has no energy and it has no existence. The energetic magic that was then does not exist today. What they do is none of my business, I don't care. But if it's nice to them, let them do it. I don't care if they do or don't, if they do or don't succeed. My energy is elsewhere. I don't care what happened In the past. I refused because in my feeling it doesn't do me any good, and I don't want to be in a place that isn't good for me."

"No, it doesn't interest me. I also don't go to concerts at all. I don't like crowds and parking."

"I froze all activities. The corona virus gave me a token that the world has changed, and apparently there is no place for music made by people over the age of 25. I'm not resentful, I live the reality, and today I'm in the field of spirit, dealing with communication, spirituality and some graphics and photography, that's what I'm dealing with until Anger will pass."

"I don't care, but if they like it - let them do it."

Mikiyagi (Photo: Nir Pekin)

"Nobody wanted to move Mickey. I love Mickey, he's a great singer, he's part of the color of fringe youth, and fringe youth wouldn't sound like fringe youth if it weren't for Mickey. But fringe youth wouldn't sound like fringe youth either if it weren't for my uncle and everyone else ", Levy explains the new version of the lineup.

"Two great forces were at work in the band. One is me and the other is Miki with his sound, less with his creation and more with the color he brought. The creative forces were mainly me. Now, Miki is not involved. And this is an Ash and Whore performance of fringe youth with Michael Ben David who is an excellent performer and an excellent vocalist. And this experience exists. If Miki would like it, then it's fun. But not to do it because someone doesn't want to? And believe me, after I checked - it's exactly the same. Well, maybe not exactly the same. Come on, let it go."

"It's fine, everything is fine. By the way, I keep Miki informed of every action that is taken, even if he doesn't want me to keep him updated all the time. I wouldn't have done this action if Miki hadn't told me it's okay, do whatever you want, when I sat with him for two hours for coffee. We've been in touch over the years. We're not friends, but we've kept in touch. In my last conversation with Miki, after I wrote the song 'The Little Band from Holon', I told him: 'Listen, we're like divorced parents, who have very successful children, people love them Even 30 years later. Something we did innocently at the age of 18 and 19 has been engraved in the history of Israeli music, and there is no one happier than me about it. It's really a great privilege. It should be appreciated and thanked for it.' And I say to people: This is the closest thing you will have for the union of marginal youth".

"Look, in the first ten years after Sholim Youth, there was nothing to talk about a union with me either, because after the band through which I went out into the world I needed to define myself as a music producer and vocalist, and Sholim Youth felt very distant to me. We were a very big success, in the summer of 90 ' and '91 we were Static and Ben Al at that time, between 60 and 100 girls followed us in the street on a normal day. Something happens after big successes, you walk away from it. Over the years, I kept getting offers to reunite. At first I turned them down, and after that At some point I called Miki, we talked a bit and it didn't suit him. He didn't want to, even though we collaborated here and there, for example when I hosted him at the piano festival and at a concert in the north and we sang 'Anog' and 'Amsterdam.' I came to some sort of understanding that 'Youth' would no longer happen because The vocalist is the color and Miki is so not into it, so we don't have to."

Watch a glimpse of the union of marginalized youth with Michael Ben David

Marginal youth perform "Draw a mustache", Barbie Tel Aviv, September 2022 (lyrics: Mikiagi, music: Aran Amir, Dodi Levy, Yaakov Pietro, Mikiagi and Roi Shaked; production: Lampa; direction and editing: Daniel Aharoni; photography: Idan Cordovi , Omer Mizrahi, Argman Ventura, Yuval Cohen, Daniel Aharoni; color: Omer Mizrahi)

Although Miki is really an unusual thing, but fringe youth is a compound of colors that combines within it the palatial sound of the man who sings high, the basic rock of the eighties and a bit of electro, and this Shatanz produces that sound.

After Mickey said he wouldn't come, I had a few people in mind, and once back I realized what was going on.

And I called Shaul from the barbie and told him that I wanted to appear with Michael Ben David in 'Cat in the sack'."

More in Walla!

The porcupines reunite after 14 years: "We received endless love, and now it's ripe"

To the full article

To distinguish thousands of differences - were you inspired by the connection between Kevin and Adam Lambert?

And let's remember that many protested that Queen was unthinkable without Freddie Mercury, but the commercial success was great.

"Yes. Although when I first heard about Kevin's idea with Adam Lambert I didn't want to hear any more about it. And Adam's name is different from Freddie's voice. Then, a few months ago, I sat and saw footage of their concerts, and I really enjoyed it. Then I realized that the experience is beyond the persona One way or another, and it's not done from a place of putting Freddie down or in our case - it's not from a place of putting down Mikiyagi, God forbid. It's done from a place of going up. There's a cool band here."

"First of all, 'Paint a mustache' is a song that I haven't played even once from the age of 21 until today. I occasionally play 'Anug', 'Amsterdam' and 'Go With It' at my concerts. These are things that I, as an artist, creator and singer, can relate to to them. 'Draw a mustache' is a song that belongs to the band. But they are performing it now at performances of marginalized youth with Michael Ben David. It is a song that is so bandy. And to what age? As long as I want to go on stage, perform and write songs, then I will go on And I'll play these songs, whatever is appropriate. Listen. I don't want to compare, but I was in the Stones not long ago, for the second time in my life, and I'm not comparing, but they are gods and created such a good monster. I'm excited about artists who continue."

"Terry Poison's reunion shows were amazing, without all the pressure it used to be"

The Terry Poison band was also reunited without a significant figure from the original lineup - Sivan Meller who works under the alias Petit, who served as one of the two singers of the lineup alongside Louisa Kahn (both also played the synthesizer).

The mostly female electro-pop band was formed in 2003, and included in its various guises alongside Pettit and Kahn also the music producer and musician Idan Greif (who worked under the alias Bruno), Gili Sa'ar who also played the synthesizer and sang background vocals, the drummer Isser Tanenbaum and Anna Landsman on the electric guitar.

Among other things, Terry Poison recorded with Ronnie Alter the theme song for the telenovela "Dolls", created and performed the hit "Smack Snack", and warmed up Depeche Mode in their performance in Israel.

With a special show, the band brought to Israel an updated electro-pop that also connected elitist listeners.

In 2011, Sa'ar, Tanenbaum and Petit retired from the band - which tried its luck overseas, so far without huge success - and at the end of 2014 the group stopped operating definitively.

In October, the band reunited for the first time with performances in Indingev and Koli Alma, and also released a new song.

Soon the members of the group intend to enter the studio to record new material, some of which remained as sketches from the previous incarnation of the group, and to return and perform.

"With my hand on my heart, I personally didn't think I'd go on stage again in my life. I moved on to other things in my life. But in the middle of the corona virus, I sat with a cute guy named Ohad Fati, who brings shows from abroad to Israel.

At that time it was impossible to bring artists from abroad, so he suggested that we return to perform and clicked in the direction. He was really amazing at the shows. It's like not even a year has passed. I was afraid that I might not be in good shape. But my shape is even better. I started surfing and it affects The singing. It was without the pressure it used to be."

will record new material.

Terry Poison (Photo: Photography: Sasha Prilotsky, Styling: Ben Zeiger)

As mentioned, the one who stood out very much in her absence at the Union is Petit.

An insider to the band reveals the story behind the scenes.

"Petit Meller was part of Terry Poison's charm," says the insider, "Petit had a very big tension with Louisa and there were angers between them. In addition, the girl from Haifa dreamed of being hugely successful and wanted to reach overseas territories and become an international star - and not be an Israeli star. She chose for herself An image in which Petite Meller is as if she were a girl from France, which was not true at all. She denied that she was from Israel, built a completely fictitious character and 'reality' for herself. In addition, she previously contacted Terry Poison and asked to delete her identity from the band's website, that is, she asked that if Google searches will not show that she is from Israel. She was afraid that the Israeli issue would cloud it and prevent her from growing and developing abroad." of the band".

Louisa Kahn agreed to say the following about Petit: "We were very young. I'm not sure that two singers is such a good idea. It worked, it was cool. But it wasn't easy either. When we started to have less people it became easier for us. At some point Petit left the band. She didn't want to come with us to the union now. I can't speak for her, and that's fine. The union worked well even without her."

Petit said in response: "I had a wonderful time with Terry Poison. There came a point in my life when I decided to move on with my music. I received a management offer in London that matured into a signing with the label Island Records, where I released my first solo album. The relationship between me and Louisa is good, I was happy to hear about the union, but unfortunately due to schedules I was unable to participate. I wish success from the bottom of my heart to the band members and associates."

The band Terry Poison in concert at Indingev

The Terry Poison band in concert in Indingev, October 2022 (Tal Sa'ar)

Reuniting the vehicle after a long hiatus raises another significant question: should the sound be heard as it was originally - or should it be renewed and updated.

Tamir Albert, a member of the Redhead band, wrote about it on his Facebook page before the group reunited in early October as guests of Assaf Amdorsky.

"If I order a steak in a restaurant, I expect to get a steak and not a hamburger," wrote Albert at the time, "I mean that an audience at any show or event comes with an expectation. Most of the audience would prefer to receive live what they know, which are the recorded songs. The consideration I present is a mature consideration That puts the audience in the center of attention instead of concentrating on the artist's artistic fantasies."

Louisa Kahn offers a different answer to this question.

"I think we should do both, like we did at our show," she says.

"A lot of the performance was similar to the album, and in part of the performance we went wild and did things that no one had heard, and it passed. It's like a journey. You have to remember that my age lives in Portugal, and I live part of the year in Costa Rica, so we had to play the things we knew how to play well back then. There was no We have too much time."

"There were many repetitions so that Shebek S's machine would work properly again"

Nimrod Reshef of Shevak S, which united in September at Live Park Rashalz, agrees with Kahn. "It is appropriate that it be fifty-fifty.

In Shebek's performance there were songs that we tried not to change.

There are songs that I feel that changing them would be tasteless.

There are those who have tried and realized that it does not work.

And there are some for which we have realized that a revision is required.

We put Yossi Payne on the show.

When Yossi arrives - he arrives not only with the bass, but with an attitude that changes everything.

It was clear that at this point we were taking everything we were used to and making a completely new arrangement.

At this point it was clear that we would not give in to the dictates of the crowd.

In any case, we in the team do not agree on anything."

In a conversation with Walla!

Tarbut, Reshef identifies a connection between the suspension of performances during the Corona period and the current wave of unifications.

"Looking at it, after the corona virus, people don't want to stop seeing shows for fear that this might be the last chance. Such a primal fear of yours, you know, maybe the virus will return or we will be closed and we won't be able to enjoy, so let's catch as much as possible," he says.

"In the case of Shebek, it happened now because enough time has passed for us to miss each other and the songs we wrote. A large part of the people in the audience were people who had a great hunger to see the band they remember and love and don't know if they will be able to see it again. It's longing, to be, for example, that discharged soldier who goes out to the club. Nostalgia for the generation of rock and roll, and Nirvana."

More in Walla!

The empire strikes a second time: Shabak S. united and blew the crowd into the air

To the full article

"Enough time has passed for us to miss."

Moki and Nimrod Reshef at the Shebek Union, last September (Photo: Omer Kider)

"We are a big band, so logistically it is not an easy thing to bring the drummer from New York, and everyone is busy with their own affairs, of course Mookie or Filoni," he adds.

"A show of the magnitude of the Union draws a lot of energy, it's a lot of rehearsals to get this machine working properly. Going back to the songs is like going back to old clothes and trying them on again. Let's see how this shirt will fit me again. It was a challenge, because we are A lot of other people today."

"Yes. But we are a large group and everything was divided equally between everyone, and there were also big expenses in the show such as pyrotechnics, amplification and giant screens. We worked hard and it pays off. I believe that those who work hard deserve to earn. But those who make music to make money, I Not saying he won't do it, but I wouldn't suggest using it as fuel for creation. Success is also financial success. It is an outcome of much more significant processes for me."

"Everything has an economic motive. But it doesn't come from money"

Not only with Shebek S. the money played a role in unifying the lineup.

Thus, in the previous article in the series, people close to the band Ethnics were quoted as saying, "Well!

Because the reunion of Zeev Nechama and Tamir Kalisky after six and a half years of bitter conflict and mutual lawsuits "is motivated only by financial interest".

And what about the union of the legendary hip-hop duo Subliminal (Kobi Shimoni) and The Shadow (Yoav Eliasi), which according to them was formed following an interview of the former with Walla!

culture?

The announcement of the first stage union of the two in about ten years, which will take place in January, took place the same week that Eliasi was officially declared bankrupt by the District Court in Tel Aviv.

The decision required him to return debts amounting to approximately NIS 400,000 to various entities within a year, including Discount Bank, the Tel Aviv Municipality, the Income Tax and VAT, unless he proves that he has reduced his debts - this was decided by the agreement of the parties. However, at the festive press conference of the two, in response to the question of Walla! Culture to what extent the union between them stemmed from an economic motive, and whether it was intended to help the financial difficulties of the shadow, Eliasi rejected the claims. "My brother, everything I do when I get up in the morning has an economic motive.

Everything has an economic motive.

But it doesn't come from money," he told us then. "I didn't even think we'd be on stage together, I have to tell you.

When I turned to Kobe it was completely pure.

I also said in the video that I don't want a union, and that I say sorry like a man."

More in Walla!

Subliminal and the Shadow unite: "Horny to make new music"

To the full article

"Is there an economic opportunity here and could it pay off? Absolutely."

Subliminal and the Shadow (Photo: Reuven Castro)

"Many people have noticed the business opportunity in my connection with Yoav, not only in the State of Israel. The offers we have received over the years have been very tempting," Shimoni also said.

"At least from my side, I like to earn and make a decent living, but that's not what's most important to me in life. It's important to me to be well, it's important to me to have health, time with my family and enjoy life. I'm successful in what I do, so I don't come from a place of hunger and looking to make a living. Is there a financial opportunity here and could it pay off? Absolutely, I believe so. But the story with his debt is not related to this essay in any way."

"Meeting yourself at the age of 24 once again is deceiving"

In the image of bigger names, she was also joined by the pita's Shung Band, the pop-rock band founded by the actor and musician Nir Friedman twenty years ago, and signed the hit "Eating from the Side", which was also included in the opening episode of the series "Florentine" in which Friedman played, and on a version Cover of the song "Waltz for Plant Protection".

In a way, the band's comeback strangely began in May 2020, in the middle of a Supreme Court hearing, of all places.

Judge Hanan Meltzer then tried to stop the flow of speech of Attorney Elad Sharaga, the chairman of the movement for the quality of government, and he replied: "Your honor, I am in the shung of the pita."

President Ester Hayut asked Shraga: "Sir, did he say pita?", and Shraga replied: "There is a concept called the Beshung of the pita" - and the segment went viral.

"It was totally a trigger for unification, when the 11 supreme judges are discussing the issue of what is the shung of the pita," Friedman tells Walla!

culture.

"I started getting a lot of text messages, did you hear? Did you see? And that week we already performed in Rabin Square with the Movement for the Quality of Government. Then we saw that it would be fun for us to play together again."

"And now, we reunited both because there is such a wave of reunions and because we missed playing these songs and feeling young and beautiful again. We closed a show at Ozen Bar after not playing a full lineup for over 25 years. To meet yourself at 24 once again is deceiving. Al" F, from a technical point of view to sing these songs in the heights, scales and energy of the past - you have to go to the gym for that.

I am not kidding.

I don't know how Mick Jagger holds a two hour show at the age of 80, it's just amazing, both mentally and physically.

To our surprise, 20-year-old people came to Ozan Bar and sang the songs by heart.

At the time I couldn't remember the words, even though I wrote them, and I needed a serious refresher.

It stunned me.

We did not reach the dimensions of Shebek S, which brought thousands of people to Rishon LeZion, we are smaller, yet we brought a hit and had an impact in a certain way.

And I'm very proud to be part of the big bang of rock and roll in the nineties," he adds.

"התגעגענו לנגן את השירים האלה ולהרגיש שוב צעירים ויפים". השוונג של הפיתה(צילום: Mark Wiess)

"לא מיצינו אז את הפוטנציאל שהיה ללהקה. היינו ההבטחה הכי גדולה של הד ארצי. היינו צריכים לכבוש את המדינה בקיץ ההוא. ואחרי חודשיים או שלושה רצחו לנו את ראש הממשלה, והווייב השתנה מבחינתנו. הרי היינו להקה שמחה. והרצח דפק לנו את החיים במדינה. ועכשיו לפתוח מגברים ומיקרופון בלי לחשוב על פלייליסטים וכאלה זה הכי משחרר שיש".

להקת השוונג של שבה גם על רקע החלמתו של הבסיסט אלעד (אלדי) קרן ממחלת הלוקמיה בה נאבק יותר מעשור. "זה היה ניצחון שלו על החיים אחרי שהיה בין חיים למוות. לפני שנתיים-שלוש החלים. והוא הרגיש צורך לחזור", אומר פרידמן.

25 שנה לעליית "פלורנטין" שבה כיכבת, יש מה סיכוי לאיחוד עם פרק או עונת המשך? כשעשו איחוד של "עניין של זמן" איילת זורר הייתה עסוקה, אבל אחרי שפינתה את המשרה של שגרירתנו בהוליווד לטובת גל גדות - אולי היא תהיה פנויה לזה?

"Ayelet Zorer is a star. She left us stardust. The chance of an episode or a season is very slim. All the actors really love the series, and all the creators love the series, and it's terribly exciting that the series is still being written about. But the chance is very slim that it will return to the background today. What Yes, it could be cool if we got together on stage. I would make it a musical on the stage. A rock opera. Moshe Kaptan, the artistic director of the stage, here's Ra'in for you! But now I'm concentrating on rock and roll."

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