A magical charity show

If you are a Beatles fan and have some of that John Lennon spirit in you, then this is the show for you.

By RAFAEL LEVI
When David Bowie performed in Israel, in 1996, I went to his concert. I enjoyed it immensely but knew in my heart that it was a trivial compensation for having never been able to see him at his greatest. When the members of Magical Mystery Tour wanted to see The Beatles live, they didn't even have that luxury. So, they formed a Beatles cover band instead. Guitarist Oron Korichoner explains, "We wanted to dance to Beatles songs, and felt that Beatles fans in Israel should have the possibility to enjoy a live experience. At first we started playing for fun, but with time a show was put together and the audience received it with open arms." Korichoner formed MMT seven years ago with fellow guitarist Shiko Feldman, bassist Ofer Koren, Kobi Sandhouse on keyboards and Assaf Rais on drums. To be clear, they are not just a cover band. They are a great cover band. Not long ago, I saw them performing on the Holon library's rooftop, an homage to The Beatles' last performance on the rooftop of Apple Records. The gig in Holon, at least, was incredible. I enjoyed dancing to "Hard Day's Night" and other songs along with the rest of the age-varied crowd. The sound was about as close to that of the original as one could hope for from a cover band. "We are quite punctilious in crafting our sound to be as similar to The Beatles as possible," says Korichoner," For example, Koren plays a Hofner bass guitar, the same kind that Paul McCartney used. We have a variety of instruments, all in accordance with the various instruments that the Fab Four used on different songs. Besides covering the Beatles, MMT is also working on an album of their own. "It's an album of original material, obviously influenced by '60s music," Korichoner reveals. Currently, they are putting together a show featuring the incredible White Album to take place in December in honor of 40 years since its release. MMT is also famous for having guest stars sing their favorite Beatles songs at their concerts. On November 8, with a little help from their friends, MMT holds a special show titled All You Need is Lev to benefit the Open Heart (Pitchon Lev) organization that works on behalf of Israel's poor. The organization extends immediate aid to the needy through distribution of food and clothing, as well as long-term solutions through vocational guidance to help such citizens join the ranks of the employed. All the show's profits go to the Ilan Ramon Educational Center, where, according to Open Heart's website, "Young people with potential and will, though lacking in financial means, receive an education, are empowered, and learn the tools to break the cycle of poverty." "It's an important cause and we were happy to volunteer for it. All the guests agreed to perform voluntarily as well, without hesitation," says Korichoner. Some of those special guests include Ninet Tayeb, Idan Alterman, Barry Sakharof, Danny Robas, Guri Alfi and many more. The show is to be hosted by Aviad Kisos and Tal Berman. If you are a Beatles fan and have some of that John Lennon spirit in you, then this is the show for you. It's not your imagination, just a great, fun way to help out a great cause. All You Need is Lev takes place at Hangar 11 on Saturday at the Tel Aviv port. Tickets cost from NIS 100 to NIS 1000 and can be purchased at *8965 or (03) 604-5000.