A Look At Israel’s Music Scene

D’’ash interviews Red Band and Mercedes Band.

By LAURA ROSBROW

SEPTEMBER 19, 2011 19:14

I had the pleasure of interviewing Red Band and Mercedes Band, two of Israel’s most up-and-coming groups. In these far ranging interviews I interview a puppet, discover bizarre collaboration practices, and on the softer side, hear how tragedy can inspire a band’s creation.

Red Band

One could describe Red Band as a combination of the Muppets, South Park, and 70s style rock and roll. The group has a very popular TV show where four old hippie puppets are in a cover band, goof around, and play with famous Israeli musicians. Even though they are a cover band, they are one of the most original groups to hit Israeli TV and music ever.

Anyone who knows the hilarious TV show/musical group (they have released two albums) knows they have many tricks. We weren’t too surprised when our interview with Red Band’s lead man, Ari Feffer, was also unique. He’s famous for doing interviews as his character Red, the lead guitarist of the group, and he managed to do the same with us. What follows is one of the funniest interviews I have ever done!

How old are you?

Red is in his 60s. He’s not sure. His birth was very mysterious.

I know Red went through some tough times. What got him back to doing music?

Red’s ultimate motivation is money, so I think he got back to music because he was pretty hungry.

Then, he got into rock and roll in time for Woodstock.

Well that was well timed!

That’s really the coolest thing about him- his timing.

How do you get your ideas?

The decision making process is the most problematic. They make a lot of decisions, but they’re not very good at it. For example, they could flip a coin, but they don’t know which side of the coin is which.

They also don’t know how to vote.

There a lot of fights.

How do you choose who you perform with?

They have a very strict policy. First, potential guests are smothered with peanut butter. This is before any handshake or eye contact.

That is the first test. No one knows if this is the best first test, but it’s really funny.

If they’re still in the room after all the peanut butter is applied, then they move onto stages 2-6. I can’t go into detail, but they are all inappropriate in nature. A lot of it is recorded and blackmailed. If the guest wants to stick with his wife, Red Band releases the recording.

After that, they ask what kind of songs the guests usually don’t get to do and what songs they like. Then, they jam and see what happens from there.

Tell me about the new album?

It’s some of the best performances from the show, including Barry Sakharov, Hadag Nachash, and Mercedes Band.

Red also wants to tell fans that they should buy five CDs each. He really wants a gold record. For real.

Mercedes Band

Mercedes band is a popular independent rock band with funk, metal, and electronic influences.

They just released a new album called, “Zehut,” which means identity in Hebrew. Gal Toren, the band’s lead singer, revealed an amusing story from the band’s beginnings, the concept behind their new album, and how a friend’s tragedy inspired the band’s creation.

What is your all time funniest concert story?

There was a period of time when I used to jump off the stage. I lost four or five pairs of new shoes because of this. Afterwards, I learned to take them off before I jumped. I was seeing my doctor all the time. I was way too old for that!

Tell me about the new album?

We’ve been called a funk band in the past. This album has some funk, but it also has a lot of hard rock and some strong slow songs.

The name of the album, “Zehut,” means identity. I think being a young person in Israel right now is very confusing. In the last 10 years, secular people have become more obsessed with making money. This album is about the shadows behind these successes.

To be clear, this is a personal rather than a political album. It shows how young people deal with this kind of globalized environment. You feel like you have to be one person in the morning, another person at work and another person in the evening. The album shows all sorts of identities people feel like they have to put on. It deals with love, confusion, affection, fear, loss and partying- all things that affect young people in Israel.

What inspired you to write music?

Around a decade ago, my friends and I lost a mutual friend in a tragic way. We wanted to deal with it but didn’t know how. The only way I could deal with it was by writing music. When we started playing our songs, it was a big revelation.

At the age of 21, I was discovering that our music affected more people than me. Other people were feeling what we had to say.

Does music still make it easier to deal with your friend’s loss?

That’s a tough question. Time heals certain things. Lately I lost my father from cancer and I use music to deal with it. I can’t say it’s helpful but it’s a tool to channel your emotions through. I don’t think you can talk about it in terms of easier or harder.

It just helps to feel your emotions and it’s hard for me to feel those emotions without music.

For more information about Red band, go to: http://israelity.com/2008/08/11/rockin-redband/

For more information about Mercedes Band, go to: http:// tinyurl.com/3gawett