Rising musician Amitay Lev brings celebration and meditation to his music

The 38-year-old Lev began playing piano at age nine, but quickly switched to bass and performed in a number of rock bands throughout high school.

By DAVID BRINN
AMITAY LEV: Music, to me, has this fantasy quality to it and that’s what I’m trying to create in my music (photo credit: Courtesy)
AMITAY LEV: Music, to me, has this fantasy quality to it and that’s what I’m trying to create in my music
(photo credit: Courtesy)
What started as a hobby for Amitay Lev has turned into a life’s passion. The singer/songwriter has been slowly building an enthusiastic following with his dreamy, acoustic-based folk psychedelia that combines sharp melodies, subtle harmonies, intricate rhythms and new age English lyrics. Think Nick Drake performing with The Beatles and Donovan.
“When I was a kid we didn’t have many Israeli albums in the house,” recalled the Haifa-born Lev. “I remember hearing The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper album and being dazzled. It had this huge appeal for me, like immersing me into this fantasy land. Music, to me, has this fantasy quality to it and that’s what I’m trying to create in my music – this fantasy land that doesn’t belong to any place or time.”
“It’s like what happens when I listen to Neil Young or Joni Mitchell – I’m not here, I’m in this other world. They deliver you to this imaginary place. And that’s what I’m trying to do.”
Amitay has been quite successful at it – his first two albums, a 2017 EP (extended play record) Sight Seeing and last year’s Here I Am, were described by one music website as possessing “gorgeous harmonies, groovy melodies, and just damn good music.” And another reviewer used terms like “authentic” and “organic” to describe his music.
And his live shows, with his four-piece band, have turned into celebratory, communal events. Not bad for someone who didn’t start taking music seriously until a few years ago.
The 38-year-old Lev began playing piano at age nine, but quickly switched to bass and performed in a number of rock bands throughout high school. During his IDF service, he sang in a reggae band in his free time and even recorded an album in 2000. But when he went – along with his wife – to Jerusalem to study animation at the Bezalel School of Art, Lev made a conscious decision to put music aside.
“I decided to focus on studies and for five years, I didn’t make music at all,” he said, adding that he landed a job at Animation Lab at the JVP studios in Jerusalem. But a few years later, when the company folded, and the couple moved to Jaffa and he began to pick up the guitar.
“My wife told me, ‘if you’re going to make music, you should get a decent instrument,’ so I got a really good guitar. It’s like when you buy your kid a karate uniform, they suddenly get stronger, it was the same with me – I stepped up my game.”
Lev began to write and stockpile songs, and made efforts at forming a few bands, all the while working in hi-tech and becoming a father. But, by 2016, he had become frustrated and decided to put himself on the line.
“I wanted to do something on my own, meet a producer, play my songs and hopefully he would like them and believe in me.”
That producer turned out to be noted Tel Aviv music man Orel Tamuz, who guided Lev through his first EP.
“He started asking me questions, like what color would my album be and what words would it be? I came back with ‘intimate’ and ‘optimistic’ and we started with that,” said Lev, adding that he began to write and perform with open tuning on the guitar.
“I don’t consider myself a great guitar player, however the open tuning system really gave me something to work with, opened up new ideas and resulted in songs that weren’t ordinary.”
After the EP’s release, Lev began looking for players to accompany him at shows and found a group of like-minded musicians who provide sympathetic and energetic color to his songs. Together they made his most recent album, Here I Am, featuring a guest appearance by Geva Alon.
“I’d play them a song and they would add their input. Sometimes I would leave something blank knowing they would find something just right to put in. I trust them,” said Lev.
Like most Israeli musicians who perform in English, Lev is using platforms like Spotify to reach an audience outside of Israel, and he hopes to tour in Portugal and Germany this year. Back home, he picks and chooses his live shows carefully.
“Performing is awesome – but I want to make sure every performance is appropriate to both the artist and the venue,” he said.
Lev’s next show is at Kibbutz Ein Shemer at Studio A on January 25, beginning at 2 p.m.
But even if the shows and the albums dry up, Lev said he’d continue making music.
“I’d always keep creating music, whether it’s to reach a big audience, or just so I can play it at home. It’s really powerful – for the listener but also for the creator.”


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