JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Liraz Russo and Ben El Tavori’s high-energy sound brought a string of local hits, but efforts to break out globally fell flat and their clean images were tarnished by messy personal lives
'King of the Qanun': From Iraq to Israel, the life and legacy of Avraham Salman
A complex 20th-century history allowed for few outside influences, but Israeli folk dances left a lasting impact
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Popular Israel music artists Static and Ben-El have signed a recording contract with Capitol Records. The seven-album, 10-year contract with the duo, whose real names are Liraz Russo, 27, and Ben-El Tavori, 26, was facilitated by Israeli-American millionaire and media mogul Haim Saban. The deal reportedly is worth $5 million. Saban Capital…
Thom Yorke, frontman of the groundbreaking rock group Radiohead, slammed the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement on Tuesday in a tweet. Yorke’s statement came in response to a tweet from Ken Loach, a British journalist who has repeatedly called for a cultural boycott of Israel. “Playing in a country isn’t the same as endorsing its…
Nissim Baruch Black’s religious path has been winding. He was raised a non-practicing Sunni Muslim, converted to Christianity at age 14, embraced Messianic Christianity as an adult — and ultimately converted to Orthodox Judaism between 2010 and 2012. Seattle-born, he immigrated to Israel last year. Black is also an accomplished rapper — and this week…
The fuzzy guitars, pulsating bass,and incomprehensible lyrics intrigued me. So I looked up the song that was streaming on KEXP, the Seattle indie-rock station I broadcast at home. The band’s name seemed Finnish or Icelandic, until I realized the words were actually phonetic Hebrew. Vaadat Chirigim, it turns out, is that rarest of musical animals…
Though they hail from Tel Aviv, punk outfit Monotonix sounds like 1970s New York punk by way of Los Angeles rockabilly garage heroes like X, The Germs and Alice Bag. On their new album, the speedy half hour long “Not Yet,” lead singer Ami Shalev expectorates, clears his throat and howls through 10 fast-paced tracks….
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