New York – Sometimes, it helps to be reminded that no matter how different things may be in another city, in another country, on another continent, people are still inherently the same. There will always be worries, victories, loneliness, isolation, trying to express individuality and bucking societal norms while living within them, belonging and not belonging. Exactly how people express those themes is what changes, and thank god for that or else these ideas would no longer be worth continuing to explore and share.
Israeli noise-rock shoegaze band Vaadat Charigim has been able to express themselves in a way that is relatable but also with their own personality and talent that has made them intriguing in their own city and beyond. Vocalist and guitarist Juval Haring sings in Hebrew, but the feelings of the songs still translate. They’ve already struck a chord with features on Seattle KEXP radio, MTV Iggy, and they’ve been signed to Burger Records, a label that has begun to really make a name for itself for delivering band to watch after band to watch. Below, Juval shares what first inspired him, what he explores through his music, the Tel Aviv music scene, and the desire to be able to do what he loves the most more. Whether you can understand all the lyrics exactly or not, the music matches his thoughts on these themes perfectly, and translates into a feeling that more than a little familiar.
What inspired you to start making music?
Reading music biographies, specifically Nirvana biographies, as well as watching movies about Smashing Pumpkins and Nirvana on VHS at my friend’s house at night.
Your sound seems to be a meditation on themes like the end of the world and relationships – can you explain a little bit about that and the thoughts you’re exploring in your songs?
The idea was to come up with a parallel universe, so to speak. Write a fictional story about a not so far future where Tel Aviv has been wiped out in some way, like in an end of the world type film. To make it more than just sci-fi, I interlaced the very fantastic parts with everyday relationship type questions and thoughts. Some songs for example simultaneously suggest a kind of dystopian reality and at the same time contain parts of a love song from a boy to a girl, in which he is asking her to run away with him. In the album there is always a zigzag motion between cultural chaos, and individual hope.
What’s the music scene like in Tel Aviv? What has been the biggest challenge there, and what keeps you going?
The music scene is doing just fine. It’s just that there is no “music biz”. Not a real one, and even less for guitar driven rock. So the biggest challenge is probably still making music, knowing that you can be really great at it and do it for years, and not achieve any recognition. It’s way more extreme than in the USA. I don’t just mean that some really talented people get overlooked. That happens everywhere. I mean that you literally have nowhere to rise, no ledge to climb, and no steps to go up. No upward mobility. Its either you are a pop star, or you are an artist, and by artist I mean someone who plays mainly for his friends, and with luck, to some of their friends too. That being said there are some very rare exceptions. But they are so one in a million, that even after they climb a step, they are quickly back down where they started because the audience themselves are not used to anything new.
What have been some cool successes you’ve had so far?
In Israel you can say that we are one of those rare exceptions. We have a noisy underground sound at live shows, but are played on rotation on most mainstream stations, as well as get featured in most mainstream newspapers. This is probably due to the fact that we represent something a little new, which is indie-rock in Hebrew. You need to understand that a great big part of the underground scene in Israel is in English. Its not that normal for a band to have Dinosaur Jr. influences guitar wise and also incorporate Hebrew lyrics. That sort of mixture is not only novel overseas, but ironically also here in Israel.
Any plans for an international tour? U.S. dates?
SXSW, defiantly yes. After that, “elohim gadol” (god knows)
What’s your biggest goal for 2014?
Probably touring, and more specifically, touring in support of someone we love in the states or in Europe. And probably quitting my day job and becoming poor yet happy, with a lot more time on my hands to just play music.
