Late 17th/early 18th-century English playwright William Congreve coined a snappy sagacious turn of phrase when he posited that “Music hath charms to soothe a savage breast.” He may have added that the art form’s palliative properties are not limited to taking the edge off our more feral tendencies, but they can also help to alleviate negative vibes and personal emotional challenges.
With that in mind, Tracey Shipley’s initiative in setting up a program of live Beatles music at the Kfar Shaul Mental Health Center in Givat Shaul is a boon in the offing for one and all.
The Jerusalem Foundation-supported event is set for May 30, kicking off at 6:30 p.m. (doors open 6 p.m.), and running through to 10:30 p.m. Shipley has lined up an intriguing cast of solo artists and bands for the occasion, each proffering their own personal take on the Fab Four oeuvre and saluting numbers by the foursome from Liverpool that mean the most to them.
Shipley says she expects the repertoire to resonate with patients and visitors alike. “I came up with the idea of a Beatles festival realizing that ‘everyone’ loves The Beatles,” she notes. “I wanted our first festival to be one that would attract everyone and excite the patients as well. Bands from all over Jerusalem and Israel will be joining us for Kfar Shaul’s first music festival – the first of many to come.”
Kfar Shaul's first music festival
Clearly, Shipley has designs on spreading the good, curative musical word as far and wide, and for as long, as possible.
The Beatles festival was inspired by a previous artistic run at the center in Givat Shaul. “Last year, Adam Yachin, founder and director of the Dancing Ram Theater, organized an epic three-day cultural theater festival on the hospital grounds,” Shipley explains.
It set a fruitful and beneficial precedent. “Never before had the gates of Kfar Shaul been opened to the public at large,” she continues, adding that the venture will not be a one-time event. “Following in Adam’s footsteps, I was given the opportunity to open a music program on the campus. Some of the bands that I have organized in Jerusalem have begun rehearsing on the Kfar Shaul grounds – and at present we are organizing bands from the patients led by professional teachers.”
THAT ALL sounds wonderful, and hopefully it will eventually lead to even bigger and better things for all concerned. In the immediate future, we can look forward to getting into the sterling efforts of the likes of Yedidya Weiner, Daniella Goldfine, and Omer Perry. Weiner is a Chicago-born guitarist who fronts the Nowhere Band gang. He says he got an early start to his musical education and, in particular, The Beatles.
“My father claimed to be a huge Beatles fan,” Weiner says, although he slips a caveat in there. “I think he was, but he only liked The Beatles in their earlier days; once they got psychedelic, he disowned them.”
Not so with the next generation of the Weiner clan. “I like them, no matter where they were in their career,” the 32-year-old guitarist states. “I grew up always hearing The Beatles in the car. We had Beatles CDs.” That covered large tracts of the band’s expansive body of work.
“We had the White Album [aka The Beatles, released in November 1968], and we had a CD called One, which was essentially all their hits that made it to number one on the charts.” Not a bad grounding for Weiner’s current musical endeavor. “I also liked Abbey Road [The Beatles’ final release]; Rubber Soul [from 1965]; and Revolver [which came out in August 1966]. These were always playing in our house.”
Weiner had other familial pushes in the desirable direction. “The White Album belonged to my oldest brother, Yossef; and Yaakov, my other older brother, is a musician. At a young age, I was already playing guitar.” That followed stints on piano and banjo, and the youngster quickly dug deeply and earnestly into classical rock material and getting into the technicalities of time signatures and chords progressions – and figuring out how The Beatles produced their unparalleled magic for so long.
He has been continuing along that path, and outing his theoretical knowledge into practical, entertaining practice with his current band – naturally named after The Beatles number “Nowhere Man” from Rubber Soul – for a couple years now, following on a bunch of previous Fab Four-based outfits.
Weiner says he is looking forward to the Kfar Shaul gig, which will mostly focus on material from Abbey Road. He also notes that he has a fair idea what the music will mean to the mental wellness institution’s clients, as well as the audience members who will gather there on the lawn on May 30.
He goes along with the notion that The Beatles’ music has a healing quality to it. “Speaking from personal experience, I have had my own [emotional] struggles. The Beatles has always been my go-to band; it is a little bit of a home base for me. That may be partly because of what I grew up with, but also I feel they capture a lot of different emotions,” Weiner says.
“Because they are such a world-known band, I think it’s going to be the same for a lot of people, especially for people where we’re playing.”
ANOTHER ARTIST in the Kfar Shaul lineup, Philadelphia-born singer-guitarist Daniella Goldfine, 25, also gets the all-embracing aspect on The Beatles’ musical spread. “There is so much variety. They just come from so many styles. The Beatles have so many songs!” she exclaims. In total, there are said to be 188 original numbers and 25 cover versions in the seminal British pop-rock foursome’s oeuvre.
Goldfine says she tends more toward the folksy side of The Beatles tracks. Her personal favorites include “Honey Pie” and “Rocky Raccoon,” both written by Paul McCartney and both from the White Album.
She feels that the softer side of the British band’s output doesn’t always get the kudos it deserves. “I’m drawn to a certain part of The Beatles that most people don’t really appreciate.” That may or may not be the case, but Goldfine is, first and foremost, keen to impart something of that magic to her audience, particularly at Kfar Shaul.
“There are so many strong songs, and I am glad I can bring that feeling to performances,” she says. “The Beatles created so many types of music that are so obvious to us now, but they didn’t really exist back then. I think we all are influenced by them.”
That bodes well for a fun, enriching, and empowering time for all at Kfar Shaul on May 30. Patrons can bring their own vittles and make a picnic of it if they so desire, although drinking glasses and alcohol are not allowed.■
Tickets cost NIS 35 in advance or NIS 40 at the door. For more information: (054) 810-8918.
