Members of my generation, who imbibed the then revolutionary sounds of The Beatles et al as the ‘60s progressed, generally prefer their sonic entertainment in more recognizable stylistic climes.
Lucid-sounding acoustic works, for example, frequently appeal to my senior citizen ear, and heart. But, happily, that is not just for us oldies. The indie scene, for example, has thrown up scores of young artists and bands who largely eschew computer-aided musical execution and prefer mainly unplugged settings.
You can certainly include Alma Gov in that category. Gov is one of the brightest new stars in the Israeli pop-rock firmament and she will strut her impressive stuff at the forthcoming Piano Festival which takes place in Eilat January 2-4. This is the first time in its 26-year history that the popular event has moved from its Tel Aviv home, apparently prompted by the ongoing security concerns here.
Gov isn’t alone there. The three-day program has a whole host of A-listers lined up including Yardena Arazi, Rami Kleinstein, Aviv Guedj, Shlomi Shaban, Ilanit and Shalom Hanoch to mention but a few.
The prolific and promising standout of Israel's younger musical artist crowd
Gov, who appears on January 3 (6 p.m.) with her sextet, with rapper Cohen guesting, is not only one of the most promising members of the younger Israeli musical artist crowd, she is also proving to be mightily prolific. Still only 22, last year she put out her third album, Olam Shelee (My World). That followed her debut offering Meuchar Midai (Too Late), which she released at the even more tender age of 19, with Lev Bekufsa (Heart in a Box) coming out a year later. That’s some going.
Then again the young singer-songwriter does dig into some deep seams of the art form’s history. “I also grew up with the Beatles,” she exclaims. That was – pardon the mixed metaphor – nectar for my ears. “My family are great Beatles fans. My parents got that from my granddad. That was passed down through the generations,” she laughs.
THERE IS the odd Fab Four reference, albeit more subliminal than outright melodic. But the sonorous textures of preeminent singer-songwriter now 81 year old Joni Mitchell are front and center in some of Gov’s piano phrasings and her use of falsetto vocals. “Yes, she is definitely a source of inspiration,” Gov confesses.
“I love [Mitchell’s ever-popular 1971 LP] Blue.” That’s the record that turned most of my contemporaries onto Mitchell’s unparalleled oeuvre. Mind you, I joined the Mitchell fan club after hearing Ladies of the Canyon, which predates Blue by a year. “I like that one too,” she exclaims.
It was good to know we were on the same Mitchell page, despite the age gulf between us. Gov is still very much a product of her own timeline and there are some more contemporary names in her musical influence purview, such as 30-year-old American singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers, who tends towards the indie folk music side and also favors the acoustic means of producing musical sounds.
The 22-year-old has been in the business of songwriting for quite some time, certainly relative to her time on terra firma to date. Resolving to make music her pathway through life at the age of 14, she immediately got to grips with penning words for her instrumental creations.
In terms of translating her thoughts, feelings and the ensuing lyrics into audible form, she started out small, literally. “We looked after a ‘dwarves’ piano’ at home, for a friend of the family. He was a musician who went abroad.” It was a special artifact. “It was specially made for a dwarves’ show,” Gov explains. The diminutive instrument suited the teenager. “A lot of children are daunted by a full-sized piano, but the one I started on was small. That gave me the confidence to try it out.”
The youngster got well and truly stuck into ivory tickling and quickly began creating her own texts, to try to tell her own story. I noted that many of her songs reference the more challenging side of love and relationships. I asked Gov if she had had any positive interpersonal experiences at all. “I have had happy relationships,” she smiles. “I am learning to write about that now. It’s just that I always felt that sadness had depth to it, which I could express. Now I think I can start singing about the good things in love.”
UNFORTUNATELY, Gov has plenty of dark events to fuel her lyrical output. She lives at Moshav Arugot, near Kiryat Malachi, which is not far away from Gaza and certainly within rocket range. She also attended school close to Gaza and lost friends on October 7. I wondered whether that trauma has found its way into her creative work. “That memory is very painful for me,” she says. “It is a lot to take in, all that pain. It is only in the past few months that I have begun to dare to write down words about it. How can you possibly capture all that in a song?”
Perhaps Father Time may come to Gov’s aid on that score, when the horrors of the Hamas massacre recede a little, at least chronologically, and she has gained more life experience – although, God knows, she has already accumulated more than her fair share of that at such a young age.
Gov is clearly adept at expressing herself, textually and musically, and continues to make impressive strides as she plots her singular course through the difficult career choice she made as a teenager. She says she is happy with the way things have gone thus far, although she is always looking to hone her craft.
“I never look back at things I have done with regret. But I am very pleased with the way my singing has improved. I am very accepting of the person I used to be,” she chuckles. Seems the 22-year-old has a wise old head on her young shoulders.
She is also looking forward to her January 3 spot down South. “I have played at Eilat before but this is the first time with my full band. And it’s great to be playing at a festival that has the piano, the instrument I use to express myself, at the center.”
For tickets and further information: pianofestival.co.il/ *9964 and ticketmaster.co.il
