For a musician who had to sneak his way into learning about mainstream music as a child, Yoav matured and changed his own path to become the man he is today as he gives us seductive melodies and hypnotic beats with haunting, soulful vocals drizzled on top. If you take a listen to his latest album, Charmed and Strange, you wouldn’t be the first to think a club as its perfect home. The surprising part is that all of it is produced from just Yoav and his acoustic guitar. Playing his guitar like a DJ, Yoav manages to tie together sensuality through both mellow folk sounds and grooves of hip hop. He does all this and still maintains his place within the pop realm. As he intimately sings you the mindset of an innovative outsider over his edgy instrumentals, Yoav gives JT a run for his money.
Yoav has been honored by his invitation to perform at Coachella this Saturday on April 26th, but he recently has had success with being April’s “The Next Big Thing” on iTunes. With the support of his fans and the Apple Store, you can catch him before the festival tomorrow: Friday, April 25th at the Apple Store in Santa Monica. Your own personal show with Yoav starts at 7:00pm, so be sure to take time to experience his stage presence. A musician who can creatively and successfully cover a Pixies song really says something!
Recently, CityZine spoke with Yoav to ask him out about his past, his preparing for a show as well as his aversion to titles such as “Pump It” and “My Humps.” He also shared thoughts about the electronic age of the music business, unexpected experiences thrown at him, and moreâ€Å
Could you give a brief description of your sound?
Electronic indie pop - all channelled through an acoustic guitar.
You’ve been asked to play the Coachella Music Festival this weekend. Congratulations! On a scale of 1 - 10, how nervous are you?
Don’t know ’til I get there!
Name three artists you are excited to see at Coachella.
Portishead, M.I.A., and I would not be averse to seeing Roger Waters performing Dark Side of the Moon.
What’s your favorite song to play live?
At the moment I am really enjoying playing a cover of Radiohead’s “Idioteque” live. It is challenging, but when it works it feels euphoric.
You started out as a singer-songwriter but you have evolved since then. What kind of musician you would you describe yourself as now?
I have always admired and aspired to be musical entities like Bjork and Beck who are constantly evolving visionaries, who also happen to sing and write their own songs (and produce). So, “self-contained musical entity” seems about right.
Charmed and Strange seems to describe your new album perfectly in the sense that it’s a great new discovery for many listeners. Is this the story behind the title or was there a different path to this choice? How many names did you have to go through before deciding on this one? What were come of the other contenders?
A science guy friend of mine was throwing out horrible album titles as a joke like “Cowwow.” Then he got started on subatomic particles….neutron, proton - then Charmed and Strange, which are characteristics of subatomic particles, I believe. I did a double take and decided he was onto something.
You’ve had great success with iTunes and the Apple Store really supports you. Now that the internet is becoming commonly accepted within the music business, what is your take on the whole electronic vs. physical Cd’s issue? Are there more pros than cons?
It’s hard to simplify it to pros and cons, but it certainly is an evolution and if it helps music to evolve as well, it can only be a good thing. The music business was horribly tainted before and saturated with loads of pre-packaged corporate money spinners. If the chaos that is ensuing in the industry washes most of that away, I won’t be too sad either.
What’s your most memorable experience on the road story?
I was opening for Tori Amos across the US last year and in Lawrence, Kansas, (and since Tori has a big gay following) we were picketed by Godhatesfags.com carrying mindblowingly surreal banners like “Thank God For 9/11.”
What was the first record/CD/tape you ever bought?
Pop music was banned in my house as my folks were heavily pushing me to be a classical pianist and they felt it would be a noxious influence. The first CD I was allowed to have when I was a kid, as it is sort of “serious,” was Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkel. I soon worked my way to Rage Against the Machine though.
If you could rid the world of one song, what would it be?
Probably something by the Black Eyed Peas… “Pump it,” My Humps,” Let’s Get Retarded”… Even the titles are burning my retina.
Dead or alive. What five acts would you have play with you at your own festival?
Jimi Hendrix, Bjork, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Outkast and The Beatles after they stopped touring…. preferably all jamming together.
Who would play you in a film based upon your life?
I relate to people who don’t fit in. I always identified with Donnie Darko, so let’s say Jake Gyllenhaal.
Tell us a fact about yourself we probably don’t already know.
I have rock hard hobbit feet from spending so much time with my shoes off. I have to play barefoot, so I can operate various knobs and volume controls with my big toe.
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