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Aviv Geffen
Aviv Geffen
Background information
Birth name	Aviv Geffen
Born	May 10, 1973 (1973-05-10) (age 35) Ramat Gan, Israel
Genre(s)	Post-punk, glam rock, pop rock, piano rock, new prog
Occupation(s)	Musician Songwriter Record producer
Instrument(s)	Vocals Keyboards Guitar
Years active	1990–present
Associated acts	Blackfield
Notable instrument(s)
Fender Toronado Fender Lead Series Disklavier Yamaha PSR-185 Rhodes piano

Aviv Geffen (אביב גפן, b. May 10, 1973) is an Israeli rock musician, singer, songwriter, producer, keyboardist and guitarist. He is the son of writer and poet Yehonatan Geffen and a graduate of Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music. is the 130th day of the year (131st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the song by James Blunt, see 1973 (song). ... Ramat Gan (רמת-גן) is a city in Israel, on the central coastal strip, just east of Tel Aviv, and part of the metropolis known as Gush Dan, in the Tel Aviv District. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Post punk generally refers to the particularly fertile and creative period following the initial punk rock explosion. During the first wave of punk, roughly spanning 1976-1983, bands such as The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Ramones and The Damned began to challenge the current styles and conventions of rock... Glam rock (also known as glitter rock), is a rock music style that developed in the UK in the post-hippie early 1970s which was performed by singers and musicians wearing outrageous clothes, makeup, hairstyles, and platform-soled boots. ... For other uses, see Pop rock (disambiguation). ... Piano rock, sometimes referred to as piano pop, is a term for a style of rock music that is based around the piano, and sometimes around piano-related instruments, such as the Fender Rhodes, the Wurlitzer electric piano, and keyboard-based synthesizers, rather than the guitar as is the case... New Prog (sometimes called Nu Prog or post-prog) is a term used to describe a number of recent alternative rock bands who incorporate elements from progressive rock. ... For the popular-music magazine, see Musician (magazine). ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition (chords) or melody to songs, or both. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making music. ... In music a singer or vocalist is a type of musician who sings, i. ... Piano, a well-known instance of keyboard instruments A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. ... For other uses, see Guitar (disambiguation). ... Blackfield is a music group, a collaboration between Porcupine Tree founder and lead singer Steven Wilson and Israeli rock star Aviv Geffen. ... The Toronado is an electric guitar made by Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. ... The Fender Lead Series electric guitars were produced by Fender and included the Lead I, Lead II and Lead III models. ... The trade name Disklavier (DISC-lah-veer) refers to a family of piano-related products [1] originated and continuously manufactured by Yamaha Corporation, based in Hamamatsu, Japan, with branches and subsidiaries worldwide. ... The Yamaha PSR-185 is a musical keyboard produced by the Yamaha corporation from 1994-1996. ... A Rhodes piano A Rhodes piano is an electromechanical musical instrument, a brand of electric piano. ... is the 130th day of the year (131st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the song by James Blunt, see 1973 (song). ... This article is about the genre. ... For other uses, see Singer (disambiguation). ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition (chords) or melody to songs, or both. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. ... For the UK magazine, see Guitarist (magazine). ...

Geffen was extremely popular among Israeli youth, who were later known as the "Moonlight Children", in the 1990s. Politically, he associates with the Israeli left. His music contains subjects such as love and peace, but also death, suicide, the army, and refusal to serve. He is also controversial because of his decision not to serve in the IDF. Officially, he was dismissed for medical reasons, but some people claim that he did not serve in the IDF for conscientious objection. The Israeli peace camp is a self-described collection of movements which claim to strive for peace with the Arab neighbours of Israel (including the Palestinians, Syria and Lebanon) and encourage co-existence with the Arab citizens of Israel. ... For other uses, see Love (disambiguation). ... Gari Melchers, Mural of Peace, 1896. ... For other uses, see Death (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Suicide (disambiguation). ... to be merged with IDF (disambiguation) IDF may stand for: intermediate distribution frame (in telephony) Iceland Defense Force Irish Defence Forces Israel Defense Forces The AIDC F-CK Indigenous Defence Fighter This page disambiguates a three-character combination which might be any or all of an abbreviation, an acronym, an... A conscientious objector is an individual whose personal beliefs are incompatible with military service, or sometimes with any role in the armed forces. ...

Early career

Geffen's first appearance was in the film Hamitpahat (1987), for which he wrote and sang the song "Ima". In 1992 he played a part in the teenage television series A Matter of Time. That year he also wrote a song for the Israeli movie The Beach Boys. Aviv performed in clubs with his band "The Mistakes (Hatauyot)" (the Hebrew name is purposefully misspelled in two places). He made his debut performance with "Cloudy Now" (Achshav Meunan), a song which later became his musical icon, and 12 years later was translated for the Blackfield project. In 1990, he recorded his first song, "Friend" (Chaver), together with the band "Cats in the Piping". In 1991, he released his first album, That's Only The Moonlight (Ze Rak Or Hayareach). All of its songs were written and the music composed by Geffen himself. Achshav Meunan was Geffen's second album, which was released in 1993 and reached Gold in the same year. It was produced by Moshe Levi and Ofer Meiri, who created a typical Geffen sound. Aviv expressed his generation's dissatisfaction with the government. The song "Cloudy Now" was followed by the question that many Israeli teenagers asked with Geffen - "Do you want change?" Blackfield is a music group, a collaboration between Porcupine Tree founder and lead singer Steven Wilson and Israeli rock star Aviv Geffen. ...

The Moonlight Children

In 1994, Geffen released his third album, Aviv Geffen III, which marked a change in Geffen's sound. The production was made by Geffen and Lior Tevet. The album featured the major hit: "Run Away (Ha'im Lehiot Bach Mehohav)", which was followed by a video. This album followed in the success of Achshav Me'unan. In his next album, Nowhere (Shumakom), Geffen took charge of the production, albeit with help from Reuven Shapira (as sound engineer), and producer Moshe Levi. Geffen wrote the lyrics and music. As a political activist, Geffen also expressed the hope for peace with Israel's neighbors.

In November 4, 1995, the Israeli peace political parties had decided to arrange a rally to support the peace process. Geffen was invited to sing in that rally, and surprisingly decided to perform "Cry For You" (Livkot Lekha), which Geffen wrote and gave to Israeli singer Arik Einstein. Only later it was found out the lyrics had prophetically preceded the tragic assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin later that night. "Cry For You" became a kind of national anthem, and was the song that symboled the Candle Children movement. In 1996, Geffen released The Letter (Hamikhtav). The Tears Rebellion (Mered Hadmaot) was written after the murder in 1995. Furthermore, it expressed a change and a turning point in Geffen's music. Later, in 1996, Aviv recorded what was known later as "The Israeli version of Imagine, Let's Walk For The Dream (Shir Tikva), which expressed deeply Aviv's vision. is the 308th day of the year (309th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... Arik Einstein (January 3, 1939-) is an Israeli singer. ... For other persons named Rabin, see Rabin (disambiguation). ... Look up imagine in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

In 1997 Geffen released his first compilation, which included a CD with the best songs of the early era, and a second CD which included B-Sides and live performances. An attempt to widen his audience on a global level saw one of Geffen's more unusual albums - "Hollowed (Halulim)". Like his bigger "brothers", it was also produced by Moshe Levi, but unlike them, it is a hard, cold, alienated album, full of distortions. Despite heavy advertising (such as billboards)the album failed commercially.

1999 saw the release of Geffen's 8th studio album - White Nights (Leilot Levanim), which was created under the influence of the changes in Aviv's life. Moshe Levi was again the producer; the combination of the two created a soft & melodic album compared to "Hollowed (Halulim)". The album contained the song "Mexico" which stayed in the Israeli charts for a long time.

Musical collaboration

A year later, in September 2000 Geffen's 9th album ,"Journal", saw release. for the first time produced by Louie Lahav, and in a new label - "Helicon". Geffen collaborated with two notable colleagues - Daniel Salomon (who joined from the "White Nights (Leilot Levanim)" Tour) and Moshe Levi who was involved in the orchestration. Aviv had recorded 11 melodic songs, with a bonus track - a tribute to Bob Dylan - an Israeli cover to "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall (Geshem Kaved Omed Lipol)" (translated by his father). The album produced three notable hits for Geffen: "Wake Up (Uri Ur)", "Scars (Zalakot)" & "Journal (Yoman Masa)" (together with Arik Einstein). This article is about the journal as a written medium. ... Helicon, (Hebrew: הליקון), is a record label which was founded in Israel. ... Daniel Salomon is an Israeli musician. ... This article is about the recording artist. ... Arik Einstein (January 3, 1939-) is an Israeli singer. ...

Two years after "Journal" - April 2002 - Geffen released his next album: "Memento Mori", which he dedicated to his grandmother who died a short time before the album's release. The name was taken from the Latin phrase, "Remember The Death" (meaning one should remember he is mortal). Like his previous albums, "Memento Mori" was soft (but still features harder compositions). The album featured two major hits: "Ray of Light (Keren Or)" and "Moving Forward (Holech Kadima)." From this album came the single Sad Song (Shir Atzuv). For other uses, see Memento mori (disambiguation). ...

Blackfield

Main article: Blackfield

In 2001 Geffen joined Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree to form a new group, "Blackfield". Blackfield combines the musical efforts of both musicians and they perform their own original composition as well as Aviv's own songs translated into English. From the collaboration between Geffen & Wilson, that started in 2000, came "Hello" - which was the first single from the "Blackfield" project, used as a build-up for a successful tour in Europe, and a successful first album Blackfield, released in 2004. Blackfield is a music group, a collaboration between Porcupine Tree founder and lead singer Steven Wilson and Israeli rock star Aviv Geffen. ... Steven Wilson (born Steven John Wilson on November 3, 1967 in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England) is the lead guitarist/singer/songwriter and the founder of progressive rock band Porcupine Tree. ... Porcupine Tree is an English progressive rock band formed in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England by Steven Wilson. ... Blackfield is a music group, a collaboration between Porcupine Tree founder and lead singer Steven Wilson and Israeli rock star Aviv Geffen. ... Look up hello in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Blackfield is a music group, a collaboration between Porcupine Tree founder and lead singer Steven Wilson and Israeli rock star Aviv Geffen. ...

Two years after "Blackfield I|Blackfield", in 2006 - the 11th album by Geffen was released, "With Time (Im Hazman)". The theme song is a cover to a French chanson by Leo Ferre, which indicated matureness & sobering from the clichés that he symboled in his first years. Lately Geffen declared himself radical left.[1] Léo Ferré (August 24, 1916 - July 14, 1993) was a poet and a musician. ... Radical Left can refer to: 18th century Radicalism was a separate ideology, which was absorbed into liberalism and socialism. ...

Musical influences

Over the years, Geffen's musical style has been influenced by rock bands like U2, Radiohead, Nirvana, and artists like John Lennon and Bob Dylan. Geffen's piano and guitar playing is mainly influenced by Radiohead's Thom Yorke and U2's The Edge. Geffen has often cited Bob Dylan and Roger Waters as major influences. This article is about the Irish rock band. ... Radiohead are an English alternative rock band from Oxfordshire. ... This article is about the Buddhist concept. ... John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980), (born John Winston Lennon, known as John Ono Lennon) was an iconic English 20th century rock and roll songwriter and singer, best known as the founding member of The Beatles. ... This article is about the recording artist. ... Thomas Edward Yorke (born 7 October 1968 in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, England) is a Grammy-nominated English musician, best known as the lead singer of the band Radiohead. ... George Roger Waters (born 6 September 1943) is an English rock musician; singer, bassist, guitarist, songwriter, and composer. ...

Discography

Solo Albums

• 1992 - "Ze Rak Or Hayareach" ("It's Only The Moonlight")
• 1993 - "Ahshav Meunan" ("It's Cloudy Now")
• 1994 - "Aviv Geffen III"
• 1995 - "Shumakom" ("Nowhere")
• 1996 - "HaMihtav" ("The Letter")
• 1997 - "Hayareach Malee" ("Full Moon")
• 1998 - "Halulim" ("Hollows")
• 1999 - "Leyloth Levanim" ("Sleepless Nights")
• 2000 - "Yoman Masah" ("Travel Diary")
• 2002 - "Memento Mori"
• 2006 - "Im Hazman" ("With The Time")
• 2006 - "Rak Shirey Ahava" ("Only Love Songs")

In popular music, a solo album is an album made by a current or former member of a band. ... For other uses, see Memento mori (disambiguation). ... Im Hazman (With The Time) is the eleventh studio album by Israeli singer/songwriter rock artist Aviv Geffen, that was released in March, 2006. ...

Solo singles never released on album

• 1991 - "Haver" ("Friend")
• 1999 - "Rock and Roll"
• 2000 - "Kmo BaShir" ("Like in The Song")
• 2001 - "Geshem Kaved Omed Lipol" (Hebrew version of Bob Dylan's "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall")

A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... This article is about the recording artist. ... A Hard Rains a-Gonna Fall is a song written by Bob Dylan in 1962 in Chip Moncks apartment in the basement of the Village Gate (now The Village Theater) on the corner of Bleecker and Thompson Streets in Greenwich Village. ...

With Blackfield

• 2004 - Blackfield
• 2007 - Blackfield II

Blackfield is a music group, a collaboration between Porcupine Tree founder and lead singer Steven Wilson and Israeli rock star Aviv Geffen. ... Blackfield II is the second studio album by duo consisting of Steven Wilson from Porcupine Tree, one of the most acclaimed Prog Rock/Progressive Metal bands of this times, and Israeli Rock expert songwritter Aviv Geffen. ...

Work for other artists

• 1993 - Keren Hachth, album "Keren Hachth"
• 1999 - Rockfour, album "Rockfour Live"
• 2001 - Porcupine Tree, album "In Absentia"
• 2002 - Daniel Salomon, album "Daniel Salomon", (also producer)
• 2003 - Shachar Even-Tzur, album "Eyrumim" ("Naked"), (also producer)
• 2005 - Daniel Salomon, album "Rabot HaDrachim", ("There's Many Ways")
• 2006 - Ninette Tayeb, album "Yehefa" ("Barefoot"), (also producer)

Rockfours logo. ... Porcupine Tree is an English progressive rock band formed in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England by Steven Wilson. ... For other uses, see In absentia (disambiguation). ... Daniel Salomon is an Israeli musician. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Daniel Salomon is an Israeli musician. ... Ninette Tayeb (also known just as Ninette) (born October 21, 1983, in Kiryat Gat, Israel) is an Israeli pop rock singer who came to fame as the first winner of Kochav Nolad (An Israeli Pop Idol version). ... Barefoot is the debut album of Israeli pop rock singer Ninette Tayeb. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ...

See also

• Aviv: Screwed up Generation- a documentary about Aviv Gefen

External links

• Aviv Archive - information in both English and Hebrew
• Blackfield - official website
• (Italian) Interview with Aviv Geffen and Steven Wilson at rockline.it
• Aviv Geffen at MOOMA (Hebrew)