Veteran American musician expected to give one concert in Ramat Gan Stadium in July as part of international tour.

Legendary American singer-songwriter Paul Simon is expected to perform at the Ramat Gan Stadium in July, Ynet has learned. An official announcement on the concert will likely be issued in the coming weeks.Simon, who will celebrate his 70th birthday in October, will arrive in Israel as part of a concert tour promoting his new, critically acclaimed album “So Beautiful or So What”, which the singer considers his best in the past 20 years.

Simon launched his international concert tour on Monday. In the next two months he is expected to tour the United States and will arrive in Europe in June.

This will be Simon’s third concert in Israel. He first came here in 1978 for a solo gig, and returned in 1983 with Art Garfunkel as part of the Simon & Garfunkel duo.

Source: Ynetnews.com

About the Festival:

WELCOME TO THE 19TH TORONTO JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL

Once again it is time for the Toronto Jewish Film Festival, and we have worked long and hard to bring you the best films available.

This is a record year, as we boast over 100 films representing 21 countries.

Highlights include the World Premiere of Deborah Kaufman and Alan Snitow’s personal documentary, Between Two Worlds, which explores the divisions that are redefining Jewish identity and politics. Their film will be followed by a panel discussion that will ask the resonant question: Who speaks for the Jewish community? In addition, the small screen makes it to the big screen as the TJFF focuses on the high quality television that is coming out of Israel; we present a sample of the brand new season of the comedy series Arab Labor, the colourful and charming miniseries Mary Lou,—director Eytan Fox’s (The Bubble) answer to Glee—as well as other treats. There are also documentary profiles of some diverse and truly remarkable personalities— wrestlers, writers, cartoonists, Communists… and Winston Churchill.

The special sidebar series focuses on three artists—world-renowned symphony orchestra conductor, composer Leonard Bernstein; legendary singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen; and groundbreaking comedian Lenny Bruce. The Three Lennys offers a rare opportunity to follow these artists at various stages of their lives and careers—through a series of rarely-screened documentaries, live-in-concert films, shorts and a feature biopic, as well as a live musical component and guest speakers.

In a special three-evening event, TJFF, in partnership with Hillel, is paying tribute to the achievements of the diverse film schools in Israel. We are screening a sample of their work.

Bigger and better than ever, the TJFF has something for everyone. Covering the city, we now screen in seven venues: the Bloor Cinema, the Al Green Theatre, the Cineplex Odeon Sheppard Centre Cinemas, the SilverCity Richmond Hill Cinemas, and now, the new Underground Cinema, the TIFF Bell Lightbox and the Cineplex Odeon Canada Square.

Link to movie listing

Controversy over Marketing campaign (Via Adweek)

Britney Spears, he’s not. But Moses still gives the paparazzi an eyeful in this comic ad for the Toronto Jewish Film Festival—an homage to celebrities everywhere who exit automobiles without underwear. Note the skillful genital pixellation—whoever did that was a pro! The TJFF has notched its first PR victory already, by having the ad rejected by the Toronto Transit Commission. “There are instances where people might not find it funny,” says a transit rep. (We can’t think of any, but I suppose it’s possible.) The poster is part of a series of ads depicting Moses as a movie-theatre employee. Check out a few videos after the jump. In one, he parts a puddle of spilled soda like the Red Sea, so a young lady can pass. In the other, he milks a goat at the concessions stand. Via Work That Matters.

Jewish-American artist raising money to produce nude installation at the Dead Sea this year after being inspired by region’s beauty.

Jewish American artist Spencer Tunick announced on Wednesday his intention to produce an installation of nude figures at the Dead Sea this year, after being inspired by the region’s beauty and its ever-increasing environmental deterioration due to dehydration.

The concept, called “Naked Sea,” launched a campaign on the fund-raising website Kickstarter that will run through June 6 and intends to raise $60,000 to finance the installation, an amount which according to the rules of the fund-raising website, must be fully raised by the end date in order to receive any money, a statement from the artist said. First envisioned jointly by Tunick and his friend Tel Aviv resident Ari Fruchter, the project has faced many challenges getting up-and-running, particularly due to the sensitive nature of displaying nude art in this country, the statement said. Tunick has been documenting the nude in public through his photography and video work since 1992, and since 1994 has installed 75 temporary site-specific installations all over the United States and the world, according to his website.

“For the past few years I have been gearing up for this and working with Tunick. My first challenge was to see if the people of Israel were ready to get naked for art. Much to my surprise, the overwhelming answer was yes,” Fruchter said in the statement, noting that a group of five university students started a grassroots campaign to enlist public support, which has attracted thousands since.

“My second challenge was to get financial support from local government, institutions and sponsors,” continued Fruchter, who is himself a patron of the arts as well as a hi-tech executive. “Due to the nature of this art in this region of the world – this has proven to be most challenging. After years of great effort and consulting with Spencer, I have decided to launch a Kickstarter campaign, to finally bring this project to life in 2011.”

Raising money for art projects in Israel is already difficult, not to mention when there is the added element of the “sensitivities here toward displaying the body in art,” Fruchter told The Jerusalem Post. But he also said that Tunick will be doing his best to keep the creation of the installation as private as possible, “to do it in a way that doesn’t offend people.”

“At these installations around the world there are always people for and against it,” Fruchter said. “He tries to do it in places that are private. He’s not going to go to the Kotel and do it there.”

“We’re not going to do it to disturb people, and we’re not going to do it in a religious neighborhood,” he added, noting that similar installations in very religiously Catholic Mexico City and Venezuela were not a problem at all.

Fruchter emphasized that part of the importance of this project, in addition to creating beautiful artwork, is bringing attention to the need to protect a body of water that is common to three different people – Israelis, Palestinians and Jordanians – and that is in serious danger of disappearing in the not so distant future.

“[Tunick] told me he loves the Dead Sea form an aesthetic perspective for the reasons we know – it’s the lowest place on the earth, it’s gorgeous, you can float,” Fruchter said, noting that Tunick came to scout out locations for the project a year ago. “It struck a cord with him and I made him aware of the situation – he didn’t realize how grave it was.”

While Tunick does not intend to make this venture political, “he realizes the value of doing it here because it will bring widespread media attention to the Dead Sea,” Fruchter added. The Dead Sea is currently one of 28 finalists for the New 7 Wonders of Nature global competition, which is soliciting votes from the global public at www.n7w.com, and will announce the winners on November 11. Tunick aims to complete his project in Israel prior to this date, so that the project runs parallel to the campaign, according to Fruchter.

Tunick’s large-scale installations only occur about two to four times a year, usually at request of an art institution or museum and rarely for social causes – only for those that he believes in very strongly, Fruchter said. But two have occurred on behalf of the Greenpeace effort to combat global warming, in France and Switzerland, and most recently Tunick completed an installation in honor of gay rights, in Sydney, Australia. Both the Dead Sea and Israel are quite important to Tunick, as he has visited many times throughout his life and both his father and grandmother live here today, according to Fruchter.

“This project is dear to me, one that I have dreamed of since my early days as an artist,” said Tunick, in a statement. “I look forward to your support in exposing a part of Israel that has not been seen before and at the same time bring attention to the deteriorating situation of the the Dead Sea.”

Those interested in learning more about the project can visit http://www.kickstarter.com

Source: Jpost.com

DJ/Music Producer Yinon Yahel (born August 26, 1978 in Israel), began his musical career during the mid to late 90′s. He was the keyboardist for a famous Israeli rock band ‘Eman’. At the age of 15, Eman was the youngest group to sign a major record deal in Israel.

Following a successful career with the rock band, Yinon garnered respect as he directed towards his current and significant role as a music producer and performing DJ. His recognizable talent lead him to work with another producer by the name of Yossi Sidi on the most successful talk show in Israel known as ‘The Dudu Topaz Show’.

Shortly after the arrival of the new millennium, Yinon had become an established producer in Israel. Around this time, he teamed up with a well known Israeli DJ/Producer, Offer Nissim, as well as a talented singer, songwriter and composer, Maya Simantov also known as “Maya”. Yinons’ musical artistry brought about international recognition in 2004/05 upon release of the hit album “First Time” (DJ Offer Nissim ft. Maya) courtesy of Star69 Records USA.

The album ‘First Time’ received a warm debut on electronic dance charts worldwide including the internationally acclaimed Billboard Charts. In a short period, three singles from the album made its way up the Billboard Club/Dance Play charts including “First Time” (top 10), “Searching” (top 20) and “That the Way I like it” (top 20).

From the founders of Balkan Beat Box, Ori Kaplan and Tamir Muskat, comes a new project – Shotnez – mixing Middle Eastern and eastern European influences with noise Rock and crime Jazz. The debut album will be released into the wild on JDub Digital on April 5, 2010.

Shotnez grew out of fertile soil at Muskat’s Vibromonk Records in Brooklyn, New York. Out of Vibromonk came a galaxy of bands including Big Lazy, Firewater, Pink Noise, JUF (Gogol Bordello), Ori Kaplan’s earlier incarnation of Shotnez and ultimately, Balkan Beat Box.

Kaplan’s original band, Shaatnez, had roots in experimental jazz, but after his experience at Vibromonk Kaplan re-formed Shotnez along with producer/drummer Muskat, guitarist Stephen Ulrich (Big Lazy, Bored to Death) and Itamar Ziegler on bass (Pink Noise, Balkan Beat Box).

“The spirit of Shotnez,” explains Kaplan, “is dark, romantic, and totally kick-ass… We like to call it Mediterranean surf noir. It’s cinematic… you follow the stream of sound like the plotline of a movie.”

It’s pure “madness,” says The LA Weekly, “a whole new way to play music.”

- Artist profile (Jdub)

Balkan Beat Box has been a very successful group, when and why did the idea of creating SHOTNEZ come to be?

Itamar - I remember that around 2003 Tamir and Ori were listening to some crazy old Captain Beefheart stuff and wanted to do something with similar level of creativity, complexity and groove… That was a starting point as far as a reference, but soon enough we let things go wherever they went naturally.

Steve – Shotnez actually predates BBB. Ori formed an early jazzier version of Shotnez (Shaatnez) and having recorded the first album at Tamir’s Vibromonk studio brought in me (Big Lazy) and Itamar ( Pink Noise).

The New York scene has obviously influenced your music to some extent- how so?

NYC is a real melting pot, and being in such close contact with so many different cultures, on a daily basis is going to influence your music, if you’re aware of it or not. It opens you up to many directions… expands your mind…

Steve - Tonic (R.I.P.) being THE club in NYC’s downtown music scene at the time, left a big imprint on the band. Experimental “New Music” and the underground “rock” collided there – the perfect place for the mixed bag of Shotnez.

How has being Israeli influenced your music? Or is it the base of it all ?

Itamar - We are not all Israelis. Stephen is American. I don’t think that there is anything Israeli about Shotnez’s music per se. You know… obviously, each one of us is influenced and shaped by where he is from, for example you can hear a klezmer ‘feel’ in Ori’s playing, but in Shotnez it becomes a sort of Trash-Zmer, influenced by new york city’s grit or something like that… (we’re talking pre-Bloomberg…)

You call your new sound “Mediterranean trash rock” please explain.

Itamar – I think I just did!

How are you received internationally? Do most of your fans know you’re Israeli? Does it matter?

Itamar: Steve, do you wanna answer that?… Well, being Israeli abroad could be uncomfortable, usually it’s not, but sometimes it can be. I come from a place where I could see why people might have pre-conceptions and criticisms about Israel, I do too. So I try and be patient and hopefully, by being myself, make them realize that people shouldn’t be judged too quickly.

I’ve read that you made a point to create an album that is international… even sending files to Syria… Do you believe Music is a good medium of Dialogue ?

Itamar - Most people love music, and music has been a force in social and political change over the years… but it also has power beyond politics, it can make you forget about the troubles of the world…

Where is your favourite place to play ?

Itamar - Syria! I wish…

But really, the legendary lower east side club Tonic was our home for a while. It’s a shame they had to close down. We’re soon to find a suitable alternative. And we all love playing Europe and playing Tel Aviv is always exciting… we’re looking forward to hopefully playing soon.

And of course ? Being from such a small country, that has fostered such amazing things… Does Size Matter ?

Itamar - No. But I wish I had a larger… country?

FREE!!! DOWNLOAD THEIR NEW SINGLE “STOLEN GOODS” HERE

One of biggest bands of 1980s says will perform in Tel Aviv’s Exhibition Grounds on July 3!

Another musical guest making its way to Israel : Duran Duran, one of the biggest bands of the 1980s, will perform in Tel Aviv’s Exhibition Grounds on July 30.The British band announced Israel’s inclusion in its European concert tour on its official website Tuesday morning: “Duran Duran come to Israel. General tickets go on sale April 27th. We will provide a ticketing link as soon as we have one!”

Duran Duran was formed in Birmingham in 1978, and is named after the villain in Roger Vadim’s French science fiction film “Barbarella”, starring Jane Fonda. The band became successful after its first lead singer, Stephen Duffy, left and was replaced by Simon Le Bon.

The band’s greatest hits include “Girls on Film”, “Rio”, “Save a Prayer” and “Ordinary World”.

This will be Duran Duran’s second visit to Israel. The band first performed in Tel Aviv and Haifa in 1994. In 2003, all original band members united for a concert in Britain, for the first time in 18 years. The tickets were sold out within minutes.

Source: Ynetnews.com

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