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Admittedly: The name meant nothing to me. I had to log in to Spotify and listen to it. Like I used to do on Wednesday afternoons in my trusted CD store. I heard «One Day / Reckoning Song»; yes, of course, we all know it. But that's not all. Asaf Avidan's playlist is simply wow. Anyway, I now want to go to the Casino in Bern on November 1.
Who is the man who touched me right away? Fast Backward: Born in Jerusalem in 1980, Asaf is the son of diplomats. Grew up in Jamaica. Creative kid, studies animation and is then thrown off course by a break-up. A classic tortured artist story. What luck for music lovers: Avidan puts down his pencil and picks up his guitar. Writes six songs about heartbreak. An EP grows into a band. Carried by a voice that no one who has ever heard it will forget.
Janis Joplin, Robert Plant, Jeff Buckley: all comparisons that have been made to him. The New York Times wrote that he writes like Leonard Cohen and sings like Robert Plant. No playback, no auto-tuner, no computer. What happens on stage is real.
In 2012, DJ Wankelmut remixed his song «Reckoning Song» into a club hit. Europe discovered him. (A little tip: his original is better!) Several studio albums since then, gold and platinum in over 15 countries. Now he's back on tour, with a full line-up for the first time in three years and with two new albums in his luggage. On November 1, he will be making a stop at the Casino Bern. You'll find me at the bar!