The Birds, The Sky, The Trees...all That Shit by Itamar Ziegler

Itamar Ziegler's distingished personal soundscape will stay with you". (Nanouk Leopold/Film Maker)

"2 LPs from a Brooklyn-based composer and producer who has soundtrack work for Israeli short films, BBC documentaries and even 'Pimp My Ride' on the CV. From the self-titled largely instrumental LP of 2002 it is easy to see how his works would fit into this context. Short pieces ploughing various furrows. 'Jimi Stack Shakshooka Shak', an antiquated mechanical toy whirring into life to start with, 'Slum' following with desertrockrinkydinknu-Bhangrese. Waitsian spasm occurs on 'Filth', watery Beefheartian brood on 'Night Ride' while 'Arabic Surf Dance' adequately advertises it's thrilling, spiraling self. There's a Sex Clark Five style skewed acuteness and cuteness throughout, with touches of the Magic Band's dexterity. The more recent LP 'The Birds...' features more recognizable songs with more vox, and is more folkish, less hectic. The opening untitled track is the gem, an Asian sub-continental post-rock spoken word epic. A good accompaniment to showcase the range of Ziegler's talent." (Skif/Vanity Project/UK)

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Itamar's own words about the album:

Living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, a block away from the east river I go down to the water front from time to time. It's as close as one gets to nature around here.

It's nothing "pretty". But I like it.

One afternoon I went down with my camera and was taking some pictures. Sitting next to me drinking beer and listening to a rock&roll radio station was man in his 50's who used to hang out on the water front often. He started talking to me, telling me all about how he used to take pictures himself back in the day. At one point he said in his thick Brooklyn accent: "Yea, I used to take pictures of the birds, the sky, the trees...all that shit".

I was pleased. I had a name for my next album:

"The birds, the sky, the trees...all that shit".

All I needed now was the music.

So, I started to record in my living room studio, in which I recorded my first album in 2003 (self titled). I played all of the instruments most of the time.

My friends, Tamir Muskat and Rafi Malkiel, came in and played on "The Score". Tamir on drums and Rafi on Trombone.

My friend, Yula Beeri, came in to sing on "The Well" with me. The album consists of songs and instrumentals.

I also covered two songs: One was written and given to me as a gift by my dear friend Nani.

(I named Nani's song "Nani's song" on the record).

The other cover song is an Israeli song called "Tuki Yosi". The words were written by the great Avraham Halfi, and it was composed by Miki Gavrielov. Although I didn't mention this in the cd, I want to dedicate my version of "Tuki Yosi" to Tomer Yosef whom together we loved to love this song.

I don't like to talk about the music anymore because I don't know how to do that. So buy the damn thing and listen for your selves.

Thank you brother Yoni for doing the layout, thank you brother Yuval for help with everything.

I dedicated the album to my one Nessa because she is my one Nessa.

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Below is in interview with Itamar for Vanity Project Magazine:

After reviewing his excellent two LP's for Vanity Project, I spoke to the Israeli-born NY-based innovative musical artiste Itamar Ziegler about his work.

>Please introduce yourself, what do you believe to be your strengths musically? What got you started in music?

I was born in Israel, I'm 29 years old and I moved to NY when I was 21. What got me into music was love. Pure love and passion. And I intend to keep it this way.

My older brother started taking guitar lessons and soon after I started to go to the same teacher. I started with classical guitar but a few months into the lessons my teacher said to me: "You've got a bass player's fingers, you should play the bass". And so the bass guitar has been my main instrument since.

My brother and I have always loved music, we would make mixed tapes by recording stuff from the radio and all that. We were living in Israel but listening to the same shit kids in England and America were listening to. Plus we had some middle astern music magic around us... maybe at the time I didn't appreciate that, but today I do.

These days in NY, I'm a member of a few bands. I play with Pink Noise, indie rock, or as I like to call what we do, interesting rock. I play bass and guitar, me and Sharron, the lead singer, switch all the time...We just completed our second album 'all is nue' (www.pinknoiseny.com). I play with Balkan Beat Box, this is a different world, it's like a live/electronic gipsy circus. We've had a great time touring Europe and the U.S this summer and we are actually coming your way this November to play Scala in London! It's going to be the best party in town.

Well, there's more but I guess I should focus on my solo records, right?

I record my music at home, in the living room. It's my play ground. I play all of the instruments most of the time, sometimes I'll bring in friends to lay down something. I like the fact that this is purely a recording project. I have no intentions on performing this material live.

>For someone exploring your music for the first time, what one fact about you should they know before they start?

Ah... I don't let record companies cut my hair.... I'm Jewish... (I'm joking...) Oh man, I don't know... That I'm human...?

>What inspires you, musically and lyrically?

Everything. I think everything inspires us to do something or to not to something. There are some obvious things but in my case it's a lot of subconscious stuff, for example, maybe a film I've watched two months ago inspired me to write a song, or to feel something that made me change something in the way I play...? Maybe I'm not even aware of it. Lately I've been inspired by music from Mali, Africa (Ali Farka Toure, Boubacar Toure, Tinariwen), it's blues, African style. But that does not mean my next album will be that. Then again, something from that will be there, noticeable or not. I've injected lots of PJ Harvey, Bob Marley, early blues, Sly stone and many more to my blood through the years. My talented artists friends here in Brooklyn are an inspiration as well. But the compliment I enjoy the most about my music is when people say it's not similar to anything...

>If the musical world was ideal, it would...

Be boring...

>How did you end up working on BBC Documentaries and MTV for 'Pimp My Ride'?

A young film maker who listened to my CD called me and asked whether I'd like to make the music for this documentary film him and his partner are working on. BBC bought the film. I've been working on the music, should be done soon. Pimp my ride...well, I used to be in a hip hop group called Sideffect, we came to NY together from Israel in 97', we were the first hip hop group in Israel... anyway, it's a long story, there was a documentary film made about it, it's still running in Israeli television. We broke up long ago but at one point I missed it so I started making some beats on the MPC 2000. I sent a few to a girl that does music licensing and MTV picked it out from her catalogue.

>Why should people buy your records?

So I could pay my bills.

Seriously? Well I HOPE people buy my records because they are thirsty for more originality and creativity in music today. Non of that trendy fashionable stuff. Just honest music.

>Suggest a publicity stunt to increase the Ziegler profile in the UK.

I don't roll like that...

(To the UK "anti Israeli" community I'll say don't judge a book by its cover, or actually don't judge a bloke by his government. I refused to go to the army. I'm pro solution. Being pro Israeli or pro Palestinian won't bring us any good. )

>What do you consider your best achievements in music?

These will be some specific pieces I'm really happy with musically. Like 'The Score' from my latest album and 'Kroto' from my first solo album. But that's only my opinion...

>What more would you like to achieve with your music?

I wish to continue creating interesting music, to improve, to be productive, to be able to live off my music without compromising... I also would like to make more music for films, I'm exited about that.

>On an Itamar Ziegler curated festival bill, who would play?

Day one: Radio head, PJ Harvey, Pixies, Tom Waits, blond red head, the Beatles (if we can go back in time)... Day two: Sly Stone, Ali Farka, boubacar Toure, Tinariwen (from Mali)... This is from the top of my head.

>If you weren't doing music, what would you do with your evenings?

Forget the evenings...I'd like two live two more lives: one as a photographer and one as a cook...

>What are your future plans for gigs and recordings?

Well, I'm going to be touring with BBB in November, then got some NYC dates with Pink Noise, I going to finish the music for the documentary and then I will start squeezing in some work at home towards my next album.

>What, with regards the US music scene, upsets you?

Too much crap. I'm tired of really bad music and bands. Go and do something else, give some respect to music. You won't make furniture if you aint got the skills for it, would you?

>What, with regards the US music scene, delights you?

Not much. I don't even know what's going on in the "US scene"... or in any scene for that matter. I know there is a lot of bullshit out there.

>What are you passionate about in life, apart from music?

My wife. Photography. Cooking. Basketball (to play not to watch). Art. (and..music)

>What is/was your favourite children¹s book?

'The Giving Tree' by Shel Silverstein.

>Any other words of wisdom?

I think I've said too much. Lets let the music talk.

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