transmitLIVE 2011 artist:
// Geva Alon
Israeli singer-songwriter/guitarist Geva Alon is back with a new solo English-language album, Get Closer. Released in November 2009 and produced by the renowned Thom Monahan (Devendra Banhart, Silver Jews, Dinosaur Jr, Jayhawks), Get Closer features Geva backed by the band Tree with a sound ranging from alternative rock to psychedelic guitars and Americana. Three songs from Get Closer, 'The Wind Whispers', 'I Can See the Stars' and 'Come Race Me' rocketed into the Israeli radio charts remaining there for several weeks. The CD Get Closer peaked at #2 on the Israel sales charts – topping such releases as Lady Gaga's "The Fame Monster", Muse's "The Resistance" and Pearl Jam's "Backspacer".
Get Closer is Geva's most personal album yet, written after a long ten month tour in the United States that culminated in Sept '08 with Geva’s performance at the Fillmore West in San Francisco in support of the legendary Paul Weller.
Known for his riveting live performances, Geva has landed several coveted festival shows including The Jerusalem Student Festival in front of a crowd of 20,000 people in 2009. This year, Geva opened Yo La Tengo's two Israel performances on March 22nd and 23rd and performed at Israel's Earth Day event at Kikar Rabin in front of tens of thousands of people on April 22nd.
The acoustic, country-flavored harmonies of his first solo album, Days of Hunger, marked Geva as a pioneer of singing in English in Israel. His distinct vocals and stellar guitar work on this album crowned him king of Tel Aviv's folk/indie scene. Geva's 2007 release, Wall of Sound, includes a beautiful cover version of David Bowie's 'Modern Love' which became a major radio hit and enjoyed numerous placements as a cable television commercial soundtrack. Perhaps even more significantly, his success has brought about a near revolution in Israel's market for native musicians who often choose to sing in English.
After three hit singles and a 30 show sold-out tour, Get Closer has sold over 15,000 copies and is expected to turn Gold (20,000) by winter 2010. This is not surprising, as Geva's previous albums have all been profitable and have sold 40,000 copies combined.
Just in: Geva has just been nominated in Israel for "Male Artist Of The Year" and his two hit singles "The Wind Whispers" and “Come Race Me" are nominated for "Song Of The Year" as well.