CAS Interviews Aviv Geffen
"I think Art can change the world, I know it may sound naïve."Aviv Geffen 
Ctrl.Alt.Shift managed to catch up with the talented Israeli musician, Aviv Geffen, who combines his sizeable song-writing talents with left-wing political activism. He speaks his mind and is passionate about fighting for what he believes in. His has been inspired musically by Bob Dylan, John Lennon and Kurt Cobain. In October last year he released his first album (produced by Trevor Horn) with English lyrics and was the first Israeli artist ever playlisted by the BBC in the UK, when his music was featured on Radio 2 - Geffen claiming this achievement as a 'miracle'. His single 'Black and White' from the album was released on March 29 2010. Geffen told Ctrl.Alt.Shift, "The song deals with the sick side of love." It's for couples who are unhappily stuck in relationships, scared to break it off, for fear of change. The song is a message for these types of people, telling them not to give up on themselves. Geffen can fill out stadium venues in his homeland and is now trying to make a name for himself in the UK, in his own alternative way, stating, "I don't want to be another pop artist; handsome with a nice body. Don't forget, I'm coming from a really high profile in Israel. For me it's about just doing my art."
He told Ctrl.Alt.Shift how living in Israel made it very difficult to avoid politics and how he feels as though he is a spokesperson for the younger generations. In 1995, Geffen and Yitzhak Rabin, the Israeli Prime Minister at the time, organised a peace rally in Tel Aviv Square. Rabin, like Geffen believed in a new way for peace. That evening Geffen headlined a stage in front of a crowd around half a million strong. Painfully for Geffen, his good friend and Israel's Prime Minister was assassinated in front of his eyes, by an Israeli extremist. This made the musician very angry, which led him to move to England to live for a year in 1996 to get away from it all. Since then he has been extremely keen to work for the peace process. He will spend April touring Germany, Holland and France, before coming to play at festivals across England in the summer. Words: Liam Tootill
Image by flicr user natanadler
Ctrl.Alt.Shift managed to catch up with the talented Israeli musician, Aviv Geffen, who combines his sizeable song-writing talents with left-wing political activism. He speaks his mind and is passionate about fighting for what he believes in. His has been inspired musically by Bob Dylan, John Lennon and Kurt Cobain. In October last year he released his first album (produced by Trevor Horn) with English lyrics and was the first Israeli artist ever playlisted by the BBC in the UK, when his music was featured on Radio 2 - Geffen claiming this achievement as a 'miracle'. His single 'Black and White' from the album was released on March 29 2010. Geffen told Ctrl.Alt.Shift, "The song deals with the sick side of love." It's for couples who are unhappily stuck in relationships, scared to break it off, for fear of change. The song is a message for these types of people, telling them not to give up on themselves. Geffen can fill out stadium venues in his homeland and is now trying to make a name for himself in the UK, in his own alternative way, stating, "I don't want to be another pop artist; handsome with a nice body. Don't forget, I'm coming from a really high profile in Israel. For me it's about just doing my art." He told Ctrl.Alt.Shift how living in Israel made it very difficult to avoid politics and how he feels as though he is a spokesperson for the younger generations. In 1995, Geffen and Yitzhak Rabin, the Israeli Prime Minister at the time, organised a peace rally in Tel Aviv Square. Rabin, like Geffen believed in a new way for peace. That evening Geffen headlined a stage in front of a crowd around half a million strong. Painfully for Geffen, his good friend and Israel's Prime Minister was assassinated in front of his eyes, by an Israeli extremist. This made the musician very angry, which led him to move to England to live for a year in 1996 to get away from it all. Since then he has been extremely keen to work for the peace process. He will spend April touring Germany, Holland and France, before coming to play at festivals across England in the summer. Words: Liam Tootill
Image by flicr user natanadler
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