Israeli art rock band Eatliz from Tel Aviv, known for its outstanding genre crossing music, as well as for visually attractive live shows and awarded videos with animation, has been performing internationally for the last three years, and for the first time they will be presented in the Balkans, at the Suba Stage on Exit Festival in Novi Sad. In an interview with SEEcult.org portal, the members of Eatliz are speaking about its “complicated pop” music, experiences in today’s globalized and “hysterical” music scene, hoping that their performance on Exit will give them deeper insight into the Balkan music scene and beyond, and provide new possibilities for the future collaborations that could expend the horizons.

Eatliz is signed at Anova Music, Israel's leading alternative label, and their discography includes "Violently Delicate" (2008), EP "Delicately Violent" (2009), and new album "Teasing Nature" (2011).

They played Primavera sound festival, SXSW, Canadian Music Week and supported Porcupine Tree and Zappa Plays Zappa, alongside European and North America tours. Recently, the band was invited to play Kansai music conference 2011 in Japan.

Eatliz have three internationally awarded animation music videos for past singles “Attractive”, “Hey” and “Lose This Child”, which were seen by millions all over the world at festivals and online. “Hey” was screened in 120 worldwide festivals and won 16 awards, including the precious Spike Lee Award at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, and 2 awards from Chinese festivals. The video for "Attractive" had a regular spot in MTV Europe’s playlist and MTV Artist Spot. The new video creation for their single “Lose This Child” from the new album “Teasing Nature” was directed by Yuval and Merav Nathan, who are known for their eye-popping stop motion animation Grammy nominated "Her Morning Elegance". “Lose This Child” marks the second collaboration between Eatliz and the Nathans, after the "Attractive".

Band members are: Lee Triffon - vocals, Guy Ben Shetrit - guitars, Or Bahir - guitars, Omry Hanegby - drums, Amit Erez - guitars, Hadar Green - bass.
Eatliz gives a selection of 6 tracks from its repertoire for free download from their web site www.eatliz.com/downloads

- You are describing your music as “complicated pop” because of elements ranging from soft pop and hard rock to Middle Eastern music. Could you tell us something more about your influences and do you think that such music is some kind of future in today’s globalized world?

E: Complicated Pop indicated that our music is quirky but at the same time very poppy and melodic. We tend to get bored from one music genre, so we blend different genres in the same song, like playing with herbs while you cook. The final creation is very tasty… we hope.  The band influences are very broad. Lee the lead singer's music background is classical and Celtic music, where Guy who writes the music is influenced by rock bands like Pixies, Lush and Melvins and at the same time by Moroccan music that he listened to as a child.

For us it's just the way that the music is coming out from us, without giving it any thought, but we can see it more and more in other bands too. We like M.I.A that is also performing at Exit. She is a good example for today’s globalized world. 

- You are also described as an art rock band, and you are acclaimed by attractive live shows and music videos, including three internationally awarded animation videos for singles Attractive, Hey and Lose This Child. Hey was screened in 120 worldwide festivals and won 16 awards, including the Spike Lee Award at the Tribeca Film Festival. How much these videos and awards helped your carrier in Israel and internationally?

E: It defiantly helped us a lot to get the work out there, because we live in a web-viral age. Every day we get responses from distant countries that we never thought our music would be heard, just because they came across one of our videos; From the Philippines to Mexico, Japan and Russia. And it's still a great surprise when it happened. The music videos are a part of Eatliz concept, since Eatliz is like entering a world of its own; with its own music, visual and vibe. So the music videos are an integral aspect of the band.

- Regardless of your artistic concept, do you think that some sort of total design and similar investments in music industry are needed today in order to make a brand and to be more recognizable on international scene?

E: It's a tricky situation, cause in the old days you could manage with kick ass rockn'roll and roll with it. Today, it still can happen based on music only, but the competition is much more aggressive. Whenever we meet industry people, they all talk about giving that extra added value. Dealing solely with music in today's world is a luxury for an artist.

- Your name Eatliz translates to The Butcher Shop. What is its symbolic and are there references on political situation in Israel?

E: The name does not include any political aspect. It's a personal statement for our role as musicians at the bottom of the hierarchy, from the financial side at least. Rich people doesn't buy at the Butcher shop, they have someone who does it for them. When you go to a butcher shop, you start your meal there, when you buy your own meat at the butcher. In Eatliz we do everything DIY. Another meaning for the name is all the types of music that we cut and slice to one tasty dish J

- What do you think about the situation in your country and does it have impact on your work?

E: Obviously we would prefer this situation to be solved. We are in a position that the mistake was made by an older generation than us. This conflict exists from the days of the bible so it's hard for us to take a stand one way or the other.

Regarding the impact on our work, in our debut album we have a song, "Sunshine" that look forward and wish to see the day where there will be peace and fraternity between both nations.

- How you would describe today’s international music scene and what are your prediction regarding its future, especially because of new technologies and channels for distribution, promotion and selling music?

E: The music industry feels hysterical, because this lack of stability drives it mad.

It is clear that we are in an era of constant changes, where everybody tries to think 3 steps ahead. We think that during this "Prediction mind set", people manage to create the world as they expect it to be and we dig it.

- You are giving a selection of your tracks for free download from your web site. Could you live of your music?

E: Giving some of our music as free download is our way to gift the people who like us. We found it didn't hurt our sales. When someone buys our music it's his way to support us and show his love to us. We live thought our music.

- You have been performing in the last three years on various festivals in Europe and recently you have a debut in the US and Canada, promoting your new album release “Teasing Nature”. Are you familiar with the music scene in the Balkans?

E: We are glad we come to EXIT, and expect to get to know the scene in the Balkans, since we are not that familiar with it.
 
- What are your expectations of the Exit Festival, where you will perform on July 9, at the Suba Stage, which presenting artists who are expending the horizons and bringing different genres into one, just as late Novi Sad born musician and composer with remarkable world carrier Mitar Subotic Suba did?

E: We expect to see and know in person as many artists as we can, and interest them in perform in Israel, cause the crowd here really loves multi-genre music and artists that expend the horizons. It can be interesting to perform with these artists in Israel and abroad. We did it once with an American band called "Consider The Source" and for us it's another way to open our mind and develop.

- Do you have some advice for young bands, especially for those in the post-war countries and in the process of transition?

E: The desire to create music comes for us from an internal fire that we can't control. So we don't have a tip for artists that live in a post-war zone.

For young artists, where ever they are, we recommend to make music as long as they enjoy it. If they find themselves in a place where they don't enjoy it that much, but still won't give up on their dream – we can tip that they should prepare themselves to a journey where they do everything by themselves. Don't ever wait for someone else to take you to the next level. If someone will hook with you, it will be because you never stopped to create, believe in yourself and make music.

M.Marjanovic/V.Milosavljevic

*Photo credit: Ohad Romano