Aviv Gefen

Aviv Geffen ( he, אביב גפן, born 10 May 1973) is an Israeli rock musician, singer, songwriter and the son of writer and poet Yehonatan Geffen and Nurit Makover, brother of actress Shira Geffen, and an alumnus of Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music. In addition to his solo career, Geffen is a founding member of the band Blackfield , he was also the global music director for WeWork.

Geffen was and is extremely popular among Israeli youth who were known during the 1990s as the "Moonlight Children" (). Politically, he associates with the Israeli left. His music deals with subjects such as love, peace, death, suicide, politics, and the army (in particular, the IDF). He is often criticized for singing about the IDF while not having served, though he was discharged for medical reasons.

Biography

Aviv Geffen was born in Ramat Gan and raised in Beit Yitzhak. His first public performance was in 1984, in the Israeli youth program "Shminiyot BaAvir" somersaults"on the Israeli Channel 1, in which he sang the song "You're Only 40 Years Old" which his sister wrote and which he composed by himself. In 1987 Geffen participated in the amateur film ''"Hamitpahat"'' (The Handkerchief), for which he wrote and sang the song "Ima" Mom"
Geffen is the son of producer Nurit Geffen and author and poet Yehonatan Geffen. His sister is actress Shira Geffen. Geffen was named after his deceased grandmother, Aviva Geffen.

Despite being a great nephew of legendary Israeli General and former Defense Minister, Moshe Dayan, Aviv Geffen refused to enlist in Israel's mandatory military service, as a conscientious objector.Aviv Geffen: 'Israel is a paranoid country'
/ref> Geffen has previously called for other Israeli youth to avoid military service and criticized Israel for being "a paranoid country where people think they always have to be strong."

In 1996 Geffen married Israeli actress Elana Berkowitz. The couple divorced in 1998.

In 2005 Geffen married Shani Friedan after a seven-year relationship. The couple's first son, Dylan, was born in 2007. He is named after singer Bob Dylan.

Geffen is an atheist.

Music career

In 1990, Geffen recorded his first song, "Friend" chaver" together with the band "Cats in the Piping". In 1992, he released his first album, "Ze Rak Or Hayareach" 'It's Only the Moonlight'' all of whose tracks were written and the music composed by Geffen himself.

Also in 1992, he played a part in the teenage television series ''A Matter of Time''. That year, he also wrote a song for the Israeli movie ''The Beach Boys''. Geffen performed in clubs with his band HaTauyót The Mistakes"(the Hebrew name is purposefully misspelled in two places).

In 1993, Geffen released his second album, ''Achshav Me'unan'' 'It's Cloudy Now'' which went gold in the same year and expressed his generation's dissatisfaction with the Israeli government. It was produced by Moshe Levi and Ofer Meiri, who created the typical Geffen sound. The title track "It's Cloudy Now" was followed by the question that many Israeli teenagers asked with Geffen – "Do you want change?"

In 1994, Geffen released his third album, ''Aviv Geffen III'', a concept album about negative effects on someone who was forced to join the army, the album did not mark a change in Geffen's sound. The production was handled by Geffen and Lior Tevet. The album featured the major hit "Ha'im Lehiot Bach Mehohav?" Should I Be In Love With You?" which was promoted by a video and followed the success of ''Achshav Me'unan''.

In his next album, ''Shumakom'' 'Nowhere'' Geffen took charge of the production, albeit with help from Reuven Shapira (as sound engineer), and producer Moshe Levi. Geffen again wrote all the lyrics and music.

As a political activist, Geffen also expressed the hope for peace with Israel's neighbors.

On 4 November 1995, the Israeli peace political parties organized a rally to support the peace process. Geffen was invited to perform, and surprisingly decided to perform Livkot Lekha Cry for You" which he wrote and gave to Israeli singer Arik Einstein. Only later was it discovered that the lyrics prophesied the tragic assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin later that night. "Cry for You" became a kind of anthem, and was the song that symbolized the Candle Children who mourned Rabin's death visually with memorial candles.

In 1996, Geffen released ''HaMikhtav'' 'The Letter'' ''Mèred HaDmaót'' 'The Tears Rebellion''was written after Rabin's murder in 1995. It expressed a change and a turning point in Geffen's music. Later, in 1996, Geffen recorded what was known later as "The Israeli version of 'Imagine'", "Shir Tikvá" Let's Walk for the Dream" which expressed deeply Geffen's vision.

In 1997, Geffen released his first compilation, which included a CD with the best songs of the early era, and a second CD which included B sides and live performances. An attempt to widen his audience on a global level saw one of Geffen's more unusual albums, ''Halulìm'' 'Hollowed'' Like his "big brothers", it was also produced by Moshe Levi, but unlike them, it is a hard, cold, and alienated, full of distortion. Despite heavy promotion (such as billboards), it failed commercially.

1999 saw the release of Geffen's 8th studio album –'' Leilót Levanìm'' 'White Nights'' created under the influence of the changes in Geffen's life. Moshe Levi was again the producer; the combination of the two created a soft and melodic album compared to Halulim. It contained the song "Mexico" which stayed on the Israeli charts for a long time.

In September 2000, Geffen released his 9th album, ''Yomán Masá'' 'A Journey's Log'' for the first time produced by Louie Lahav, and on a new label – " Helicon". Geffen collaborated with two notable colleagues – Daniel Salomon (who joined from the Leilot Levanim tour) and Moshe Levi, who was involved in the orchestration. Geffen had recorded 11 melodic songs, with a bonus track – a tribute to Bob Dylan – an Israeli cover of Geshem Kaved Omed Lipol A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall"(translated by his father). The album produced three notable hits for Geffen: Uri Ur Wake Up" Tsalakót Scars" and Yoman Masa (together with Arik Einstein).

In 2001 Geffen met and began to collaborate with British rock star Steven Wilson, with whom he created the band Blackfield. Blackfield combines the musical efforts of both musicians and they perform their own original compositions as well as Aviv's own songs translated into English. The band released three highly acclaimed albums in the mid-2000s (see ahead) and conducted major tours for each release. Their fourth release in 2013 saw Wilson take more of a back seat due to his own increasing workload, opting to produce the album and contribute minor writing and recording work only.

Two years after "A Journey's Log" (April 2002), Geffen released his next album: "Memento Mori

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