Apifera Have Arrived

Stones Throw’s premier supergroup, Apifera, is hitting the road this November in support of their fantastic new album Keep The Outside Open, an exercise in jazz working alongside prog, dub, psych and post-rock to create a sonic experience unique to this outfit.

The band, comprised of musicians Nitai Hershkovits, Yuvi Havkin, Amir Bresler and Yonatan Albalak, will be kicking off the tour at New York City’s Public Records with Los Angeles area electronic music luminary Frankie Reyes on Nov. 1. From there, the band will head back to the West Coast for an L.A. gig at the Lodge Room on Nov. 3 before heading to Seattle’s Substation on the 5th, the Jack London Revue in Portland, OR, on the 9th and then flying down to Austin, TX, for a show at Mohawk on the 10th.

 

AUDIO: Apifera “More Purple Than Ever”

The band also very recently released “More Purple Than Ever,” a new laid back instrumental track taken from the b-side of the group’s “Theodor Marmalade” 7-inch released earlier this year, and features their friend Tamir Barzilay on drums.

Rock & Roll Globe had the privilege of catching up with Mr. Hershkovits about Keep the Outside Open, the band’s favorite ECM albums and the Stones Throw aura.

For more information on Apifera, follow them on Bandcamp.

 

I’m curious as to how you arrived at the group’s name. I saw there’s a type of orchid named Apifera.

After we found out the initial name we chose for the band was taken (more than once) we searched for a long time until Yuvi came up with the name. It is a type of orchid that offers bees a kind of throne, and we liked the sound of it as well as the meaning that connected us to nature.

 

Keep the Outside Open is your second album on Stones Throw. When did you first get into the label and how does the aura of being a Stones Throw artist lend itself to your music?

Our first album was released in 2021, shortly after we formed as a band and even before we started performing live because of COVID.

The Stones Throw aura is powerful indeed and it helps to have someone the world trusts as having great taste put out our music. It’s definitely a stamp of quality that gets us through doors that are not easy to get through these days. Regardless of the quality of the music (which is subjective anyways), the audience is flooded with content and grabbing people’s ears is difficult, so we are grateful to have found this generous home for our music:).

Keep The Outside Open sets itself apart from Overstand in the use of vocals. What inspired the band to explore lyrical songwriting?

For most listeners the human voice delivers a lot more emotion and nuance than any instrument, making vocal music much more accessible. Plus the lyrics give even more depth to the music.

We love making niche instrumental music for nerds like us but we also love listening to great songwriters and singers. We had to give it a go, and we loved the outcome so we’re going to keep writing songs.

 

Is there any particular vocalist that informs how these songs are sung?

Defining the vocal aspect of the album involved finding a character that was a bit weird and airy, fragile and even creepy. Most of the songs are sung by Nitai and Yonatan in unison to create a hybrid entity. We were very much inspired by Conan Mockasin while searching for the tone.

 

Which came first on the vocal tracks, the lyrics or the instrumentation? How did you decide which songs would feature vocals?

The instrumentation always comes first. At some point after we start working on a tune we get a notion of whether it’s instrumental or vocal. Usually we have no idea what the melody will be, but we know we’ll figure it out once the playback is good.

Sometimes we’ll get ideas for the vocal parts from the instrumentation.

 

I really like this quote: “Over the last few years, we’ve felt the walls closing on our everyday lives, our culture and music. Keep The Outside Open is a call for the world to be open. To return to its free and wild state.” In what ways do you feel the walls are closing in on music culture?

That’s a big question.

I feels like a steady process of losing freedom to forces on our planet. Pandemics, wars, social networks, corporations, governments and other forces that are constantly driving us into our cages, mentally and physically. Our goal is to use music to open those cages up and run wild.

 

VIDEO: Apifera Keep The Outside Open Live Album Session

Is “Theodor Marmalade” based on a real person? I’m intrigued about what the story is behind this song.

It’s not a real person, but rather a feeling we all share and an Idea we wanted to explore. the paradox of wanting to get away from modern civilization but feeling lonely out there in the wilderness.

We took the time thinking about Theodor’s story and the way it comes back around.

 

Regarding “I Love ECM,” what are some albums from the label’s bottomless catalog helped shape the Apifera sound and why?

Wow, there are so many, but here are a few:

Pat Metheny – Bright Size Life – Because it’s so fresh even today.

Jan Garbarek, Art Lande – Red Lanta – Because of the great compositions.

Ralph Towner – Anthem – Because of the great compositions.

Arve Henriksen – Cratography – Because of the beautiful sound design and minimalistic approach.

Eberhard Weber – Fluid Rustle – Because it’s very Psychedelic and colourful.

 

One great ECM alum, Avishai Cohen, appears on “Sera Sam.” How did that collaboration come about?

Avishai is a good friend. Yonatan is in his band “Big Vicious” and Yuvi and Avishai have a project called “Jimi Prasad”, so we’ve been making music together for over a decade.

We just called him up and asked if he wants to come by the studio for half a day.

We wrote two pieces together, one was shelved and the other made it to the album.

 

In what ways do you believe that music still harbors the power to heal?

Sound is one of the most powerful frequencies that exist. By triggering powerful positive emotions It can be a great catalyst to shape the path for one’s soul to fulfill its potential for growth, healing and prosperity.

 

Apifera U.S. Tour

Nov 01 – New York City – Public Records*

Nov 03 – Los Angeles – Lodge Room**

Nov 05 – Seattle – Substation

Nov 09 – Portland – Jack London Revue

Nov 10 – Austin – Mohawk

*with Frankie Reyes

**with Peanut Butter Wolf