Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with Ofer Amichai
Ofer Amichai – Like Folksingers Do
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
It’s hard to say because music has been around me since long before I can remember, thanks to my older siblings. Every family road trip featured Queen, Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd on full blast; and I knew all the songs by heart before I could even speak English.
How did your passion for creating music begin?
I think it was a natural response to the immense joy, comfort, inspiration and meaning music has brought me. I knew at a very young age that I wanted to be more than “just” a listener. I wanted music to be what I do. What I am.
What’s the story behind your current music project?
My latest album “Like Folksingers Do” is my fifth release, but it might as well be my first. Most of it was written over the course of the last two years, in the midst of a ravaging war, personal and collective trauma and my own heartaches and introspections.
It is a 31-minute long travel log, personal diary and manifesto and I’m very proud of it.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
Somewhere between Townes Van Zandt, Bob Dylan and John Prine, but not nearly as good as any of them.
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
Not sure that happened yet. Ask me again in a few years.
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
A guitar, a pen, a paper, coffee and cigarettes.
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
Earlier this year (or maybe the one before) I came across a beautiful song called Golden Days by a Colorado band called Heavy Diamond Ring, and I’ve listened to it on repeat for several months. Other than that, my biggest obsession in the past few years has got to be Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. Are they considered indie? Either way they’re phenomenal.
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
I think one’s personal experiences not only influence – but mold – everything one does, artistically or otherwise. As for me, my writing is almost entirely an attempt to communicate what I’m going through, what I think and how I feel.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
I hope to give others what I’ve gotten (and still get) from the music I love – comfort, kinship, inspiration and hope.
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
That it is – in itself – more important than anything you wish to get out of it.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
Newport Folk Festival, to name one.
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
Tom Waits. Because he’s been my favorite artist for many years now, because he’s objectively the best (prove me wrong) and because he’s my spirit animal.
Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)
Here you can find all my released music, social media etc. Follow, stream, share, buy, like, anything helps.
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
I’ve never done a proper, continuous international tour. Hopefully my next album will do well enough to make it possible.
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?
That they like my earlier stuff better, before I sold out.
