Asaf is a given name which may refer to:

People:

• alternate spelling of Saint Asaph (died 601), Welsh Roman Catholic saint and bishop
• Asaf Abdrakhmanov (1918-2000), Soviet sailor during World War II; award the title Hero of the Soviet Union
• Asaf Ali (1888-1953), Indian independence fighter and lawyer
• Asaf Assi Dayan (born 1945), Israeli film director, actor, screenwriter and producer; son of Moshe Dayan
• Asaf Duraković (born 1940), Croatian physician and expert in nuclear medicine and depleted uranium
• Asaf Humayun (born 1951), retired vice admiral of the Pakistan Navy
• Asaf Khan, several Mughal noblemen
• Asaf Messerer (1903-1992), Russian Jewish ballet dancer and teacher
• Asaf Shariv (born 1972), Israel's Consul General in New York
• Asaf Zeynally (1909-1932), Azerbaijani composer
• George Asaf, pseudonym of George Henry Powell (1880-1951), Welsh songwriter best known for writing "Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit-Bag"

See also[link]

• Asian Securities Analysts Federation, formerly the Asian Securities and Investments Federation
• Assaf (disambiguation)

This page or section lists people that share the same given name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change that link to point directly to the intended article.

Asaf Avidan
Asaf Avidan
Background information
Born	(1980-03-23) March 23, 1980 (age 32) Jerusalem
Genres	Folk, Folk rock, Rock, Blues
Instruments	Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica, Piano
Years active	2000s–present
Labels	Telmavar Records, Sony-Columbia
Associated acts	Asaf Avidan & The Mojos
Website	www.asafavidanmusic.com

Asaf Avidan (Hebrew: אסף אבידן‎) (born March 23, 1980) is an Israeli singer-songwriter and musician, best known for his voice, often compared to Janis Joplin and Robert Plant. He is also the creative force and front-man of folk/rock band Asaf Avidan & the Mojos.

Biography & Early Career[link]

Avidan was born in Jerusalem in 1980. His parents were diplomats for the Israeli Foreign Office, and he spent four years of his childhood in Jamaica. After the mandatory army service in Israel, Avidan studied animation at Jerusalem’s Bezalel Academy of Arts & Design. His final project short film, “Find Love Now”, won its category at the Haifa Film Festival that year. After his studies, Avidan moved to Tel Aviv and worked as an animator, until a breakup with his long-time girlfriend shook his world and made him move back to Jerusalem, quit his job and turn full time to his up-till-then hobby – music. Six songs about that breakup and subsequent heartache would constitute his debut EP, “Now That You’re Leaving”, which was released independently in 2006 to critical acclaim.

Asaf Avidan & the Mojos[link]

The Reckoning (2008)[link]

In late 2006, while playing solo shows across Israel, Avidan put together a support cast of musicians who would become The Mojos (Ran Nir – Bass, Yoni Sheleg – Drums, Roi Peled – Guitar, Hadas Kleinman – cello). The group played extensively in Israel, and also played a few New York shows, including MEANY Fest, where they advanced to the finals. In 2007 the band went into the recording studio together for the first time, and recorded “The Reckoning”. The album’s 15 tracks blended rock, folk and blues with Avidan’s lyrics about relationships and betrayal. By now the band had accumulated a huge live following in Israel and most record labels expressed interest. But Avidan decided to continue on the independent path, and founded (with his brother and manager, Roie Avidan) Telmavar Records, on which “The Reckoning” was released in March 2008. It reached Gold status in a year, platinum later, and would become the biggest selling independent record of all time in Israel. It was chosen as Album of the Year (2008) by various media, including TimeOut Tel Aviv. “Weak”, the second single of the album, became a huge radio hit and its video was Video of the Year on Israel’s music channel. “Weak” would also be the title song of the film "L'Arbre" by Julie Bertuccelli, which starred Charlotte Gainsbourg and was the closing film at Cannes Film Festival 2010.

While several European labels put offers on the table, the band opted to embark on a self-funded summer tour in 2009, playing dozens of festivals and venues across Europe. By the end of that summer, Telmavar Records signed a licensing deal with Sony-Columbia in Europe, for "The Reckoning" and for the band's future second LP.

The Reckoning was released in parts of Europe in 2009, to generally good reviews. In France iTunes chart it would peak at #8.

PoorBoy/Lucky Man (2009)[link]

"Poor Boy/Lucky Man", the band's second album, was released in Israel on 9/9/09. The album's title song and main theme would revolve around a boy born with a hole instead of a heart. The album was originally released in two different names and covers, leaving it up to the audience to decide whether this figure was poor or lucky. It would reach Gold status in Israel in 5 months, and garner ecstatic reviews. It was released in parts of Europe in April 2011. Among others, it was album of the month on France's national FIP radio, in the newspaper Liberacion, and in Germany's Eclipsed magazine.

The band continued to tour non-stop from 2009 all through 2011 (mostly in Israel and Europe but also in the US, Canada, China and India), building up a devoted following and a reputation for a legendary live show. Amongst the hundreds of shows, they played at Brandenburg Bridge at The World Championship of Athletics in Berlin; at the closing event at Cannes Film Festival 2010; at China’s biggest May 1 festivals; and at a tribute concert for The Who in Carnegie Hall, New York. They would play dozens of festivals across Europe (including Solidays France, Latitude UK, Paleo Switzerland, Frequency Austria, and Haldern Pop Germany) as well as countless radio and TV shows (including Taratata and One Shot Not in France, and two Rockpalast performances in Germany).

Through the Gale (2010)[link]

On November 30, 2010 the band released their 3rd album in Israel, "Through the Gale", a concept album telling the tale of the voyage of a blind and stubborn captain and his loyal crew in search of immortality, to the realms of the gods themselves, only to understand at the end that a voyage with no home, that a life without death, is meaningless.

Solo career[link]

In July 2011, following another summer tour that saw them sharing the stage with Robert Plant, Ben Harper and Lou Reed among others, Asaf Avidan & the Mojos announced that they are taking an indefinite creative break.

Avidan had continuously played solo and duo acoustic shows throughout the band's career, including "regular" venue shows as well as a TED Global Conference performance, supporting Bob Dylan, playing a tribute concert for The Who at Carnegie Hall and many radio and TV performances.

Avidan is set to continue touring and plans to go into the recording studio in the winter with a yet-unknown support cast of musicians.

Discography[link]

• 2006 – Now That You're Leaving (Asaf Avidan, Telmavar Records)
• 2008 – The Reckoning (Asaf Avidan & the Mojos, Telmavar/Columbia)
• 2009 – Poor Boy / Lucky Man (Asaf Avidan & the Mojos, Telmavar/Columbia)
• 2010 – Through the Gale (Asaf Avidan & the Mojos, Telmavar Records)

External links[link]

• Official Website
• Official Myspace profile
• Official Facebook fan page
• Official Vimeo page
• Official Youtube channel
• "Taratata" French TV performance
• TEDxTLV performance
• "Ce Sor Ou Jamais" TV performance
• Israel "Haproyect" video blog
• NYC show review
• The Reckoning album review, UK

The Mojos are a British beat group from the 1960s, best known for their hit UK single, "Everything's Alright". In spite of having one of the best reputations among the Liverpool scene,^{[citation needed]} "Everything's Alright" remained their only major hit, with only two other singles charting low in the UK Singles Chart in 1964.^[1]

Biography[link]

The band formed under the name The Nomads in September 1962 and originally consisted of lead guitarist Roy Wood, bassist Keith Karlson (born Keith Alcock) and drummer John Runt. The next to join was lead singer, pianist Stuart James (born Stuart Leslie James Slater), rhythm guitarist, vocalist Adrian Lord (born Adrian Wilkinson) and drummer Bob Konrad (born John Konrad), replacing Runt. The band continued without a lead guitarist when Wood left. At the suggestion of Beatle George Harrison, pianist Terry O'Toole (born Timothy Steveley) was added to the lineup in August 1963; Harrison having heard him play at a jazz club. The band also changed their name in August 1963 to The Mojos and Lord changed from rhythm guitarist to lead guitarist. This lineup recorded "My Whole Life Through", which was featured on the Oriole Records This is Merseybeat compilation album,^[2] and the debut single "They Say You Found A New Baby".

Despite having written the single's b-side, Lord (Wilkinson) left the group soon after its release in October 1963 and was replaced by Nicky Crouch (formerly of Faron's Flamingos) (born Nicholas Crouch, Aintree). This was the line-up that was to continue until October 1964, recording the group's three charting singles - "Everything's Al'right" (#9), "Why Not Tonight" (#25) and "Seven Daffodils" (#30) - as well as two further singles and an EP. Like many of their contemporaries the group played at the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany.^[3]

In October 1964, Karlson, Konrad and O'Toole left the group, which changed its name to Stu James & the Mojos in December 1964. James and Crouch were joined by drummer Aynsley Dunbar, who had previously played on the group's recording of "Everything's Alright"^{[citation needed]}, and bassist Lewis Collins. This line-up recorded two further singles - "Goodbye, Dolly Gray", for Decca, and "Until My Baby Comes Home", for Liberty - before disbanding in September 1966.^[4]

Collins became an actor, starring in The Professionals, and Dunbar became a noted session musician, playing with Frank Zappa, David Bowie and John Mayall amongst others. Crouch currently plays in a group called "Nicky Crouch's Mojos", which features members of other 1960s Merseybeat acts including The Swinging Blue Jeans, Rory Storm & The Hurricanes and Faron's Flamingos.^[5]

Discography[link]

A compilation entitled Everything's Alright: The Complete Recordings was released in 2009 by RPM Records. As its name suggests, it features all of the above (including "My Whole Life Through"), in chronological order by release date.^[7]

References[link]

External links[link]

• The Mojos at Allmusic
• The Mojos at 45-rpm.org.uk
• The Mojos at Merseybeatnostalgia.co.uk
• Nicky Crouch's Mojos
• The Mojos discography at Discogs