Tamar Aphek is one of the prominent faces of contemporary rock in the Israeli rock scene, and has been crowned “Israel’s guitar goddess” (Timeout Tel-Aviv). She is the creator of the “Besides That” music festival, and contributed the musical soundtrack to the film “One Week And A Day,” which won the Gan Foundation Award at Cannes Film Festival.

After years spent singing in a prestigious children’s choir, a decade of piano lessons, and a musical conservatory education, and even a degree in law studies, what was left for Tamar Aphek to tackle musically? A full-stop pivot to wild, unbridled electric guitar, of course.

For Aphek, jumping head-first into an uproarious life of rock ‘n’ roll and catapulting through Tel Aviv’s burgeoning underground scene was kismet. From the very beginning, there was no feeling like it.

“I remember when I bought my first really cheap, small amplifier, and my first shitty guitar,” she says. “I will never feel so happy about a guitar and amplifier again. Even if I play the most expensive Fender, nothing will compare to that excitement. It was the feeling of holding a weapon.”

To hear Aphek play is to hear that weapon unleashed. From her previous bands Carusella and Shoshana, to her current eponymous project, Tamar Aphek has risen to prominence in her home of Israel, toured across the United States and Europe, and sits poised to be heard globally with her new record, All Bets Are Off.

In the process of writing and recording her new album, Aphek became fascinated at the idea of combining musical sounds and stylings she felt weren’t being incorporated by other artists.

“I wanted to infuse rhythms into rock and roll that I wasn’t hearing elsewhere,” Aphek explains. “I wanted to write a Johnny Cash style song, but then dress it up in crazy Max Roach style drumming or Ethiopian rhythms. I was getting a kick out of hearing something that could sound like a catchy indie song, but with a strange reggae kind of feeling.”

In order to make it exactly as she wanted it, Tamar chose to produce the album herself and turned to Daniel Schlett (War on Drugs, DIIV) to mix and Greg Calbi (John Lennon, Bob Dylan, David Bowie) to master. To capture the band at their most locked-in, Aphek recorded All Bets Are Off after multiple months of touring, predominately at the studio of legendary funk and soul imprint Daptone Records. That time spent rehearsing and remixing ideas was vital to the album’s sound, as Aphek became increasingly fascinated with producing her rhythm section and fostering the relationship between drums and bass.

“During rehearsals before tour I wouldn’t even play guitar; I picked up the guitar only on tour and I started improvising all my parts,” she notes. “A lot of the improvisational freedom we hear in jazz records is missing for me in more current rock bands … I think that’s why we listened to a lot of bebop albums, and a lot of weird instrumental stuff: to open spiritual and artistic freedom and not be too calculated.”

For Aphek, the freedom to improvise was essential to creating the incredible ups-and-downs expressed on her solo debut. From the machine-gun percussiveness of “Crossbow”, to the creeping desolation of “Russian Winter”, to the intimate insights of “All I Know”, All Bets Are Off delights in twists and turns. Commenting on jealousy and surveillance, love and compassion, anger and escape, and countless more challenges unrevealed, it’s no wonder Aphek hoped to capture “the feeling of a rollercoaster.”

“I wanted it to be really scary when it’s scary, and really sad when it’s sad,” she says. “I didn’t want the album to sound like the same song for 10 songs. I wanted it to sound more like life, and in life you’re not stuck in one state of mind.”

“‘All bets are off’ is a concept album, that tells the story of the cyclicality of moving from the dark side to the bright side of life. This idea was translated both musically and in the lyrics. On the musical side, I wanted to create a shifting between bass, guitar and drum parts that were rhythmically syncing to parts in which the bass and the guitar plays against the kick drum. This shifting was meant to create a sense of tension and release throughout the album. While some of the work on the album included creating a space for improvisation, the post production was very calculated. Besides editing the instruments, I also cut parts of the instruments and used them as new layers.”

“I chose the name all bets are off long before the COVID 19 pandemic became part of our life. The name meant to symbolize uncertainties in life in a way that deepens the cognitive dissonance one feels when inconsistency and contradictions are tackled, either on a personal level or within a society.“

“Now, few months deep in the Corona crisis, I can’t help thinking about the prophetic messages of this name. I guess this expression can relate to a situation in which one factor alone, namely a little virus, can change everything, and that former assumptions no longer apply.”

“I believe that unconsciously I express in my songs rage and frustrations of injustice, either on a personal level like gender inequality, or on a social or political level. My style is cynical and sometimes drifting to extremes, like in my song ‘crossbow’, but eventually I still have a strong belief in the basic ideas of love and friendship, and this is the reason my album ends up with the theme song of the eternal film Casablanca, which embodies these simple ideas.”

Chewlie - LiveBern | CRTTR

Leo BaquéParis | ascidiacea

PhrexBern | Midilux, re:st

Sicc PuppyZürich

GriseFribourg

NelleLuzern

Alwa Alibi & Simo SasterBern

ENLZürich

SoukeyBern

Milena PatagôniaBern

Kia MannBern

AntalAmsterdam

Sassy JBern

Nathalie FroehlichRenens

mischgewebeZürich

DibbaseyZürich

PS3000Bern

Neunundneunzig liveWien

3lna liveBerlin

Spacer WomanBerlin

SQF2000 liveBerlin

TeenagencyBern

DELACAVEFR

Horse, I'm VirusFribourg

MistressBern

Tamar AphekTel Aviv

FomiesVevey

Bam­bounouParis

Jenny CaraZürich

PhrexBern

ODDISEE & GOOD COMPNYNYC & Washington

EVITA KONÉGenève

SuspirioZürich

TVBXSZürich

ZARYAETHBern

Brutalismus 3000Berlin

Sky LeonBerlin

SakuraBern

Harvey Rushmore & the OctopusBasel / Bern

AutobahnsLugano

MoictaniVevey

Ms. HydeZürich

Paul SeulParis

Von BikrävParis

Claude MurderParis

CLUBKELLYParis

K LuvParis

KorkkiLausanne

MiskaBern

DJ EgodeathBern

GoffbabyVevey

Daisy oder ErnaZürich/Bern

DLRBristol

DeejaymfBern

Konfront.AudioBern

NamaroneFribourg

SondaschuleOberhausen

Deine CousineHamburg

Godspeed You! Black EmperorMontreal

Marisa AndersonPortland

Acid CitrikBern

Ayshat Campbell b2b Chihuahua MamiZürich

Diselecta EnergyCH / Gambia

Deejay KaliLausanne / Cameroon

PedroTheDJCH

Hosted by MC QWERTYCH / Uganda

MétaraphBerlin

LazeMarseille

NannoBerlin

1luuBern

ZyKledZürich

MatriarkCopenhagen

Civic3milleBern

VivimoZürich

Phenomden SoundsystemZürich

CarmabylonCH

Chewlie - Live
Bern | CRTTR

Leo Baqué
Paris | ascidiacea

Phrex
Bern | Midilux, re:st

Sicc Puppy
Zürich

Grise
Fribourg

Nelle
Luzern

Alwa Alibi & Simo Saster
Bern

ENL
Zürich

Soukey
Bern

Milena Patagônia
Bern

Kia Mann
Bern

Antal
Amsterdam

Sassy J
Bern

Nathalie Froehlich
Renens

mischgewebe
Zürich

Dibbasey
Zürich

PS3000
Bern

Neunundneunzig live
Wien

3lna live
Berlin

Spacer Woman
Berlin

SQF2000 live
Berlin

Teenagency
Bern

DELACAVE
FR

Horse, I'm Virus
Fribourg

Mistress
Bern

Tamar Aphek
Tel Aviv

Fomies
Vevey

Bambounou
Paris

Jenny Cara
Zürich

Phrex
Bern

ODDISEE & GOOD COMPNY
NYC & Washington

EVITA KONÉ
Genève

Suspirio
Zürich

TVBXS
Zürich

ZARYAETH
Bern

Brutalismus 3000
Berlin

Sky Leon
Berlin

Sakura
Bern

Harvey Rushmore & the Octopus
Basel / Bern

Autobahns
Lugano

Moictani
Vevey

Ms. Hyde
Zürich

Paul Seul
Paris

Von Bikräv
Paris

Claude Murder
Paris

CLUBKELLY
Paris

K Luv
Paris

Korkki
Lausanne

Miska
Bern

DJ Egodeath
Bern

Goffbaby
Vevey

Daisy oder Erna
Zürich/Bern

DLR
Bristol

Deejaymf
Bern

Konfront.Audio
Bern

Namarone
Fribourg

Sondaschule
Oberhausen

Deine Cousine
Hamburg

Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Montreal

Marisa Anderson
Portland

Acid Citrik
Bern

Ayshat Campbell b2b Chihuahua Mami
Zürich

Diselecta Energy
CH / Gambia

Deejay Kali
Lausanne / Cameroon

PedroTheDJ
CH

Hosted by MC QWERTY
CH / Uganda

Métaraph
Berlin

Laze
Marseille

Nanno
Berlin

1luu
Bern

ZyKled
Zürich

Matriark
Copenhagen

Civic3mille
Bern

Vivimo
Zürich

Phenomden Soundsystem
Zürich

Carmabylon
CH