When it’s time to face the audience, you go out there with a mixture of belief and bravado; but ultimately, you’re going in there blind. No amount of rehearsals and preparation can predict the reaction of an audience. Singer/songwriter Tzvika Force (Tzvika Lorber) has been bringing the intimacy and emotional power of his songs to audiences for some time now, last Saturday at Tmuna he celebrated the launch of his EP Petit Nature,produced by Ben Spector, with a new band – and the audience loved it!
Coming in late from Jerusalem I missed Tzvika’s symbolic entrance, blindfolded, singing a capella. The first part of the evening reflected the path he has taken so far: a singer with his piano, singing from the heart. To my good fortune (and yours), MuperPHOTO was there – backstage and at the concert to create his visual narrative for our pleasure. I came in time to find an empty space on the floor near the stage and hear a few songs from the Tzvika I had come to know: tender and tough, going it alone with captivating solos and theatrical flair.
An intriguing video interlude evoked associations of Saint-Exupery’s Little Prince, cleansing the sensory palate for the impact of Tzvika Force – the band. Opening with Take What You Can Take From Me, the energy onstage was incredible and the audience responded in kind. “Speed up your heart” – Yes!
I am familiar with two kinds of concerts at Tmuna: sit down and standing/dancing. Tzvika’s concert was somewhere between the two, with rows of chairs set up and the overflow of audience standing at the back and sides of the room, or like me, on the floor near the stage. Watching the people around me move to the music, I could easily imagine Tzvika Force doing a standing room only show, with the audience doing what they clearly wanted to do: get up and dance.
Beautiful moments when Tzvika sang with guest performer Daniela Spector: a great duet on Cut it Out (from the album Love Is by Daniela and Ben Spector), then Daniela’s ethereal voice and Tzvika’s dark passion flowed into a heart-rending cover of Nick Cave’s Where the Wild Roses Grow.
Tzvika has come together with a terrific band: Eden Liberman on keyboard and computer, Nir Leist on bass and Ilan Tenennbaum on drums. I heard them in rehearsal a week before the launch, and immediately connected. Hearing them onstage at Tmuna – I was blown away: all the intimacy and good vibes of the studio were amplified in the lights and energy of the stage.
Tzvika Force gave it their all Saturday night, and the audience responded with love and applause, and just wouldn’t let them leave the stage…until finally, after a great encore – Seven and a thundering performance of I Believe, the performance was over.
Tzvika Force will be performing at the Abraham Hostel on June 13, 2013. Check the Midnight East calendar and Tzvika Force facebook page for details and future gigs. Enjoy Muperphoto!
