Q&A With Rising Israeli Indie Pop Troupe Lola Marsh, Playing Mao Livehouse Tonight, Apr 27

It’s not often that Beijing music fiends catch a glimpse of what Israel’s music scene has to offer, making tonight’s (Apr 27) Mao Livehouse engagement by rising Tel Aviv duo Lola Marsh one of the most tempting gigs that the venue has put on since it quietly reopened earlier this year.

Singer Yaeli Cohen sounds like a bewitched Janis Joplin casting a whisky and cigarette-infused spell on songs like "You’re Mine," from their eponymous 2015 EP. “Sirens,” from that same release, has a minimalist and sweeping percussion punctuated by far-flung, desert-scorched strumming from guitarist Gil Landau (Lola Marsh formed as a duo, but have since recruited other members Mati Gilad on bass, Rami Osservaser on guitar and keyboards, and Dekel Dvir on drums).

In June the band will release their debut LP Remember Roses which features several You’re Mine cuts along with new tracks like the soaring but melancholy “She’s a Rainbow,” and the folksy, vintage-tinged “Wishing Girl,” (think Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeroes, but more haunting and not so earnest).

Below, Cohen and Landau tell us more about writing those wistful and nostalgic tunes.

Tell me about the music you've been working on lately, and what's been inspiring it.
Yaeli:
We try and write all the time, in between tours and when we're not on stage. We wrote a new song a week ago, it's a little melancholy, but that's how it is. We write what we feel that moment, so many things inspire us.

Which of your songs usually gets the most enthusiastic response at your concerts, and why do you think that is?
Yaeli:
It changes from place to place, and that's what's fun about performing, it's dynamic and surprising. The songs that have already been released are always received really well. It's always nice to hear people sing along with us.

Tell us about how your duo formed and how you compliment each other artistically.
Yaeli:
We Met in Tel Aviv at Gil's birthday party. We played a song together with him on the guitar and the connection was immediate. From there we started working together, writing songs and performing.

Gil: I've been hearing Yaeli’s voice for the past five years and I'm not sick of it [laughs]. I think she has one of the most unique voices I've ever heard.

Yaeli: I admire Gil's willingness to explore and teach himself everything he'd like to know about. He’s one of the most talented people I know.

What is the music scene like in your city is Israel right now? Are there any limitations compared to other cities around the world, and any unique benefits?
Yaeli:
The music scene is very diverse in Tel Aviv, very broad. You can find so many styles from indie folk to hip-hop, rock, and electronica. We basically have it all. There's also a mixture of Middle Eastern and Western music, which is really interesting to hear.

What's next for Lola Marsh?
Yaeli:
Our debut album will be released on June 9. It's something we've eagerly been waiting to release for a very long time. We'll be touring Europe and the US, and territories we haven't yet been to such as China and Turkey. We also just want to write and make more music all the time.

Lola Marsh will perform at Mao Livehouse tonight, April 27, at 8.30pm, click here for more information. They'll also play at Tango as part of STOX on April 27, 4pm. For more information on that, click here.

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Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
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Photos courtesy of the promoters