Have you heard? There is a new venue in Jerusalem!

Before Corona, Jerusalem had a plethora of stages for performing bands. Over the past few years, we have lost the Avraham Café, The Horko, The Namal, The Colony, The Off The Wall Comedy Club, the Poundak, and of course many years earlier the Syndrome and the Pargod. I’m sure there are more but that is an incredible amount of venues closing due to lack of funds. Should a band want to play in Jerusalem they must play at a bar and even that is slim pickings: Blaze Bar, The Besarabia and Mikes Place.

Should an unknown band want to grace the stage of the Yellow Submarine or The Zappa, they need to assure the venue of a large crowd to cover the cost. This is almost impossible particularly if the band is not based in Jerusalem though the smaller unknown bands of Jerusalem also can’t rely on enough of an audience to insure that they will not lose money.

And then came the Modular Club at the Stay Inn Hotel. Located in the center of downtown Jerusalem inside an unnoticeable entrance on King George next to Ben Yehuda you open the door and find a gorgeous hotel decorated with a young spirit. The restaurant is clearly classy with separate rooms for private dining groups, and the menu is exceptional, far from ordinary with unusual entrees. The staff is young, attractive, and sweet and you can tell that they call the Stay Inn their second home.

But what makes the Stay Inn so special to me, my concertgoers and to Jerusalem? The spacious, lounge-like venue on the second floor has recently opened and is available to use as a fantastic concert and event hall.  So tucked away from sight if it wasn’t for Hillel Farkash, well-known bar owner of Ha Oman 17 and others, I would never have found this amazing location. Hillel has begun to work with local bars and venues to help them become known for their cultural potential.  I met Hillel when I began my “Sober Sundays” for teens at the Poundak Project Club in downtown Jerusalem.  He loved the idea and saw it come to fruition sometimes attracting over 100 teens playing music and making up the audience supporting their peers and having a wonderful time. Later that year Hillel attended one of my Jerusalem Community Woodstock Festivals and was again excited about a unique idea filling a void in our city.

Months later Hillel took me on a tour of potential venues including the Modular Club and The New Gate open-air concert venue which hosted Meir Ariel’s sons that night with a tribute to their father hosting hundreds of on lookers.  Hillel introduced me as a great community event organizer who knows how to excite concertgoers, and Walla! The bond was created.

I must give credit to both the Stay Inn owner Sivan Azran and the club manager Daniel O’hana. I could not promise an audience at the beginning knowing that my “crowd” loves my outdoor events at the Silo outdoor café in the summer but lo and behold it’s working.

Our first event was Jon Hock’s Santana tribute opened by “Saltwater” a must-see acoustic band. Santana’s vibe got the crowd dancing and singing. The following event was a four-band tribute to the Grateful Dead. With over 100 attending the energy was high and Jerry G would have been proud. Our opening bands were great and fun but then came Abeline who knocked everyone’s socks off! They are the youngest Grateful Dead Band in the country and man do they sound amazing!  With so few appropriate venues for them in Jerusalem, they couldn’t wait to perform at the Club.

Again hats off to the Modular Club for allowing us to hold our teen events in the hall.  Unlike my other events there will be no alcohol bar of course but soft drinks and popcorn will abound and music from 7:30 until 11pm with young bands attending from all over Jerusalem including young Russian and Ukrainian bands and musicians who recently arrived from Ukraine and Russia escaping the tragic war, some from the “Wild Walks” project: https://www.facebook.com/dikieprogulki/  who began collecting these teens from all over Israel and creating art oriented weekly meetings helping them to express themselves and make friends in this land they now call their home. Having the opportunity to play with Israeli teens and take a part in the audience supporting young musicians will undoubtedly be an experience they will not forget. I’m excited to say that this will be a monthly occurrence. Thank you, Daniel and Co.

Our upcoming Rock concert will feature “The Chili Willies” an incredible tribute band to the Red Hot Chili Peppers.  I heard them at Blaze Bar and could swear, if I closed my eyes it was the original band!  https://www.facebook.com/TheChiliWillies

As if that was not a treat enough, our featured opening band will be Izakman. Not only a creative musician, Izakman is internationally known as a talented animator working for Disney Baby TV soon to release one of his original animated shows.  Izakman uses his animation to illustrate his original songs such as “Down the Rabbit Hole” https://www.facebook.com/izakmanmusic/posts/pfbid029jpy9cXoEmwN38YfL15W2jTMBg2R2A4vZ1CX96rv8VBcjSy9j2e9VGJiXqecvdZPl

Here are a few of the links he sent me showing how lucky we are to have such talent not only right here in Israel but performing in Jerusalem on February 22^nd along with two young start-up bands with great potential.

Album review

[Review] Izakman – Cyber Love (progrockjournal.com)

singles review

Radar Reviews: Izakman – ‘Cyber Love’ – Rhythm Radar (monkjackpublishing.com)

Izakman Provides A Welcome Escape For The Musically Open-Minded With Single ‘Real Boy’ – Subba-Cultcha

Tick, Tock, Math Rock on Izakman’s Psychedelic Music Video ‘Down The Rabbit Hole’ – PRESS RELEASE RADAR (monkjackpublishing.com)

interview

Interview: IZAKMAN – Get Ready to ROCK! – News | Reviews | Interviews | RadioGet Ready to ROCK!

https://open.spotify.com/artist/0olqSprMm6Au0jS0uJvq3j?si=UdzwXTZARGKdhWdwTKoAgg

Izakman (@izakman_music) • Instagram photos and videos

Izakman | Facebook

I often hear my friends speak about which bands became famous years after they saw them on campus. Well I am sure that Izakman will be one of those bands that you will say “ I remember when”.

So join us for our next epic event at the Modular Club Downtown Jerusalem and get ready to dance!

https://fb.me/e/3cYR4Z51N?mibextid=RQdjqZ

Get your advanced tickets through me. I would love to hear from you!!

0548108918

The Stay Inn Hotel lobby and restaurant

Our first show at the Modular Club with Jon Hock’s tribute to Santana

Our new venue and the Stay Inn Hotel

The great outdoor space at the Stay Inn Hotel

The venue preparing for our first show!

The discreet entrance to the Stay Inn Hotel at 21 King George st Jerusalem

“Wild Walks” kids making new friends after arriving in Israel and fleeing Ukraine and Russia