Just returned from Eilat.
The Funkapella gave two shows at the Red Sea Jazz Festival. They were the first shows of the band in its current incarnation.
First Show: There was a horrible amount of tension among the band members. One of us was still stuck with a soar throat, taking horrible emergency medicines – steroids and the such. Others were fighting about which clothes to wear. The sound on stage was difficult, but not as difficult as the sound outside. This sad fact was brought to our attention only after the show, of course. The horrible tention also caused some stiffness among us, and our hastily-invented between-songs-gags mostly backfired on us.
However, the show was sold out, the place was crammed with people, and most of'em were having a good time, as I gather from the handclapping and reports from my agents among the audience. Highlights were, as far as I remember, The very beginning (when the growd started clapping with the bassline), the distortion solo in "Arlozorov on 190" and our rendering of the James Bond Theme (arranged by Arnon Palty).
Second Show: Having established, the night before, that the show can be done even with all the abovementioned problems, we were much more relaxed preparing for the coming show. We got rid of most of the gags from the day before, deciding to improvise instead. The soundcheck was more intensive, and we found out that the new place (we moved from the Arkia Hall to the Maariv Hall) had much better equipment. This show was probably the best the Funkapella ever gave: we were free on stage, the sound was good, the vibes were good, and the audience danced. This show wasn't sold out, but it was quite close to it. It was, by the way, pictured for Channel 2, so there's a chance you'll see it, one night, when you least expect it.
All in all, we learned a lot from those two shows. Now we're starting to record the stuff, and in a month or two we should start performing regularly.
I also managed, while waiting for our transport to arrive, to write a new song for the group.
I need some rest.
ניר יניב 