The Raw Men Empire

The Raw Men Empire is an acclaimed freak folk unit based in Tel Aviv, Israel.
In the past year they toured extensively, gaining a reputation for their unforgettable and uplifting shows. They have been compared to the likes of Devendra Banhart and Joanna Newsom, as well as anti folk artist Jeffrey Lewis, for whom they had opened during the Israeli leg of his tour. The Raw Men won Best Music award in 2010 SmallBama theater festival and put out two EPs:
The Rise and Fall of (2009) & Elodie (2010), which got rave reviews.
The Raw Men Empire members all met in various pubs around Tel Aviv. They still do their best to bring the pub’s friendly vibe and mild scent of whiskey into their act.
Coming from different musical backgrounds (low-fi minimalism, alternative rock, blues à la Tom Waits and even avant garde progressive rock!), they managed to fuse them together thanks to their joint love for unusual instrumentation and fondness of „catching the moment, by the balls if possible”. They record most of their music at their home studio, live, eyeball to eyeball, trying to capture that elusive organic feeling, that fresh vibe.
They somehow manage to dip their melancholy mannerisms in a hot pot of sticky joyfulness, thus serving the audience a dish filled with smiles, ooomph and a desperate desire for desert!
Is it happy music for sad people? Or sad music for happy people? You’ll be the judge.