She’s a musician, a teacher and a radio host, but Shani Weiss just sees herself as fortunate, because she gets to do what she loves each and every day.
Weiss, who teaches at Bialik College in Melbourne and hosts Indie Spotlight for J-AIR radio 88FM, said music is completely part of her being.
“I am very lucky to have my passion and hobby also be my profession and lifetime companion, always by my side,” she told The AJN, ahead of the launch of her EP, All About Life, in November. “It’s what I do, it’s what I am, it’s who I am.”
Weiss described her first album Touch of Reality as eclectic, showcasing the different genres that she plays and loves. A classically trained pianist who studied jazz for many years and was part of a Celtic rock band, who grew up loving grunge, Weiss acknowledges she doesn’t fit just one musical mould. But, she said, while the multiple influences are great for a musician, they can get confusing for an audience.
She learned that out of all the genres, her strength is with folk rock.
“My strength is in folk rock, whether [because] it’s something that touches deep inside for me or the connection it creates with my audience. So yes, folk rock and blues but don’t tell anyone, there is a metalhead hidden inside.”
All About Life deals with all the basic relationships everyone has in life – with parents, partners, children, friends. For Weiss, it is “raw and honest and it brings me at my most vulnerable”.
The album name, which is also the name of the first single, was inspired by her son who asked what he probably believed to be a simple question, “What’s life?”
“I explained it’s everything, too broad of an answer for a then five-year-old so he broke it down – is it driving in the car? Having a bath? Jumping in puddles? And I took all these simple suggestions and wrote the song, but the meaning was so much deeper,” Weiss recalled. “You don’t need riches and fame to be happy, you just need little moments every day of spending time with your loved ones, seeing a sunset, having a drink with a mate, that’s what life is all about. That message completes the EP from start to finish.”
Weiss is backed by a band that is a true example of multiculturalism, including Chilean bass player Axel Munoz, Egyptian drummer Simon Hannah and a new lead guitarist.
She said she loves collaborating with people from all over the world.
“Music is the only language that can be spoken and understood on every continent, culture, ethnicity,” Weiss explained. “Each culture brings different colours to music and I love ‘collabing’ with different artists from different cultures and places.”
At the launch, Weiss will be supported by R&B duo Shira and 4yrab (pronounced A-rab). As explained by Weiss, Shira is a Jewish songwriter who moved from Sydney to Melbourne about two years ago, while 4yrab is a Muslim songwriter who moved from Iraq to Melbourne. The duo clicked immediately and have been writing music together over the past year. Again, the message is clear – music crosses borders, boundaries and cultures.
“I heard Shira sing at an event and loved what I heard, and invited her on my show … and she came with Ahmed and I got to know them both and I just loved what they do and their vibe,” Weiss said. “They connect over music but the message they carry with them is so much stronger than any support band can bring, including myself: ‘We are humans and music is our currency.'”
Weiss said it’s an idea she carried with her when she moved to Australia from Israel. She fantasised about the multicultural life of a musician working, hopping from gig to gig and networking with others in the industry. Since October 7 though, that hasn’t necessarily been the case.
“I always considered myself firstly a musician before anything else as I felt that that automatically defines me as open minded and accepting of all,” she said. “Melbourne post-October 7th is nothing like the fantasy and as an Israeli musician I find myself in situations where I perform in places that have writings on the wall saying ‘Zionists aren’t safe here’. There is so much hate going around and you know what? I may be one voice, but I don’t just talk the talk, I walk the walk. I will continuously do what I can to keep sharing love, humanity and hope for a better future through music.”
All About Life will be launched at The Toff on November 13. For tickets, visit thetoff.com.au/gigs/shani-weiss-all-about-life-ep-launch
Instagram: @shaniweissofficial
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