missFlag is an

indie Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Gaming *Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies *Indie game, any game (board ...

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

- rock band from

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. Formed in 2005, the band's music is mostly influenced by the new wave of

British music Throughout the history of the British Isles, the United Kingdom has been a major music producer, drawing inspiration from Church Music. Traditional folk music, using instruments of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales. Each of the ...

and

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

. The band consists of

Gil Assayas Gil Assayas (also known as GLASYS) is an Israeli composer, keyboardist, producer, and vocalist. Previously, he was the lead vocalist and keyboardist of the band missFlag. He currently resides in Portland, Oregon. Assayas released the first GLASYS ...

( keyboards and lead vocals), Assa Bukelman (

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gu ...

), Shai Saadia (

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gu ...

), and Assaf Kraus (

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

and backing vocals). The band formerly included Ohad Eilam (a former lead singer, guitarist and songwriter).

History

Formation

missFlag's members have known each other years before forming the band. The group first started working together as a one-time

Tribute act A tribute act, tribute band or tribute group is a music group, singer, or musician who specifically plays the music of a well-known music act. Tribute acts include individual performers who mimic the songs and style of an artist, such as Elv ...

for the

British Rock British rock describes a wide variety of forms of music made in the United Kingdom. Since around 1964, with the "British Invasion" of the United States spearheaded by the Beatles, British rock music has had a considerable impact on the develop ...

band

Coldplay Coldplay are a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey (manager), Phil H ...

. Up until lately the band consisted of five members, including the musician and songwriter Ohad Eilam (guitar and vocals). Later on the band continued working as a four piece band.

''First EP''

Shortly after the Coldplay tribute, the group started to perform, write and record their own music, which led to the creation of their first release – a self-produced EP of 5 songs which was printed in only 1,000 copies. The EP caught the ear of

music producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure. Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

and

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...

from

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

Guy Erez Guy Erez ( he, גיא ארז) is a Los Angeles-based songwriter/producer, composer and virtuoso bass player. Born and raised in Israel, Erez moved to Los Angeles in 1992. His songs have appeared in hit movies and TV shows including the soundtrac ...

(

Jennifer Love Hewitt Jennifer Love Hewitt (born February 21, 1979) is an American actress and singer. Hewitt began her career as a child actress and singer, appearing in national television commercials before joining the cast of the Disney Channel series '' Kids ...

Gipsy Kings Gipsy Kings are a group of flamenco, salsa, and pop musicians from Arles and Montpellier in southern France, who perform mostly in Catalan but also mix in Spanish with southern French dialects. Although the group members were born in France, ...

, Adam Cohen,

Sarah Bettens Sam Bettens (born in 1972) is a Belgian musician and the lead singer of the Belgian band K's Choice. In May 2019, he came out as a transgender man. Career K's Choice In the mid-1990s, Bettens formed the band K's Choice with his brother G ...

) who later produced missFlag's first studio album.

''To Infinity''

In early 2007, the group finished writing a lot of new material, from which 10 songs were chosen for the purpose of recording their debut studio album. "To Infinity" was produced by

based producer

and came to light later that year. The Album was a mile stone for the band in the crowded US market. Later that year, the group released a single from the album, called "Hidden Thieves" a rock ballad that caught the ear of the renowned radio D.J. and "taste-maker"

Nic Harcourt Nic Harcourt (born September 23, 1957) is an English-born American radio and television presenter, producer, and journalist best known as the former Music Director and on-air presenter for the Santa Monica, California-based radio station KCRW. Har ...

from

KCRW KCRW (89.9 MHz FM) is a National Public Radio member station broadcasting from the campus of Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California, where the station is licensed. KCRW airs original news and music programming in addition to programm ...

, the California-based public radio station. (Credited for discovering Travis,

Dido Dido ( ; , ), also known as Elissa ( , ), was the legendary founder and first queen of the Phoenician city-state of Carthage (located in modern Tunisia), in 814 BC. In most accounts, she was the queen of the Phoenician city-state of Tyre (t ...

Norah Jones Norah Jones (born Geethali Norah Jones Shankar; March 30, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. She has won several awards for her music and as of 2012, has sold more than 50 million records worldwide. '' Billboard'' named her the ...

Pete Yorn Peter Joseph Yorn (born July 27, 1974) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He first gained international recognition after his debut record, '' Musicforthemorningafter'', was released to critical and commercial acclaim in 2001. He is ...

, and David Gray). The Jerusalem Post reviewed the album.

''Hidden Thieves''

Hidden Thieves is probably the group's

flag A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design emp ...

song. The single hit KCRW's top 20 charts, was praised in two different reviews by

The Los Angeles Times ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

, was downloaded digitally over 10,000 times and was nominated by the

indie music Independent music (also commonly known as indie music or simply indie) is music that is produced independently from commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, a process that may include an autonomous, do-it-yourself approach to recording a ...

website

GarageBand GarageBand is a line of digital audio workstations developed by Apple Inc. for macOS, iPadOS, and iOS devices that allows users to create music or podcasts. GarageBand is developed by Apple for macOS, and was once part of the iLife software ...

as song of the week several times. Furthermore, The Spanish/American based radio station Fame Games Radio chose ''Hidden Thieves'' to be song of the week four times in a row, leading to a "Track of the Month" title.

''Dreams of Flying''

In 2009, the group covered the Israeli classic "''Uf Gozal''" ( he, עוף גוזל) by

Arik Einstein Arieh Lieb "Arik" Einstein ( he, אָרִיק אַייְנְשְׁטֵייְן, ; 3 January 1939 – 26 November 2013) was an Israeli singer, actor, comedian and screenwriter. He was a pioneer of Israeli rock music and was named "the voice of Is ...

and

Miki Gavrielov Miki Gavrielov (מיקי גבריאלוב ; born 1949) is an Israeli composer and performer of folk/rock music. His career spans many decades, beginning with being a member of rock group The Churchills. Many of the most popular songs sung by A ...

, featuring Gavrielov himself in both the song and the video clip. Whilst the song was originally written in

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

, the band rewrote the lyrics in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

and renamed it ''Dreams of Flying'' but maintained the general concept of the song. The melody was kept but the

arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestr ...

was changed to fit missFlag's style. Along the years, missFlag has cooperated with many artists and musicians, both in the studio and live on stage including;

Jamie Muhoberac Benjamin Edward "Jamie" Muhoberac is an American session keyboardist with numerous credits. He is best known for his work with Seal and Was (Not Was). Biography Muhoberac has worked with acts including The All-American Rejects, Fleetwood Mac, Bob ...

, (from the Hebrew Wiki→) Yirmi Kaplan,

, Sharon Moldavi, Lee Biran (Libi), Ohad Eilam, Michael Greilsammer, Mai Lev, Miki Geva, Rebbe-Che and many others.

"Still Alive" cover

Still Alive "Still Alive" is a song featured in the closing credits of the 2007 video game '' Portal''. It was composed and arranged by Jonathan Coulton and was performed by Ellen McLain, who voiced the ''Portal'' antagonist and subject of the song, GLaDO ...

" is a song by

Jonathan Coulton Jonathan William Coulton (born December 1, 1970), often called "JoCo" by fans, is an American folk/comedy singer-songwriter, known for his songs about geek culture and his use of the Internet to draw fans. Among his most popular songs are " Co ...

, originally written as the ending credits theme for the PC game " Portal" by

Valve A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically fitting ...

. On November 10, 2007 missFlag uploaded to

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...

a cover version of the song, played at a rehearsal. The cover caught the ears of thousands of ''Portal'' fans, who urged the band to do a high-quality studio recording of their version. missFlag listened and recorded the song, released on March 16, 2008 as a free download from their website. The song was downloaded over 25,000 times and featured in numerous leading gaming sites.

Awards and media appearances

*On September 17, 2007 missFlag played a live session in Harcourt's morning edition

Morning Becomes Eclectic ''Morning Becomes Eclectic'' (MBE) is a three-hour adult album alternative radio program first aired in 1977 and broadcast live every weekday from KCRW in Santa Monica, California. The show's name is a play on the Eugene O'Neill trilogy of pl ...

, and drew the attention of several

major label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

s, including

Universal Records Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

who invited the band to LA for a

showcase Showcase or vitrine may refer to: *Cabinet (furniture) *Display case Music * ''Showcase'' (Bill Anderson album), 1964 * ''Showcase'' (Patsy Cline album), 1961 * ''Showcase'' (Buddy Holly album), 1964 * ''Showcase'' (Philly Joe Jones album), 1959 ...

later that year. *That same month, missFlag was also invited to play in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Lead ...

film festival. *In December 2007, missFlag's song "Fortune" was selected as KCRW's Top Tune. *On March 10, 2007 the group performed with the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English ...

-Israeli band Blackfield (

Steven Wilson Steven John Wilson (born 3 November 1967) is an English musician. He is the founder, guitarist, lead vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Porcupine Tree, as well as being a member of several other bands, including Blackfield, Storm Corro ...

Aviv Geffen Aviv Geffen ( he, אביב גפן, born 10 May 1973) is an Israeli rock musician, singer, songwriter and the son of writer and poet Yehonatan Geffen and Nurit Makover, brother of actress Shira Geffen, and an alumnus of Rimon School of Jazz and ...

) at the

Knitting Factory The Knitting Factory is a nightclub in New York City that features eclectic music and entertainment. After opening in 1987, various other locations were opened in the United States. The Knitting Factory gave its audience poetry readings, perform ...

, in

, California. *Since 2006, the band has toured the US four times, from East Coast to West Coast, covering over 20 states. *The ''

Austin American-Statesman The ''Austin American-Statesman'' is the major daily newspaper for Austin, the capital city of Texas. It is owned by Gannett. The paper prints Associated Press, ''New York Times'', ''The Washington Post'', and ''Los Angeles Times'' internation ...

'' newspaper has picked missFlag's show at " Antone's" in Austin, Texas as the Best Bet for March, 2007. * ABC Radio Networks "Fame Games" featured missFlag in "Red Carpet" - The Global Breakthru Chart No. 15 (May 16, 2009). *The band has been selected as one of the top 5 nominees for 8 awards, including: Best Overall Artist, Best Group (Rock), Most Popular band, Best Overall vocal, in ABC Radio Networks Fame Games Effigy Awards. *In 2008, their single "Hidden Thieves" was nominated in the Alternative category at the Hollywood Music Awards. *In June 2005, their song "Run" made it to the top 5 in the 'rock' category at the

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Communic ...

"Song of the Year songwriting contest". *JLTV ( Jewish Life Television) nationwide US

TV channel A television channel is a terrestrial frequency or virtual number over which a television station or television network is distributed. For example, in North America, "channel 2" refers to the terrestrial or cable band of 54 to 60 MHz, wit ...

did a feature on the band.

Discography

* #First EP - Released in 1.1.2006. * #To Infinity - Released 2007. * #Turn It Off Plug It Out - Released 2012

Singles

*''Hidden Thieves'' - Released in 20.4.2007 *''You're Not Easy To Love'' - Released in 18.6.2008 *''Dreams of Flying'' - Released in 2009.

References

External links

Official website101 breaks by Assaf Kraus
{{DEFAULTSORT:Missflag Israeli pop music groups Musical groups from Jerusalem Israeli indie rock groups Musical groups established in 2005 2005 establishments in Israel