Meet Nadav Peled | Musician, Guitarist, Composer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nadav Peled and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nadav, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I think you can’t really be an artist without taking some risks. You risk not having financial stability, an ordinary lifestyle , you risk people not understanding your most personal creations.

For me, maybe the first thing was moving to NY from Israel. I grew up in a pretty small town but always had the inclination to move to New York. That move at a young age was definitely not easy but I’m so happy I took that chance. I’ve found more inspiration that I could’ve imagined, opportunities and made connections with some of my dearest friends/ collaborators.

I feel like this experience fueled my creativity so much and I’m grateful I went for it.

As time goes by I also feel more comfortable with my music to reach out to more people whom, perhaps in the past, I would be a little hesitant to approach. Believing in yourself is also a risk but at least you know who you’re dealing with..

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I get to play guitar in many different groups but my own project is Anbessa Orchestra. It’s a 7 piece instrumental band based in Brooklyn NY and we play our own original music but with heavy influences from Ethiopia and East Africa in general. We put out one EP, one LP and a couple of singles so far and have reached a wide and diverse audience. I really feel that this band, even though it has specific influences, has created it’s own sonic world with composition and playing and that kind of sets us apart from other bands in that genre.

Ever since we started, we have maintained a fairly busy schedule (for a 7 piece band in NY) and I feel think that playing live really helped create our own sound and dynamics. We really give our all when we play and want to make each person in the audience feel better when they leave a show. We were able to create a following that way.

It definitely isn’t easy. Especially with me now being based out of LA and having to fly out to the east coast for tours and recordings and being a fairly large band isn’t easy to navigate but we definitely make it happen. I think the most important part is that everyone in the band really believe in the music and really love playing with each other.

Through everything we were able to accomplish some really cool things like opening for Hailu Mergia, who’s an Ethiopian music legend, being featured on Beyond Addis Vol. 2 with alongside some amazing artists and also sharing stages with bands we’re very inspired by such as Antibalas and Slavic Soul Party.

We’re projected to record a new EP this summer and we have some tour dates coming up after such a long time with no live music so I’m super excited for that!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
LA has so many beautiful spots.

Definitely I’d go to Griffith park, I’d hike there a lot and I love the views and vibes. Elysian park is also a favorite. Definitely go eat at Burgerlords and Pura Vita. Also Xochitl is amazing.

I was very happy to see that one of my favorite bars/ venues- ETA is getting back in action so I’d definitely try to catch some music and drinks there and also go to one of my favorite neighborhood bars- Bar Flores which has great drinks and always a surprisingly good playlist playing in the background.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There’s so many people to thank.

I’m fortunate to have a very supportive family and wife that I’m so grateful for.

I’ve had great luck with finding musicians who are not only colleagues but a part of an extended family. All the bands I’m in that turn into a community, I’m so happy about that and appreciate every person in these groups.

A special shoutout to Muluqen Melesse, the first Ethiopian artist I’ve heard which started my passion for music from Ethiopia and ultimately led to the creation of my band Anbessa Orchestra.

Website: www.anbessaorchestra.com

Instagram: @peled.guitar

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LIONSbandnyc

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl_PFUu_F8_DR0d-SxHoK-A

Other: Anbessa Orchestra on IG- @anbessaorchestra On spotify- https://open.spotify.com/artist/6fhJloxR9kPa2pIR1KAUNf?si=mhIMD-qnRcmdOe_t8PSDFQ

Image Credits
1. Mike Monaghan 2. Cristhian Isturiz 3. Brian Bixby 4. Julian Parker Burns