The Bitton Family boast some of the best people I know in this world and I’m lucky to call them friends, so it’s my pleasure to plug Rock of David, an act that was forged in family ties yet stands on its own in unique creativity and skill. Here’s an interview with frontman Yechiel Bitton.

But first, here’s their bio (saves me some typing)…

When their threads converged, four wandering musicians together spun a new groove. It was a natural and perhaps inevitable occurrence in which musical heritage was embraced just as old ties re-emerged.

A little over a year ago, two sons of a Moroccan-Rock legend committed themselves to creative continuity. Dividing the musical inheritance they received from their singer-drummer dad, Israel Bitton took hard and fast to the drums while Yechiel Bitton explored the rising sound of his chords. Isaac Bitton, who had stolen the scene in 70’s Europe with his Rock n Roll band “Les Variations,” watched proudly as his kids carried on the pulsating rhythms of his old Morocco, ultimately creating a sound of soulfulness and joie de vivre.

But the picture was half-drawn before the Bitton brothers reconnected with an old friend. In the 80s in New York, Isaac Bitton had befriended singer-guitarist Yosi Piamenta, sometimes collaborating with the high-spirited, Hendrix-like musician. Now, it was Piamenta’s son, Yuda, who was to carry the torch. With personal flair that belied his age, guitarist Yuda Piamenta brought the artistic tradition of his father to the burgeoning band. Together, Yosi Piamenta and Isaac Bitton witnessed a reunion of the next generation.
Another connection drew a fourth member from his corner of the world. When Yuda Piamenta introduced bass player Nachum Bloom to the group, the vision solidified, and Rock of David was born. Although a soft and seamless induction, the addition of Nachum to the group instantly raised Rock of David to its point of entrance. In a similarly seamless manner, the band made its groundbreaking debut.

MI: What made you guys decide on this kind of sound / groove / what not.

YB: If it wasn’t for this band and the individual influences I’d be an R&B singer. Our bass player is a metal guy. Yuda Piamenta, son of Yosi is 70’s Jimi Hendrix, my brother is also a 70’s rock Zep head. I think that our sound came together with all the influences we’ve had individually.

MI: Plus the Mizrachi influences… However did you get into R & B!!?

YB: I grew up listening to Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, and Otis Redding. My father was heavily influenced by Otis and passed it on to me I guess.

MI: Your father was sitting on the Parisian dock of the bay. (Yechiel’s father is Yitzchak Bitton, a session drummer once part of an internationally successful French rock n’ roll band called Les Variations.

YB: ☺ I like mostly the older stuff, Motown, but I’m really liking the blend. We’re not the first to blend R&B and rock, but we add a unique spice of our families’ past. Morrocan, Mizrachi. I haven’t been able to really pin our sound down. I hear funk. I hear hard retro rock. Some people describe us as punk. We’re not stuck to one genre of music. We have a song “Nana”, with a reggae feel. We’re all about meshing what we have together. It’s still evolving though as we’re a new band. We just added another guitar player, Levi Martinez, who will bring that heavier sound of modern day rock or even metal 😉

MI: Are you concentrating on the Jewish music field or are you trying to get international – general acceptance?

YB: International for sure. We’re not about the Jewish market. It’s limiting. We play in clubs to a mostly non-Jewish crowd.

MI: Ok… what big name bands could you see yourself playing with, like, where do you see your crowd as being?

YB: hmm. That’s a tricky question. I think everyone in the band has their own ideas 🙂

MI: Well like you said, that’s part of what makes you…