This week on Time Signatures with Jim Ervin, Erv welcomes International musician, Zak Bekkers. Zak’s music is best described as “Blues-driven Rock with a dark Americana soul. He stopped in to talk about his journey into and through the Blues, his new life as a parent, and his position as an official endorser of Bushman Harmonicas-the company that just happens to be endorsing us!
This is Time Signatures with Jim Ervin, a podcast presented by the Capital Area Blues Society in Lansing, Michigan. Now, most any modern musical style can trace its roots back to the blues. Time Signatures explores the blues and its musical connections with captivating interviews, lively discussions and news from the world of blues. And now, here he is, your host, Jim Ervin! Who you got today, Jim?
Jim Ervin:
Well, hey, hey everyone. Welcome and thank you. Big Lou. I'm Jim Ervin and this is Time Signatures.
Today's guest is joining us from Israel and is an endorser of Bushman Harmonicas. He plays a variety of music, but from what I'm hearing, he has a new album coming out soon and we're going to talk about that.
So the timing of the visitors could not be better. And four note hearing, there's a little bit of blues tinged with some rock in this mix. So without further ado, let's get him in here.
Zak Bekkers, welcome to Time Signatures. How are you, sir?
Zak Bekkers:
I'm good. Thank you for having me.
Jim Ervin:
It's a pleasure, man. Yeah, it's absolutely a pleasure.
And we're going to get into this new album shortly, Zak, but I would love to hear about your earliest memories of music.
Zak Bekkers:
Okay. Well, I think I'm a bit different from other musicians in that sense. I started very, very late.
I, I think I started playing guitar when I was like 24. I started guitar before harmonica and before that I had no connection whatsoever to music. I didn't listen to music.
I wasn't interested in any kind of bands. It came very, very late. I was more into physics and math, stuff like that.
Jim Ervin:
Well, maybe that, maybe that explains the diversity in your music because it seems like you've got a little bit of blues, but you've also got some other genres mixed in there as well.
Zak Bekkers:
Yeah, yeah, I think it does, it does explain some of that because maybe because I didn't come from like a musical family or any higher connection to a specific genre. So I was, I never felt probably compelled to, to be connected to any. So I tried all different kinds.
And in fact, I think blues was, was like, at the beginning I wasn't, I didn't like blues at all. I didn't even understand why people like it.
It was like kind of like drinking beer for the first time and not understanding why people like took a while to get into it. And thanks to my, my guitar teacher, he's the one that I owe him, I guess this connection right now. Now, so go ahead, go ahead. Yeah, so.
So I, I started playing guitar like 24, I guess. And when I started going to my, my current teacher. Why you haven't seen a year. His name is Eyal Freiman. He's an amazing, amazing guitarist.
Go check him up. He's mostly into like fusion and, and all that stuff. And he's very, very into blues. He's very good at it. Okay, all right.
I, I only started playing harmonica when I was 30, 31. That's like eight years ago.
Podcast Intro & Outro:
Wow.
Jim Ervin:
So you, you are a late cover to the game, but that's pretty cool, man. Yeah.
Now of the blues genre, since you've gotten involved in it, especially with harmonica, were there any favorites of yours that kind of gave you a little inspiration as you were going along?
Zak Bekkers:
In Israel, you don't have too many people who play harmonica and harmonica blues specifically, you maybe have like 10 people who play blues harmonica in Israel who play good, who play well.
So I wasn't really exposed to blues harmonica in Israel, but when I did hear, there's a famous guy here in Israel in the genre, but I heard him once in the show and I was like, harmonica, you know, you hear that, you hear the harmonica and you can't go wrong. It's like, so it has such a unique sound to it and I really, really wanted to learn it and I didn't have anyone to learn it from.
I was looking for a teacher and you couldn't find here any teacher. So I, I bought a harmonica. I didn't even know what second position, all that stuff. I have no idea what's tongue blocking or whatever.
Jim Ervin:
I get it, I get it.
Zak Bekkers:
I didn't know nothing. I didn't know nothing. I thought like, if I want to play blues and E, I need a harmonica. That, that's the only sense it made, you know.
So I got A E harmonica and like the things I heard people do on, on YouTube, I couldn't understand how, like, what's the approach? Where do I start?
So I think like the first year I was just playing around, playing in first position, you know, like just playing melody, like to pop songs. And I bought, I bought a Hana harmonica and it comes with a, with a leaflet. No, that you can get like free, I think like two months lesson online.
Jim Ervin:
Yes, sir.
Zak Bekkers:
And fortunately their lessons were very, very good. And that's how I started. And he only teaches tongue block.
Jim Ervin:
Really?
Zak Bekkers:
Yeah, his, his thing is like start tongue block and do only tongue block, 100 tongue black, which is, which is rare because Usually people start like, tongue block is, like, only after you do purse slipping. Right. That's supposed to be easier.
Jim Ervin:
Well, are you familiar with Bob Corritor? Does that name ring a bell at all?
Zak Bekkers:
No.
Jim Ervin:
Okay. Bob is big in the blues over here on the state side. So if you get a chance to dig into him a little bit, he's all about the Chicago style of blues.
Chicago native, now lives in Phoenix. He has a place called the Rhythm Room out there in Phoenix, and that's all he does. And he was telling me that if you.
If you're going to be the blues, you need to. You need to learn how to tongue block. So that's the first thing he told me.
Zak Bekkers:
Yeah, tongue block is a big thing. And yeah, again, fortunately, I really had the fortune to come to come on these lessons and just start from tongue block.
However, I think if, like, I get some students here in a while, and because tongue block is. It takes a while until you get into it.
And if you are just a beginner, especially if the harmonica is your first instrument, which I don't recommend it, I think the harmonica should be a second instrument. We could talk about that. Why, I think that.
But if you come as a first instrument and letting someone learn tongue block, I think like a big percentage of the students will just give up at some time because it's too long until you. You get to enjoy the instrument that you just don't do it. So after. After that, I did. I went on YouTube and I looked at Adam Gasso. He's amazing. His.
His lessons are amazing. And the way he gives up lessons is very unique. I learned from him a lot.
And after doing that for a couple of years, I went into listening to other great blues players. You know, Little Walter, all these. All these classical.
But I think I mainly, I was influenced the stuff that I do like, the fast stuff and runs and the approaches that I do, I think a lot, a lot of Charlie McCoy. Fantastic. I love him. He very, very influenced, I think.
Jim Ervin:
At what point in your life did you determine that you would pursue a life in music since you started late? Is it something that's relatively new?
Zak Bekkers:
Yeah, I'm. I'm currently in 38. I have a first degree in physics and a master's in physics.
So Until I was 30, 31, I. I was pursuing a career in physics in science, and I was. I did my master's in Weissman Institute. I don't know if you heard of it. It's a big institute in Israel. And I was.
I was doing research and only when I was 31, I felt that. It's not that I didn't. It's not that I don't like physics and I didn't have a good time. I really like that. But the side of.
Of the thrill of playing music to people and going out there and kind of living the dream, I felt that it was missing. So when I was already 31, I was. I was pretty solid already with the guitar. To think that maybe, you know what? Maybe I should try it.
That's when I started going more seriously into music. And around 32, I. I only did music already.
Jim Ervin:
So you. You basically have walked away from the. The physics side, and you're specific. You're just doing music now.
Zak Bekkers:
Just music. I'm only doing music right now.
Jim Ervin:
Wow. What an adjustment.
Zak Bekkers:
So.
Jim Ervin:
So how did.
Zak Bekkers:
It's crazy.
Jim Ervin:
Yeah. So how did you get started professionally, Zak? Were you active in busking or did you develop your chops with a band or what?
Zak Bekkers:
So it's a wild west, and over here, it's a middle, middle East. Wild, Middle east over here. Especially in Israel, it's. It's. Man, it's difficult. I. I don't know what to say about it.
Like, I didn't have any connections whatsoever to. To the industry. So how did. How did I start? I. I already. I played a lot of covers at the beginning. I still play.
I still have a lot of COVID shows, you know, for venues, and I bought the small amp that has a battery inside, and I started playing outside. That's how I started. I just. And this is very uncommon in Israel. It's not. It's not something that a lot of people do here. It's not. We don't have a.
Jim Ervin:
But you seem to draw a crowd here. Yeah, you seem to draw a crowd.
Zak Bekkers:
That's right. With. With time, I got better and I got better amps, and people started to see me, and I started to know people and other musicians.
You just have to go out there. I don't know anything else to say now.
Jim Ervin:
When you're in New York, are you doing mostly venues or are you busking over here as well?
Zak Bekkers:
So, first of all, I have a big family. My parents come from New York.
Jim Ervin:
Okay.
Zak Bekkers:
We have a large family over there, so we go visit them almost every year. I. I played some venues in New York through friends that I met, also busking in Times Square. But I'm.
I. I don't stay there enough time, though, that I have, like, deep connections that I could, you know, come in and. Okay, I have this venue and stuff, I mostly go and busk there and I have a friend or two that I joined that they go to venues. They have their venues.
Jim Ervin:
Okay. Now, from what you've told me, you're married, You've got a little one in the house.
How has the addition of that new baby changed your perception of your music career, Zak?
Zak Bekkers:
It's, it's. First of all, it's amazing having my new child. This is. I didn't even think I would have children, but here I am. Here I am.
I love him very much and I, I play him the harmonica. I used to play the harmonica for him every day. Now he's. He plays with other stuff.
Well, I think when you have less time and you, you get to appreciate the, the free time that you do have once you have children. I don't know. Do you have children?
Jim Ervin:
I do. I have three, yes.
Zak Bekkers:
Well, you know, you, you know better than me. You don't, you don't, you don't have time to waste, you know?
Jim Ervin:
Yes, sir.
Zak Bekkers:
You don't want to, you don't want to play with bullshit. You're gonna say. You're gonna start saying no to things that you don't think are gonna have, are going anywhere.
So if I, if I have two free hours, you know, in my day, I'm gonna play the harmonica. I'm gonna work on the stuff that I really need to work on. I'm gonna go to the studio and gonna keep on recording the songs that I'm working on.
I'm not gonna waste my time.
Jim Ervin:
I wanted to ask you about bushman harmonicas, man. How did you connect with John?
Zak Bekkers:
Truth is, John connected with me and I'm very, very reached out to you. I'm very happy that he reached out to me. Well, I'll tell you what, about. About a year and a half ago. Okay, let's.
Let's start before I've been working on, on my current album. That you heard the songs?
Jim Ervin:
Yes, sir.
Zak Bekkers:
For about four to five years. I was working very, very hard on that album, from writing it to producing it pretty, pretty much independently.
And the last year before I had my newborn, I worked in it a lot. So I would be able to finish it before. I won't be able to finish it when it comes to life.
Jim Ervin:
And.
Zak Bekkers:
I opened up a new page under Zak Becker's and I wanted to. I wanted it to be mostly for blues harmonica and blues oriented materials. And I started posting a lot of videos.
I learned how to edit and do all those stuff, and I started Posting, I didn't think much is going to come out of it, but people started to like the videos and I got a nice traffic mostly on Facebook and I started to get some companies approaching me. I'm not going to say the names, but anyway, sure, when, when John approached me and we started talking, we had a straight, straight.
I had a connection with him. I really, really loved what he was.
First of all, his energy and his kindness and he's just a real person, you know, he, he, he like, he didn't even say, like, you have to play only my harmonicas or something like that, which I do. But he didn't even ask me. Was very nice. Just loved what I'm doing and he offered to give me a sponsorship. I'm very happy about that. Yeah.
Jim Ervin:
What led you to become an endorser for them? Did you just fall in love with the brand after you got a chance to play it?
Zak Bekkers:
He sent me, he sent me a few harmonicas. I didn't promise them anything. I didn't promise him anything. And I liked it. I liked the harmonicas. I agreed. I love the John Lee.
The John Lee series is, is great especially. It really matters if you tongue block and what kind of, of licks you like to play, right?
Because if you're a tongue blocker and you want to play fast stuff, you want the harmonica to feel smooth on your lips. So like plastic combs are very good for that.
And, and many of the steel combs, sometimes you get like a weird taste, especially if you're a tongue blocker because your mouth is like stuck inside a comb. And so his, his, his first of all, his, his, the John Lee Steely series is amazing. You don't have that taste. And it also is very, very responsive.
So right away I fell in love with that in Monica and the rest of the harmonica, the Frost and, and the Roundhouse are great and they're. And they're pretty cheap for what they give out.
Jim Ervin:
Oh yeah. The Roundhouse is actually the one that I'm learning on and I, I really like the way it feels in the mouth when you're playing it.
So were there any surprises as you became familiar with, with Bushman, Anything that you didn't expect that you found.
Zak Bekkers:
You mean in the harmonicas themselves or. Yes, yes, sir. Again, the John Lee. Fantastic. Very, very fantastic. It's, I think it's a very special harmonica.
It has great responsiveness and it comes with a very, very loud. It's very loud. I don't know if you know the harmonica. I'm talking about. It's like.
Jim Ervin:
Yes, I do.
Zak Bekkers:
Nice and heavy. It looks. It looks like a chromatic, but it's not. Those are very great harmonicas.
Jim Ervin:
Are those. Would you call that your go to line?
Zak Bekkers:
Yeah, I think so. Right now, I. I only got the steely one, and I would love to try also the. The one that comes with a plastic comb. Okay.
I'm gonna have them soon, and I'm gonna tell you how they are. Also, the roundhouse are. Are very. Like you said, are very comfortable for the price point.
Jim Ervin:
I don't think that a. A person starting off with the harmonic, I don't think you could find a better deal. I really don't. All right, let's talk about this new album, man.
I wasn't able to find the name of the album, so do you have a name for it?
Zak Bekkers:
I have not decided on the name yet. I'll tell you.
Jim Ervin:
Really? Okay. All right.
Zak Bekkers:
Right now, releasing a single out of the album every, like a month, month and a half. Yes, sir. When I'm gonna finish releasing all the singles, I'm gonna make an album out of them and I'm gonna decide on the name.
I'm still thinking about it because I. I don't know if you get. You got to hurt to hear all the. The songs, but, yes, I did. They are. Some of them are very different from each other considerably.
Jim Ervin:
Yes.
Zak Bekkers:
Yeah. So it makes it a bit difficult to think of a good name that fits the whole album, but I'll think about it.
Jim Ervin:
A little bit of everything all over the place, whatever you want to call it. It's not your run of the mill album. How many tracks in total when this album releases later this year?
Zak Bekkers:
Seven, track 11.
Jim Ervin:
Okay.
Zak Bekkers:
All right. Seven. Seven.
Jim Ervin:
Oh, seven. I'm sorry. Now, I read, as you mentioned a moment ago, you're releasing these by singles first. First. Does this seem to be like the new norm in.
In music releases these days?
Zak Bekkers:
I think it is. Badly or not, sadly. Unless. Unless you're already. If you're well known already, you know, if you're Justin Bieber or whatever.
Podcast Intro & Outro:
So.
Zak Bekkers:
So they. They're already well known. So I think when they release an album, they just release it at it as it is. But most.
I think you'll find that most independent artists that are still not really well known worldwide because how the platformers work and how the algorithms work on Spotify and all those.
And Instagram and all those social things, it's more recommended to release piece by piece and make and advertise the album like all around the year through that instead, in one piece, which.
Jim Ervin:
Feeding the beast, as it were.
Zak Bekkers:
Hey, yeah. I think it's. It's. Musically, I think it's the wrong way to do it, but that's how the world. The world works now.
Jim Ervin:
Well, I'm a little older than you. I mean, that's the only way that they used to do it back in the day was by the album. And then they would release singles after the album.
And it's called now it's the Other Way Around.
Zak Bekkers:
Right. So it's a.
Jim Ervin:
It's a. It's a different animal.
Zak Bekkers:
It's a different animal. And it's at all. Look, with AI and everything that's going on, everything is very, very different. I mean.
I mean, this topic we could talk about for hours, you know, but.
Jim Ervin:
And I have to. I have to tip a.
Tip my hat to you because one of the first things that I noticed on your Facebook page when you talked about the album is you make a point of saying, or maybe it was on Spotify, that this was all created by you. It was not. No AI was used in this album, in this music at all.
Zak Bekkers:
That's right. I don't. I don't want to come out as someone who's like, against technology or AI Because I'm not.
You know, I'm from physics and I'm all for technology. It's. Look, it's a deep. It's a deep topic, and there are a lot of. A lot of facets to it. But in the. In the. In the long. In the.
Let's say in one sentence, if you cannot be like you're doing something. Right, and if you cannot say that you did it and show that you did it, it's not really you. Right, Right. And a lot.
A lot of people are using AI in different ways. And I think it's okay. You can use it, but I think you should. You should say that you're using it.
Jim Ervin:
Acknowledge it. Yes, sir.
Zak Bekkers:
Right. Because the listener. I think. I think the listener would want to know what comes from you and what doesn't come from you.
Just like if you write a song and someone else has played guitar in it or someone else had. Did a production, they write it down. Yes, same. Same thing. So I say straight away, I don't have any AI content over here.
Everything that you hear is produced and recorded independently.
Jim Ervin:
So as I was listening to these tracks and thank you very much for the preview, I. I very much appreciate that. I found myself drawn into a few of the songs. Of course, the Bluesy stuff is a given, but your video for Sick Rats, that was something else.
The Chihuahuas stole the show. Talk about that video, Zak.
Zak Bekkers:
Okay, yeah, first of all, I'll say the video was all filmed using this iPhone I'm holding right now.
Jim Ervin:
No kidding.
Zak Bekkers:
Okay. It was all filmed using my iPhone, and everything was filled by me. The shots that you see myself, that's my wife filming me with a iPhone.
I did a small course of how to film using the right lightings and everything. You know, again, talking about, like, how today is different than how it used to be. It's crazy. Like today, everyone.
Artists need to know everything from everything. You know, they have to know how to film, they have to know how to advertise, they have to know how to write songs, play the song, sing the songs.
So in one sense, it gives you a lot of control, but in the other sense, you can't spread yourself too much. So we had a war a couple of weeks ago here. We had missiles flying all over from Iran. And I did.
I couldn't go to the studio and work, so I thought it was a great time to make a video film for one of my songs.
So Sick Rats was just coming out and because it's only a 90 second track, I thought it was a good track to make a video because it's a lot of editing, you know, maybe it's gonna take. Takes a while doing all that stuff.
And when you have missiles in the world here, you have other opportunities that you don't have in a regular day, which is the streets are empty, most people are not busy, and you can film all kinds of different scenes that you wouldn't be able to do in a regular day. Just when you come to think about.
Jim Ervin:
It, that's one way to look at it, isn't it?
Zak Bekkers:
Yeah. So first of all, for people to know the whole film was being recorded when missiles were flying between films. Yeah.
So right next to where I live, I live in Jaffa. It's next to Tel Aviv. And we have. We have interesting people here in the neighborhood. And one of them is. His name is.
Which is our ZZ Top, our Jewish ZZ Top over here. He has a small store. He's a very, very, very nice, kind guy. And I see him every morning and we talk to each other and he loves.
He loves music and he loves blues music. Every day I talk to him, we listen to songs together. And. And then I see he has this really cool motorcycle that blew Harley Davidson motorcycle.
And I tell him, listen, man, I think I should I should film you. I don't know for what, but I think I should film you. And he's like, yeah, sure, any day, man.
Jim Ervin:
You know, I, I had to mention the three guys in the video because the first thing that I thought of when I saw them is like the Yiddish ZZ top and amazing. The long beards, the whole night. You ought to, you ought to get in touch with Billy Gibbons and get him over there. I think that would be fun.
So here's the most important part of our chat.
Zak and I know that you're, you're relatively new to this, but do you have things set up where people can reach out to you if they, you know, if there's any. I don't know if you have merch available yet or, or you probably will or maybe to get you booked for a gig while you're stateside.
Zak Bekkers:
I don't have merch yet. I would love to get, I would love to get booked for a gig when, when I, when I, I have my own. I have different ways where, where I perform.
I mainly perform as a one man band. I have my guitar, harmonica and pick drum and snare pedals. I do everything all together. So that's when I go abroad, you know, I don't need a band.
It's if in, in any case I have my email, Instagram, Facebook, Tick tock, all those stuff.
Jim Ervin:
And we'll make sure to put links for all of that in the information section for this interview as well.
Zak Bekkers:
I'm, I'm currently working on a Internet page. I'm gonna have an Internet page soon that. Okay. Is going to be organized.
Jim Ervin:
Very cool. Well, Zak Bekkers, I want to thank you very much for taking time to join me today on Time Signatures. I wish you all the best.
Zak Bekkers:
Thank you so much.
Jim Ervin:
And if you get this way towards Michigan in the future, I will absolutely make it a point to come and see you. In the meantime, do your best to take care of that young man and your wife.
Zak Bekkers:
Thank you so much.
Jim Ervin:
And that wraps up this edition of Time Signatures with Jim Ervin. Once again, my thanks to our guest Zak Bekkers, but also to you. For without you, none of this is possible.
Jim Ervin reminding you keeping the blues alive is everyone's responsibility. But preserving the history of the blues, one story at a time, that's my mission. Until next time. So long, everybody.
Podcast Intro & Outro:
You've been listening to Time Signatures with Jim Ervin presented by the Capital Area Blues Society in Lansing, Michigan. Now, for more information about CABS, visit capitalareablues.org. The Time Signature's theme song, “Michigan Roads”, is used by permission and was written by Root Doctor, featuring Freddie Cunningham Hand. You can find this episode and past episodes of time [email protected] or wherever you get your podcasts. Until next time, keep on keeping the blues alive. Ooh, Shucky Ducky!
