Ishay Berger
Encyclopedia
Ishay Berger (born July 8, 1978 in Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...

, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

) is an Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

i musician best known for his work as the lead guitarist for successful Israeli punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...

 band Useless ID
Useless ID
Useless ID is a four-piece punk rock band, formed in Haifa, Israel in 1994. Known as one of the most successful Israeli punk bands worldwide.-History:...

. He is also the lead vocalist, main songwriter and guitarist for comedy punk rock
Comedy rock
Comedy rock is rock music mixed with comedy, often satire and parody.-History:Early USA examples include Stan Freberg, who lampooned artists such as Elvis Presley, Harry Belafonte and The Platters, and Sheb Wooley whose "Purple People Eater" reached No...

 trio Bo La'Bar in which he is known as Ishky Escobar, and most recently, the bassist of brutal death metal/grindcore
Grindcore
Grindcore is an extreme genre of music that started in the early- to mid-1980s. It draws inspiration from some of the most abrasive music genres – including death metal, industrial music, noise and the more extreme varieties of hardcore punk....

 act Whorecore.

Useless ID (1994–present)

Berger was one of the founding members of punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...

 band Useless ID
Useless ID
Useless ID is a four-piece punk rock band, formed in Haifa, Israel in 1994. Known as one of the most successful Israeli punk bands worldwide.-History:...

, when the band was formed in Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...

, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

 in 1994. He founded the band as the lead guitarist, along with lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Guy Carmel, bassist Adi Alkavatz and drummer Ralph Huber. Only two years after their formation, the band was already touring worldwide independently, mostly in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, but also Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

.

The band released its first full-length album, Dead's Not Punk in September 1997, through the band's own independent label Falafel Records. The band's second full-length album Get in the Pita Bread Pit was released in 1999, also through Falafel Records, and Let it Burn, the band's split album with The Ataris
The Ataris
The Ataris are a rock band from Anderson, Indiana. They have released five studio albums, and their most recent E.P. was released on November 25, 2010 on the Gainesville, Florida based label, Paper + Plastick. It contained the brand new tracks "All Souls' Day" and "The Graveyard of The Atlantic"...

, was released in April 2000 on Kung Fu Records
Kung Fu Records
Kung Fu Records is an American independent record label founded in 1996 by Joe Escalante and Warren Fitzgerald of the punk rock band The Vandals. Founded in order to release a record by the Riverside, California band Assorted Jelly Beans, the label soon grew to include a roster of notable artists...

 and was the last to feature the band's rhythm guitarist Guy Carmel on lead vocals. This was when bassist Yotam Ben-Horin
Yotam Ben-Horin
Yotam Ben-Horin is an Israeli musician best known for his work as the lead singer and bassist for successful Israeli punk rock band Useless ID...

 took the role of lead vocalist and lead composer and songwriter for the band.

Following the band's split album with The Ataris
The Ataris
The Ataris are a rock band from Anderson, Indiana. They have released five studio albums, and their most recent E.P. was released on November 25, 2010 on the Gainesville, Florida based label, Paper + Plastick. It contained the brand new tracks "All Souls' Day" and "The Graveyard of The Atlantic"...

, the band was offered a record contract in Kung Fu Records
Kung Fu Records
Kung Fu Records is an American independent record label founded in 1996 by Joe Escalante and Warren Fitzgerald of the punk rock band The Vandals. Founded in order to release a record by the Riverside, California band Assorted Jelly Beans, the label soon grew to include a roster of notable artists...

. The band then went on to release their international major releases, in all Berger played lead guitar as well as singing backing vocals: Bad Story, Happy Ending (2001), No Vacation from the World (2003), Redemption (2005) and most recently, the band's critically acclaimed and successful album The Lost Broken Bones
The Lost Broken Bones
The Lost Broken Bones is the sixth full-length studio album by Israeli punk band Useless ID. It is the band's first album on the Suburban Home label, and was released in Japan on July 23, 2008 through the Bullion label, and on October 18, 2008 in the rest of the world, in a special release show in...

released in October 2008, through their new label - Suburban Home Records
Suburban Home Records
Suburban Home Records and Distribution is a record label based in Denver, Colorado, United States. The label was founded in 1995 by Virgil Dickerson, and is known for focusing on vinyl releases and bands in the pop-punk and alt-country genres. Its roster has included Two Cow Garage, Drag the River,...

. On all of these albums, Ben-Horin also wrote the majority of the material.

On January 27, 2011, Useless ID
Useless ID
Useless ID is a four-piece punk rock band, formed in Haifa, Israel in 1994. Known as one of the most successful Israeli punk bands worldwide.-History:...

 played their last show in support of The Lost Broken Bones at the Barby club in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...

, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

, before taking off to record their new album at the Blasting Room
Blasting Room
The Blasting Room is a recording studio in Fort Collins, Colorado, built by members of Descendents, ALL, and Black Flag, including punk drummer Bill Stevenson....

 in Fort Collins, Colorado
Fort Collins, Colorado
Fort Collins is a Home Rule Municipality situated on the Cache La Poudre River along the Colorado Front Range, and is the county seat and most populous city of Larimer County, Colorado, United States. Fort Collins is located north of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. With a 2010 census...

. The band entered the Blasting Room
Blasting Room
The Blasting Room is a recording studio in Fort Collins, Colorado, built by members of Descendents, ALL, and Black Flag, including punk drummer Bill Stevenson....

 on February 2, 2011, to begin recording the new album.

Bo La'Bar (2005–present)

In 2005, Ishay Berger started demoing humorous songs that he wrote in his house, playing them only with an acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...

, with him singing. The songs were mostly acoustic folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....

 songs with a strong punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...

 attitude, with humorous lyrics about topics such as consuming cannabis
Cannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...

 and alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....

, playing loud punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...

 music, nerd culture, computers and more.

Berger, who decied to play under the moniker of Ishky Escobar in this project, has soon recruited his fellow Useless ID
Useless ID
Useless ID is a four-piece punk rock band, formed in Haifa, Israel in 1994. Known as one of the most successful Israeli punk bands worldwide.-History:...

 bandmate, drummer Jonathan Harpak, to join him in this project, to make the songs full-band and electric. Joining Berger on vocals and guitar and Harpak on drums, was bassist and vocalist Evil Haim (Whorecore, ex-Betzefer
Betzefer
Betzefer is an Israeli groove metal band, originating from the communal settlement Maccabim-Re'ut. The band was formed up in 1998 and was signed to Roadrunner Records from 2005 to 2007...

, ex-Lehavoth
Lehavoth
Lehavoth was an Israeli popular and influential brutal death metal band, from Hafia, that was active for 10 years, between 1995–2005. In its early years, the band was a pioneering band in the Israeli black metal scene.-History:...

). They decided on the moniker Bo La'Bar - Hebrew for "Come to the Bar", which was based on their lifestyle of mostly hanging around bars and drinking alcohol.

The band started playing around Israel, playing in small intimate venues and bars such as the Patiphone and the Left Bank in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...

 and the Syncopa in Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...

, as well as playing alongside bigger bands such as Useless ID
Useless ID
Useless ID is a four-piece punk rock band, formed in Haifa, Israel in 1994. Known as one of the most successful Israeli punk bands worldwide.-History:...

, Betzefer
Betzefer
Betzefer is an Israeli groove metal band, originating from the communal settlement Maccabim-Re'ut. The band was formed up in 1998 and was signed to Roadrunner Records from 2005 to 2007...

 and Eternal Gray
Eternal Gray
Eternal Gray is a technical death metal band originating from Tel Aviv, Israel. The band is known as one of the most respected bands in the Israeli heavy metal scene, and has gathered a very positive feedback abroad....

 in such big venues as the Barby club and the Comfort 13 in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...

, the Theater in Jaffa
Jaffa
Jaffa is an ancient port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world. Jaffa was incorporated with Tel Aviv creating the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel. Jaffa is famous for its association with the biblical story of the prophet Jonah.-Etymology:...

 and the City Hall in Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...

. On their live shows, the band were many times joined by outside members to play guitar as Berger focused on mostly singing live, while not being able to play the guitar. Different members who played live with the band include Matan Cohen
Matan Cohen
Matan Cohen is an Israeli musician best known for his work as the guitarist for successful groove/metalcore band Betzefer and the recently reunited melodic death metal band Nail Within...

 (Betzefer
Betzefer
Betzefer is an Israeli groove metal band, originating from the communal settlement Maccabim-Re'ut. The band was formed up in 1998 and was signed to Roadrunner Records from 2005 to 2007...

 guitarist), Yotam Ben-Horin
Yotam Ben-Horin
Yotam Ben-Horin is an Israeli musician best known for his work as the lead singer and bassist for successful Israeli punk rock band Useless ID...

 (Useless ID
Useless ID
Useless ID is a four-piece punk rock band, formed in Haifa, Israel in 1994. Known as one of the most successful Israeli punk bands worldwide.-History:...

 vocalist/bassist), Nir Doliner (Whorecore guitarist) and Avital Tamir
Avital Tamir
Avital Tamir is an Israeli musician best known for his work as the lead singer for successful metal band Betzefer and for his experimental pop trio On Shoulders of Giants...

 (Betzefer
Betzefer
Betzefer is an Israeli groove metal band, originating from the communal settlement Maccabim-Re'ut. The band was formed up in 1998 and was signed to Roadrunner Records from 2005 to 2007...

 vocalist). Filling-in for Harpak many times were also drummers Assaf Meiden (Whorecore) and Corey Swift (Mondo Gecko, The Backliners).

The band recorded and released a bunch of demos in 2008, and revealed that they plan to record a full-length album of original material, including final versions of the demos they released, which are songs that became live staple in their shows. Though they have later announced that it is unknown when will they have the time to record the full-length record as every member has his commitments with is respective bands, and Berger and Harpak are mostly busy with Useless ID
Useless ID
Useless ID is a four-piece punk rock band, formed in Haifa, Israel in 1994. Known as one of the most successful Israeli punk bands worldwide.-History:...

 who constantly recording or touring.

In late 2009, bassist and co-lead vocalist Evil Haim left Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

 to travel the world and was said to be traveling around India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. The band announced a hiatus, though in early 2010 the band began playing live again as a two-piece, with Berger on vocals and acoustic guitar and Harpak on drums. Full band shows around 2010 included many guests filling-in for Haim on bass. At the same time, Berger was also chosen to be Haim's replacement in his main deathgrind
Deathgrind
Deathgrind is a musical genre that fuses death metal and grindcore. The genre, along with pornogrind, is related to the goregrind subgenre...

 act Whorecore.

In late 2010, Berger opened a Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...

 page for Bo La'Bar, where he constantly updated about the band, and uploaded acoustic home demos by the band that he recorded by himself in his home. The new material he recorded is less based about cannabis
Cannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...

 and the use of alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....

 and drugs
DRUGS
Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows are an American post-hardcore band formed in 2010. They released their debut self-titled album on February 22, 2011.- Formation :...

 and is mostly centered about fart jokes and sex
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...

 jokes.

On March 1, 2011, the band was the supporting act for gypsy punk
Gypsy punk
Gypsy punk is the term used to describe a hybrid musical genre that crosses traditional Romani music with punk rock. The origin of the term is unknown, but bands playing Gypsy punk have existed at least since the 1990s. One of the first rock groups to incorporate elements of punk and Eastern...

 act Gogol Bordello
Gogol Bordello
Gogol Bordello is a Gypsy punk band from the Lower East Side of Manhattan, formed in 1999 and known for theatrical stage shows and persistent touring.Much of the band's sound is inspired by Gypsy music...

 on one of their 3 shows at the Barby club in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...

, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

. Berger has announced plans to finally record a Bo La'Bar record in 2011, though it is unknown if it will be indeed recorded due to Haim's absence or will the plan will follow through only upon his return.

Whorecore (2010–present)

Upon Whorecore bassist Evil Haim leaving Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

 to travel the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...

, and mostly India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, Ishay Berger who was his co-member in the comedy punk trio
Comedy rock
Comedy rock is rock music mixed with comedy, often satire and parody.-History:Early USA examples include Stan Freberg, who lampooned artists such as Elvis Presley, Harry Belafonte and The Platters, and Sheb Wooley whose "Purple People Eater" reached No...

 Bo La'Bar was chosen as his replacement as a bassist in Whorecore until Haim returns.

Ever since joining the band in late 2009, Berger had the chance to play with the band in such big events as the Hellelujah Open Air in Herzliya
Herzliya
Herzliya is a city in the central coast of Israel, at the western part of the Tel Aviv District. It has a population of 87,000 residents. Named after Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism, Herzliya covers an area of 26 km²...

 in April 2010, the Showdown Festival in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...

, playing alongside his own main band Useless ID
Useless ID
Useless ID is a four-piece punk rock band, formed in Haifa, Israel in 1994. Known as one of the most successful Israeli punk bands worldwide.-History:...

 in May 2010, supporting Cannibal Corpse
Cannibal Corpse
Cannibal Corpse is an American death metal band from Buffalo, New York. Formed in 1988, the band has released eleven studio albums, one box set, and one live album...

 in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...

 on July 8, 2010, playing the Summer Carnage Festival alongside Aborted
Aborted
Aborted is a Belgian death metal band formed in Waregem, Belgium in 1995. The group comprises vocalist and founder Sven de Caluwé, guitarists Eran Segal and Mike Wilson, bassist J.B. Van Der Wal, and drummer Ken Bedene. The band members of Aborted are from Belgium, France, Israel, United Kingdom,...

, System Divide
System Divide
System Divide is an extreme modern metal/melodic death metal band, formed by the couple Sven de Caluwé and Miri Milman , and originating and featuring members from Israel, Belgium and the US.-History:...

, The Fading
The Fading
The Fading is an Israeli based melodic death/thrash metal band, founded in 2000 under the name Excessum. The band released two EPs before winning the Wacken Open Air Metal Battle contest, earning them a contract with Wacken Records, where they released their debut album In Sin We'll Find Salvation...

 and many more on July 21, 2010, and supporting Parkway Drive on their only Israeli show at the Barby club in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...

 on November 25, 2010.

Berger is set to record bass on the band's upcoming second studio album, which they plan to record in 2011.

w/ Useless ID

For a full discography, see Useless ID Discography
  • Dead's Not Punk (1997)
  • Get in the Pita Bread Pit (1999)
  • Bad Story, Happy Ending (2001)
  • No Vacation From The World (2003)
  • Redemption (2005)
  • The Lost Broken Bones
    The Lost Broken Bones
    The Lost Broken Bones is the sixth full-length studio album by Israeli punk band Useless ID. It is the band's first album on the Suburban Home label, and was released in Japan on July 23, 2008 through the Bullion label, and on October 18, 2008 in the rest of the world, in a special release show in...

    (2008)

External links

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