The three piece SlowRepeaT released a brand new album, ‘Abra Cannabra’ via Herby Records.

Israeli stoner/doom metal band SlowRepeaT began as a one-man project by musician Ben Salomon with the release of the band’s self-titled EP in 2022. Now a trio with the addition of drummer Yair Tavior and bassist Shai Leder, the band’s first full-length album, ‘Abra Cannabra,’ was released on January 4, 2024 via Herby Records (Austin, Texas). Ben discusses the new album, the doom metal scene in his hometown, and his love of paddleboarding.

Where is SlowRepeaT based?

Ben Salomon: We are from Kiryat Bialik, in the northern region of Israel. I grew up there and still live there. It’s a nice place and close to the sea and the port city of Haifa.

How did you form SlowRepeaT?

SlowRepeaT started as a one-man project. After recording the EP, I had the desire to perform and continue to create new music, so I started looking for musicians and played and performed with several until I formed the current lineup with Yair Tavior and Shai Leder. Since then, we have not stopped making music and playing.

Since SlowRepeaT began as a one-man project, how did you form your current line-up?

It wasn’t easy to find musicians. I posted ads on social media and asked musicians I knew about musicians who play stoner and doom metal. First I found a bassist and a drummer, and we performed several times, but they didn’t like the music. I continued to believe in my vision and knew that I would find the right bandmates. I knew Yair, the drummer, from Facebook and we performed with two different bassists.

On one occasion, when I was with Yair in the rehearsal room, Shai was there with another band, and he was disappointed with his players. After the rehearsal, he went in to hear Yair and I play. He liked what he heard, and we asked him to join SlowRepeaT and since then we have been an inseparable trio.

Tell me about the new album. Where does the name ‘Abra Cannabra’ come from?

We recorded the album over several months in my studio and in Yair’s studio. Some of the songs like ‘Tomi Wizard,’ ‘The Astronomer’s Sign,’ and ‘Desert,’ I wrote and recorded as demos a long time ago. The rest of the songs I wrote in the last months and worked on them with Shai and Yair, and they built the right roles for the new and old songs. Then we started recording and reinventing our sound. I came up with the name of the album when I was jogging by the sea. The guys liked the name, so we decided to use it.

<a href="https://herbyrecords.bandcamp.com/album/abra-cannabra">Abra Cannabra by Slowrepeat</a>

How old were you when you first began to play music?

I started playing the guitar 22 years ago at the age of 13 and over the years I learned to play other instruments.

Who are your musical influences?

My influences are Black Sabbath, Electric Wizard, Sleep, Alice in Chains, and Amir Lev, who is my favorite Israeli singer. I never miss any of his performances here in the area. Amir is an awesome musician and an awesome person. I wish I could play with him one day.

What do you hope listeners get from your music?

I hope the listeners will like the album. I hope to expose SlowRepeaT to a new audience that likes new music and of course they will enjoy the album and come to our shows.

Tell us about the Doom scene or music scene in general at home.

The scene here is growing well and I hope it will continue to develop more and more. I produce the Stoner Fest events in Israel, and I see that the audience is expanding, and this creates a demand for concerts and new music. There are some really good and cool bands here.

Who are some local bands that you like?

There are many bands that I like because the whole scene here is amazing, but if I have to choose a few, then I’d say Stash, The Great Machine, Methuselian and DeuSphera.

Tell me more about these Stoner Fest events.

The Stoner Fest is a production that I founded last year with the intention of promoting the local scene and to bring in bands from all over the world and try to make the local scene part of the global scene. I chose Wunderbar in Haifa as the perfect place to hold these events because there is no doubt that it is one of the best concert clubs in Israel.

Where will you be performing in 2024? Any plans to perform in the U.S.?

We open 2024 with a performance at Stoner Fest 3 and the day after the album launch, we perform in Tel Aviv. In a few months, we plan to go on a short tour in the U.S. and will perform in Texas, Virginia, and maybe Michigan as well. If we are invited to perform in more places, we will be happy to because we really love American audiences and feel at home there.

Where can listeners find more information about your upcoming shows?

We update our shows on the social networks—Instagram and Facebook. And no, we don’t have TikTok.

What are your goals for 2024 and beyond?

I want to continue making music with the band and release more albums and continue performing as much as possible. I also want to continue producing Stoner Fest for many more years.

What are your other interests besides music?

I have been involved in the medical field for over a decade. I was an ambulance driver and now I am a medical equipment technician at a biomedical engineering company. In addition, I have a record store that is the only one in Israel for Stoner Doom records. I really love the sea and I paddle on a SUP board almost every morning.

Paddle boarding is pretty popular here in Austin now, though I’ve never been. Does paddleboarding get those creative juices flowing?

Of course, paddleboarding gives me a lot of inspiration. There is something about the sea that always gives me ideas and a desire to create.

What’s your record store called? Is there an online store?

The store is called Salomon’s Vinyl. It is online and in addition you can find me at fairs and concerts, so if you come to Israel and you want a stoner record then you know who to talk to.