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Israeli rockers Monotonix prepare antics for S.F. show

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Message: If you are having trouble reading this email, you may view this article online at: http://www.jweekly.com/35587/full/35587/israeli-rockers-monotonix-prepare-antics-for-s-f-show/ Israeli rockers Monotonix prepare antics for S.F. show Friday, August 22, 2008 | by emily savage Israeli guitarist Yonatan Gat and his bandmates spent last Passover in a hotel room in Yakima, Wash., crowded around a laptop computer reading an online haggadah. They were on a whirlwind U.S. tour at the time, on their way to a gig in Seattle. But the Ten Plagues beckoned. The image of three Israeli men quietly praying in a hotel room in a small central Washington town is unusual enough on its own, but it also contrasts starkly with the nightly performances of their band, Monotonix. While Gat wearies of trying to sum up the rock group's live stage show, he cryptically says, "People like to do crazy things at our shows." You don't say? Take singer Ami Shalev, for example. Tall and hairy with shoulder-length curls and a thick brown mustache, he has quite a theatrical presence. Although he's 43, Shalev appears to have the energy of a 20-something while performing, often thrusting his shirtless body into the crowd, lighting himself on fire or drinking beer from a fan's shoe. Then there's new drummer Haggai Fershtman, 35, who is regularly lifted by crowds, drums and all. Gat, the youngest of the crew at 25 years old, does his part with screeching guitar riffs and uproarious body shaking. While it might all seem a bit pre-planned, Gat swears each show is spontaneous. The band does make sure, however, to set up on the floor — no stages, ever — so they can be on par with the audience, he says. Monotonix, which sings in English even though all its members are Israeli, is set to bring its raucous show to San Francisco on Sept. 2, playing the Hemlock Tavern in what will be the band's fourth visit to the Bay Area. While their stage antics might go over well in the U.S., the musicians have had trouble getting their fellow Israelis to understand the craziness, Gat said. "In the beginning, people in Israel were shocked by our shows," he says. "Venues and promoters just didn't want to work with us." Juval Haring, the band's booking agent in Israel, certainly agrees, though he adds that it is now easier to book Monotonix. He attributes that to the launch of more indie music-oriented venues in Israel such as Hangar 11, the Barby and the Uganda. "It took a while until venues were cool with their style of performance, which before them was virtually unknown in Israel," he says, "I've organized shows for them that were shut down by the police for noise or stopped in the middle on account of the sound guy getting pissed at them. Other places just sort of unofficially banned them from playing there, by not booking them again." The band was formed in Tel Aviv in 2005, when Shalev and Monotonix's original drummer, Ran Shimoni (who left nearly a year ago to care for his young son in Israel), broke off from their previous band, Mono Addicted Acid Man. They created Monotonix, a name that doesn't mean anything, Gat says. "It just sounds cool." The band's stripped-down, garage-rock style caught the ear of seasoned musician David Berman when his U.S.-based band, the Silver Jews, played with them in Israel. Thanks to Berman's connections, Monotonix recorded and released its first EP, "Body Language." The six-song EP was recorded over five days at Louder Studios in San Francisco last winter. It has a raw, slightly unproduced feel because the band wanted to maintain the spastic energy of their live shows, Gat says. Monotonix has been playing the songs off the EP for the past few years, but Gat says they are in the process of creating new songs, and hope to record a full-length album in 2009. The musicians work on songs collectively, each contributing to the final product, Gat says, though vocalist Shalev writes all the lyrics. And for this native Hebrew speaker, writing in English is a no-frills affair. "I write about the basic things in life, daily situations, relationships ... because I don't speak good English," Shalev explains in a thick Israeli accent. "With our kind of music, it's easier to sing in English — with English you speak from the mouth and with Hebrew you speak from the back of your throat." He lets out a loud "Ha!" followed by an "Uh!" to demonstrate his point, making guttural noises not unlike his singing style. Shalev was born in the small northern Israeli village of Kfar Yehoshua and served in the Israel Defense Forces nearly 20 years ago. Fershtman, born in a suburb of Tel Aviv, also served in the IDF. Despite this, Gat says, the band doesn't really pay attention to Israeli politics while on tour. "When you're home in Israel, politics are everywhere," Gat says, "Sometimes it's good not knowing what's going on because the news usually isn't good." While Judaism has played a somewhat minimal role in their adult lives, the band members were all bar mitzvahed, they still celebrate Jewish holidays and all three remain loyal to their homeland. "To live off your music you have to leave Israel and tour the world," Gat says, "We've thought of moving, but we're from Israel. It's our home." Monotonix will perform with the Lumerians and Late Young at 9 p.m. Sept. 2 at Hemlock Tavern, 1131 Polk St., S.F. Tickets are $10. For more information, visit <a href="http://www.hemlocktavern.com">http://www.hemlocktavern.com</a>.

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