Monotonix's last tour??

That's what Monotonix singer Ami Shelev says in this article (thanks to Robby for alerting me to this). Guitarist Yonatan Gat didn't mention that when he answered five questions for this interview. 

Their PR guy girl, Dean, forwarded this statement when asked about it:

Reports that they are breaking up are a little exaggerated. What's really going down is Haggai, the drummer, has a kid on the way, and Ami wants to spend some more time with his family, so this will be their final tour for a while, but they are not looking at it as the end of the band or touring for good. Just an extended break to focus on the other parts of their lives. 

Whether or not it's their last tour, you need to be at Kings this Thursday night for the band's show with Federation X and Pujol. And you need to pick up their new album, "Not Yet," which came out last week on Drag City.  

1. You guys have such a crazy live show. How do you bring that energy into the studio when you're recording?
We just try to play it the same way.
On this record we were much more about being spontaneous than about getting the takes right. We felt we have nothing to prove ourselves anymore and just wanted to have fun recording it. That made the work easier and more fun and spontaneous than anything else we ever did, and I think you can hear it.


2. Now that the zodiac signs have all changed, what are the new signs for each band member, and how do you feel about them? Are any of you now an Ophiuchus?

I am now officially a Leo. That Virgo thing never sat right in my head.
It's funny the whole "zodiac change" thing got all blown out, astronomers have known all about that for years.

3. What's the worst injury you've ever sustained during a live show?

I got a steel trash can thrown on my head and it was burst open in Athens, GA. Blood was dripping from my hair to my face.
When the same trash can hit Ami, he smeared his own blood on my chin, so my face was full of blood. It was a gay bar full of mirrors. I looked like Freddie Kruger.

4. The band has actually played in Raleigh quite a bit. What do you like about Raleigh, and how does the music scene here compare to that back home in Israel?

I like Raleigh bands. Birds of Avalon are good friends of ours, and I saw a few other good bands from the area.
Raleigh is a personal favorite of mine, I always enjoy the people and how nice and quiet the city is. Maybe i'll move there one day.

5. What's your favorite song on the new album, and why?

It changes every time I have to listen to it. Maybe "Everything That I See" cuz it's fast and fun. I like the fact the song starts with Ami singing "I wanna get everything that I see". It kind of reminds me of a Monk's song.

Videos of Monotonix, Sir Arthur & Polar Bear Polar Bear

I've had two friends tell me that I steered them wrong by telling them to go see Monotonix, who put on a typical crazy show to a packed house Monday night at Pour House. Both of them told me explicitly they thought the band sucked. I guess I hadn't done a good job of explaining Monotonix to them. Monotonix isn't about good music, though their recorded output can be entertaining. Monotonix live is purely and simply about watching three Borat-looking dudes break stuff and abuse each other (and sometimes the audience). If you're not into that, you won't be into Monotonix. Here's some video of them breaking stuff and abusing each other from the other night. (VIDEO DELETED) Before Monotonix were Sir Arthur, who are quickly becoming my favorite band in the area, though I really prefer it when they wear the '70s party suits.

Sir Arthur & the Royal Knights from Mann's World on Vimeo.

Finally, Polar Bear Polar Bear opened up, and I'm really no more enlightened as to who they are than I was last week. They sound a little like Interpol, and they like to dress up in Arctic wear and play surrounded by clouds of smoke-machine smoke. I think they're off to a good start, and I'd like to hear them again, though it honestly was a little gloomier than I wanted to hear while waiting for Monotonix.

Polar Bear Polar Bear from Mann's World on Vimeo.

Yes, it's possible to put 15 people on stage at Slim's

Dark Meat, a big bus-riding, multi-instrumental collective from Athens, Ga., proved that last night by squeezing themselves on and around the stage, and running rampantly through the tightly packed crowd at Slim's. There were two guitarists, a bass player, two drummers playing full sets, some trumpeters, a violin player, a piccolo player (not sure what one of those would be called), a girl with an incredibly high voice, and one multi-purpose percussionist, all playing this super-happy shamanistic garage rock. Check out the video. Next up were Monotonix, three crazy-looking guys from Tel Aviv, Israel, who play crazy, heavy rock, and basically ran around tearing stuff up and trying to hurt themselves. The show began with the singer jumping off the banister right in front of me (you should be able to see that on the video) and ended with them all set up -- including the drummer -- on the bar. Imagine the Jesus Lizard if everyone in the band had been as wild as David Yow.