Sled Island: Men of many moustaches, little clothing
Photo courtesy Monotronix. Israeli trio Monotronix doesn't exactly conceal their "regions" when performing.
Add together six moustaches, three Israeli men, three Calgary shows, and you’ve got Tel Aviv’s Monotonix plus Calgary’s Sled Island festival. Doesn’t seem proportionate? Take drummer “Bonanza” Haggai Fershtman’s word for it. If he says the three of them have six moustaches; they have six moustaches.
“Three up and three down.”
Can’t argue with that.
Comprised of singer “Levi Ha Haziz Elvis” Ami Shalev, guitarist “Moshe Vegas” Yonatan Gat, and Fershtman, Monotonix is an uncategorized band. Their sound ranges from punk, garage rock, and jungle, to a dollop of passionate intoxication and a splash of frenzied delirium.
Cheeky lyrics such as “My body language says I am not afraid,” from their first EP, Body Language, is a dew drop on rose petals compared to their live shows.
At one show a man became apparently so aroused he began to give his girlfriend oral sex. At another show in Tennessee a man in the crowd appeared inspired and doused himself in a shower of gasoline, followed with a match. Fershtman affirms these rumours to be true.
Sled Island Spotlight
Monotonix
Shows: Thursday, June 25th @ The Distillery, 01:00 a.m.
Friday, June 26th @ Tubby Dogg, 05:00 p.m. — All Ages
Friday, June 26th @ Dicken’s Pub, 01:00 a.m.
For the band’s MySpace click here.
Montonix first played in Calgary at Broken City during December 2008. Fershtman says Calgary’s crowd was lively and very into the show, although the temperature was less than desirable.
“Our audience is part of the experience,” he says.
Another part of the experience are their nearly non-existent choice of garments, sweaty palms, and … err … somewhat concealed items beneath short shorts. If they were to wear anything other than the copious amount of body hair pouting out of what appears to be every pore on their naked gleaming chests, Fershtman says it would be army clothing.
Army clad Monotonix members may be futuristic though, as something riding on a summer breeze gives off a whiff of freedom and nudity, whirling towards Calgary’s Distillery, Tubby Dog, and Dickens.
One thing Bonanza recommends you’ll need before heading out to Sled Island’s venues to see Monotonix: guts.
