From 2005 to 2011, Yonatan Gat wielded the guitar in the explosive Tel Aviv garage rock/noise outfit, Monotonix.  Due to their chaotic live shows, the trio not only made a name for themselves as a live act that was not to be missed, they also got themselves banned from so many venues that the next logical step was to start touring outside of their home country and hitting up Europe and the United States.  The last time that I saw them in Seattle, they ignored the stage to set up in the crowd, as they typically did, with a massive King Kong Bundy-looking security guard, literally, leaning on the kick drum so that the entire kit didn’t slide forward, while it was being pummeled, and using his other arm to create a buffer between the instruments and the crowd.  Lead singer, Ami Shalev crowd surfed to the bar, which he then climbed on to drop his pants, while the drummer was actually lifted up to play on top of the audience as the entire room poured out into the street.  Gat continued shredding through head-spinning riffs, Ami climbed an adjacent bicycle shop’s sign, and we all wondered about 2 things: when the police would arrive and, where they would be performing the next time they came back through — it was always a new venue.  In little over a 5 year run, Monotonix racked up a ridiculous amount of live shows — I’ve read that they clocked in at as many as 1,000 or more — even opening up for unlikely pairing and Drag City labelmates, Silver Jews.  Eventually, they burned out and disbanded.

Now living in New York, Yonatan‘s new trio continues with the frenetic energy, spontaneity, and excitement of his former group, but with a whole new spin that is equally, if not more, compelling.  This project is entirely instrumental and, for lack of a better term, more “musical,” than Monotonix.  In some ways, the pandemonium generated by his previous band’s unbridled approach to live shows may have actually overshadowed Gat‘s technical ability; cleanness of sound and composition become less of a priority — not to mention, possibility — when your entire setup is making its way through a crowd of people collapsing over one another.  Miraculously enough, these days, Yonatan‘s live shows have managed to retain that same tremendous intensity, although with more of a focus directly on the music and the musicians that intensity is radiating off of.  The new trio still sets up in the middle of the floor of the venue surrounded by the audience, all 3 members facing  toward and taking cues from one another, while tearing through some truly inspired, and genre-bending improvisation.  With his new work, Gat is really free to explore without limits, and he’s definitely taking advantage of that opportunity, dipping into everything from avant punk, psychedelia and free jazz to Afrobeat and Middle Eastern surf rock; sometimes within the same track.  Earlier this year, he released Director, a full-length that expertly weaves these otherwise disparate sounds together and was inspired by soundtrack masters like Ennio Morricone and Nino Rota.  Their brand new Steve Albini-produced EP, Physical Copy, was recorded in only 3 hours with the hope of capturing the intangible brilliance and energy of their live performances.  And that live show… it’s, actually, a fairly difficult one to explain, because you won’t see anything else like what they’re doing, in quite the same way, anywhere else.  Although they can be expected to conjure up a similar ramshackled frenzy as that of Monotonix, Yonatan Gat‘s trio — comprised of an equally impressive rhythm section — can just as easily chloroform a tornado, parting a turbulent horizon for some genuinely beautiful moments, as well.

Thanks to our friends at Joyful Noise Recordings, we have a pair of tickets to giveaway for the upcoming Yonatan Gat show at the Funhouse in Seattle on October 29th, so that one of youz guyz can go check these fools get whoop crazy like a cyclone in person and discover why the Village Voice awarded Gat “Best Guitarist In New York, 2013.”  You might not know much about them going into it, but it’s not something that you’ll soon forget, as evidenced by the following random video clips taken from last year’s SXSW and what appears to be the 2nd half of a house show.

[CLICK HERE to buy tickets]

THE CONTEST / GIVEAWAY:

*1 Winner will receive a pair of tickets to the following performance :

Yonatan Gat
w/Woodknot (EP release), , Young Pioneers, and Donzis
Funhouse Lounge – Seattle, Wa
Thursday, October 29th, 2015 @ 8pm

HOW TO ENTER

This giveaway will center around the belief that a Yonatan Gat show can win anyone over

#1

While we often find ourselves posting giveaways to promote shows for bands, more so than even the bands themselves, we are well aware that Yonatan isn’t anywhere near as well known as he deserves to be, and a lot of people seeing this are probably unfamiliar with his work.  Because of this, and the belief that this band has the chops to impress anyone, especially those witnessing them for the first time, all that we’re going to require the entrant to do is simply let us know that they are interested in attending and want them.

#2

Simply, note your interest by leaving a comment in the comment section below.

#3)

There is no part 3. That’s all there is to the giveaway. It’s pretty easy… but you should probably read the fine print.

The Fine Print:

All entries must be received by Wednesday, October 28th, 2015 at noon to be eligible.

Make sure to use a valid email so that we can contact you.

If you sign in with Facebook, make sure that your account can accept a message from us.

If you are not sure that you will be able to attend the show, do not enter!  You’d be surprised how often that shit happens and we don’t want these going to waste.

If we are unable to contact the winner in a reasonable amount of time, a new winner will be chosen. Good luck!