Ami Shalev, lead singer of
Israel garage rock superstars Monotonix, is an unassuming guy. His demeanor is
upbeat and radiant, like a proud young girl who has a propensity for pony
stickers and Justin Bieber. Talking to Ami, you would never guess that he’s 45
years old, and still pretty keen on crowd surfing nude with a crazy mane of
hair covering both his head and body. Ami spoke with EasternSurf.com about Monotonix and what it means to leave a
limited rock scene in Tel Aviv to play over 1,000 U.S. shows in less than five
years. After a blistering run up the west coast, Monotonix are back East this week, hitting Birmingham, Nashville,
Raleigh, Washington, DC, Brooklyn, Providence, and Philadelphia before going
completely European with a whirlwind 14 shows in 14 days. Ami
is really hard to understand on the phone, but his boundless energy made the communication
breakdowns a joy. Ami talked paddleball and babes while guitarist Yonatan
Gat and drummer Haggai Fershtman got ready to make another dent in their
relentless tour schedule.
ESM: Hi
Ami, thanks for speaking with us. So where are you guys right now?
Ami Shalev: We’re
on our way from Los Angeles to San Francisco… Cruising of the lifetime! [Ami
says this with a lot of charisma — he may have said Ice Time, not
lifetime. Or he may have said Pipeline.]
ESM: How
do you guys translate your notoriously energetic live show to a recorded album?
Your first full-length, Not Yet, just
came out last week.
AS: I
think that this record is just the best way that we can do it. It is all of the
original instruments we use in our live show, so there are no over-dubs. We
just play our album like it is a live show, and this is definitely the best way
for us to do it.
ESM: So
you guys have played what, like 700-plus shows in the U.S. by now?
AS: No,
we’re more like a thousand or so now I guess.
ESM: Wow.
What keeps you going — a solid work ethic or just pure fun?
AS: It’s
pure fun, but it’s also good for me because I like to run and sweat. It’s
athletics, and the athletics are something that are happening during the show.
But yeah, it is all about fun.
ESM: What
are the differences between playing live in Tel Aviv and Israel and
playing around the United States? Is there any way to compare the two for your
stateside audience?
AS: It’s
very hard to compare the two. Israel is very different from the U.S. — especially
the live shows. I guess for the last three years now we haven’t played in
Israel at all. I can tell you this: Israel is not really a traditional rock
environment like it is here in the U.S. So yes, it’s just very different.
ESM: Which
one do you like more?
AS: To
play shows? In the U.S. for sure.
ESM: I
hear the youth on the beaches of Tel Aviv do nothing but play paddleball? Does
that have something to do with the quality of Israel’s beaches?
AS: In my
opinion, the beaches are the best place in Tel Aviv. It’s always sunny and very
comfortable on the beach, and then you can walk or bike back to your home and
find a spot to relax your skin from the sun.
ESM: What
about the paddleball? Do you play?
AS: We
call it “matkot,” but yes, Israelis
are very good at paddleball. And it is very dangerous because the people who
play are hitting the ball so hard it is like a bullet. You try to walk through
or ride your bike and it’s like these bullets, and the bullet can kick you in
your head and it can throw you to the ground and the people playing will shout
at you, “What are you doing? You’re disturbing my game!” These people don’t
care about anything, only themselves and matkot.
The people who play are usually old, but they are like old people in Florida
— they are very strong and in very good shape. It’s scary. But you can
always find a place to relax away from them on the beach.
ESM: What
goals do you guys have other than ruling the music world?
AS: Everything
in life is a goal, from the food we eat… If the sun is shining, I am happy. If
the sun refuses to shine, I am still all right, don’t worry.
ESM: You
hurt your leg on the East Coast last year, right? How is it now?
AS: Oh, my
leg that was hurt in [he speaks to
someone else in the band]…Yes, West Palm Beach, FL. It is okay now. I hurt
it playing a show there like seven months ago. It took me like two months to
recover — a lot of physical therapy and running and bicycling. But it is
almost 100% now. You know I am an old veteran, so…
ESM: Old?
We don’t buy it. How old are you?
AS: I am
46 in six months, so you can say that I am a cross between 45 and 46.
ESM: You’re
45 ½.
AS: Yes… But
they say 46 is the new 26, you know.
ESM: I
hear that. You’ll probably live to be 150.
AS: I hope
so.
ESM: Anything
you’d like to say about the East Coast for our diehard surfers over here?
AS: Yes, I
hope it gets warmer because we were just in California where it is sunny and
warm and hot and just fun. We are headed your way soon, and I hope it gets
hotter like July.
ESM: Do
you guys have romantic lives traveling the world so much?
AS: Well,
I am married and so is our drummer Haggai, but Yonatan has a heavy weight on
his shoulder about the women. So I hope that this stuff works out for him. But
I am out of the game.
Upcoming
Monotonix tour dates:
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2/1 The
Bottletree Café………………………………. Birmingham, AL
2/2 The
End……………………………………………. Nashville, TN
2/3 King’s
Barcade……………………………………. Raleigh, NC
2/4 Comet
Ping Pong…………………………………. Washington, DC
2/5 285 Kent
Ave………………………………………. Brooklyn, NY
2/6 Machines
With Magnets………………………….. Providence, RI
2/7 The
Ox……………………………………………… Philadelphia, PA
2/21 Magsin 4…………………………………………… Brussels,
Belgium
2/22 Paradiso…………………………………………… Amsterdam,
Netherlands
2/23 Maroquinerie……………………………………… Paris, France
2/24 La Nef……………………………………………… Angouleme,
France
2/25 Blue Fever…………………………………………. Bilbao, Spain
2/26 Hard
Club………………………………………….. Porto, Portugal
2/27 ZDB………………………………………………… Lisbon,
Portugal
2/28 Moby Dick………………………………………….
Madrid, Spain
3/1 Be Cool……………………………………………. Barcelona, Spain
3/2 Casa 139………………………………………….. Milano, Italy
3/3 Circolo Degli
Artisti……………………………….. Rome, Italy
3/4 Spazio
211………………………………………… Torino, Italy
3/5 Abordage…………………………………………... Evreux,
France
3/6 Cargo………………………………………………. London, UK
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For all things Monotonix, visit www.Monotonix.com
