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Preview Mon Jun 02 2014
Yonatan Gat Steps Out On His Own at Schubas, 6/3
Celebrated guitarist Yonatan Gat is a member of the Tel Aviv rock trio Monotonix, but they've been MIA since accomplishing the herculean task of playing 1,000 shows in a five-year span, a feat they completed in March of 2011. At the time, they said the final leg of that stretch was to be their last tour, and in the time since, Gat has struck out on his own by unveiling Iberian Passage, his debut EP. Spanning six tracks, mostly instrumental (and available for streaming and purchase on Gat's bandcamp page), the debut is a feverish volley back and forth between Gat's chaotic stylings and drummer Igor Domingues. Gat first heard Domingues while soundchecking at a festival in Portugal, and he eventually returned to record with Domingues at a studio in the city of Porto. Domingues handled the percussion duties while Gat played everything else.
Press releases about the record have noted Gat's search for inspiration in the music of Miles Davis and Os Mutantes, a search colored by his extensive punk rock past. While those are lofty heights, the comparisons make a great deal of sense after hearing the EP. I'm not sure if the songs are improvisatory, but they certainly give the impression that they're of the moment; listening to them is like trying to follow the path of a handball as it speeds back and forth between the wall and the person throwing it. This feeling is best captured in the second single off the record, "Kotonou," a wild amalgamation of garage rock abandon and musical interplay.
Yonatan Gat plays Schubas on Tuesday, June 3, at 8:00 pm. The openers are Yip Deceiver and Tim Midyett. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the Schubas website.