Review – Monotonix at the Pyramid Cabaret, Winnipeg, May 21 2009
– text by eugene osudar/photo by Mike Latschislaw
taking it to the streets
of winnipeg
fort street that is and
the oldfolks home
i can’t, up,
with? keeping,
the madness
is, extreme!
the mayhem
is? if my eyes
leave the chaos
then i;ll miss
everything?
and then
what will
i do:
(okay,
i’ll dance
this is me)
i can’t explain
my eyes
see
nothing
except
something of
the madness
no,
it’s
anarchy in
my winnipeg
yes
this is
Monotonix
this is
what you’ve seen
on youtube
haven’t you?
if no
go and see
the mayhem
in Berlin,
the anarchy
in Austin
and
Sometime To Return
(Soul Asylum)
to gutter,
snipe
it is
written
there is genius
here
there
everywhere
oh my
the (pre)scriptures
this is iggy
No!
more than
one iggy
this is a band
of iggys,
a, band, of,
iggys!
a merry rock n roll
band of anarchists
maxxxing
out the pleasure
of being anarchal/
musicians
triple x
have i mentioned simulated
fellatio?
okay, that’ll come
soon
(yes, i’ve written it that way
with purpose
and this too)
off the stage\
where is the stage>
above the stage
below the stage
all the world
is
a stage!
(billy shakespeare)
the audience
is part of the stage
the show,the floor
the rage
the roadies
the spillers
the dancers
the carriers
the lifters
the life and limb
savers
rock n roll
depravers
hot/sauce
ravers
there is chaos
craziness
in,their,sanity
this is genius
are you
ready to be
part
of this insanity?
dare!
to be touched
to be pulled
to be spat upon
by great/gobs
mouthfuls
of beer
i will dare
(The Replacements)
dance with me
(The Old 97s)
am i getting too old for this?
not when there’s
genius
1,2,3 iggys!
gogol bordello
is genius
Ferocity
generosity
visits my city
my winnipeg
in the form
1/2/3 Iggys
Monotonix!
thursday
night/pyramid
for the precious few
to hear, to see
to witness
can i get me
a witness
to the sounds
and spectacle
on fort street
sounds, dirty nasty
blues punk metal
performance rave
art culture
moving madness
all the venue
and outside
is a stage
let’s play
anywhere!
let’s climb
anything
let’s jump from any
height
into arms and falling
waiting loving
hands arms
we will catch you
jump
jump
are you ready!
are you ready? i asked the five young men who stood at the secondary
bar. near the “stage” set up on the floor, F the actual stage, the
risers, the stand abovers and aparters! we are to be united. band and
audience, we are to be One. says me, “have you seen the youtube
clips?” yes/yes/yes, bobble/heads, they have seen the clips. you’re
going to be part of the chaos, the show. this they know, one young
man says, “i have my back against the bar.” as if that will protect
him. perhaps it will, his back, his eyes turned on ready to shine. to
dine on the feast. after the famine, so many bands without heart,
without force of will. if this be your will/i am ready to rock.
are you ready?
before the show, i approach the guitarist, Moshe standing outside,
getting air before the show, the storm, he is calm, as i intro me to
him and explain, there may be only 100 to see Monotonix from Israel,
“I don’t care, we will rock.” all calm, all business, it is their
business and their intention, to only rock and i can tell, they will.
it is so matter of fact. in his voice. in his (kris) demeanor. that
it is, Their Will. L Cohen.
and i tell the few, aviva and mike and dave and kim and matt and
freye. i know. because he will and they will.
and the lead singer Levi, walks around the bar, the venue, as Moshe
and Bonanza, on drums, set up on the dance floor, shunning the stage.
Levi cases the joint,as i’m sitting writing notes of what i observe.
Levi walks behind me and looks at the empty table and the bar stools.
oh, he will, they will use this table these stools. and this is where
i’m sitting next to. but i never sit. i dance.
and i watch him take a plastic garbage can from beside the main bar
and wheel it up to the stage area and i see him dump contents out,
and yes, there is a plan there is a method and i see him looking at
the ceiling and all around and watching and moving, a panther in
grooving the concept of the show the performance the art of focusing
the gathering spots.
he is the pied piper,
we the followers
the spectators
the ravers
the movers and shakers
no room for fakers
let’s groove
let’s move
Levi is the director
in this passion play
Bonanza the beat keeper
and Moshe
the monkey box grinder
we are monkeys
we are dancers
we are roadies
we are ecstatic
55 minutes
of nothing less
than complete
abandon
and building of trust
audience and performers
together
we will make this show
the
unforgettable
fire (U2)
the 75
not even 100!
says me to matt, “do you think there are 100?”
a Pyramid employee walks by,
and shakes his head, No Way!
75, but together
we made hundreds
legs toes
fingers
arms and we
carried levi
around the room
and lifted him higher
to the lighting and heating
system
beams and pipes and
he hung from these above the audience
the adorers
and jumped down
hard to the floor
a couple of times
and he dumped the plastic garbage can
on bonanza as he pounded away
and moshe just played
on bar tables
held steady by adoring
spectators
and a kick drum
held in place on another table
by a female “roadie”
spectator
we carried it all
we opened doors
we moved around the room
“come come, come on,”
says levi before the show
began and closer and closer
and neared and nearer
until there existed no virtual
space
between the band
and the audience
a sensual place
to place his mike
at the groin of a guy
who he hugged and danced
and then simulating
head
and singing
and we were all laughing
most of all
the young man
we Loved levi
and trusted him
and later he danced with a Beauty
taller than he
and then he went down
like a bull
to her female sex
and simulated
giving her head
again, complete
happiness
and trust
we yelled and screamed
we sat on the floor
we are the players
the actors
actresses
the dancers the ravers
levi the director
bonanza and moshe the producers
of the beat the grind
we are ecstatic
we are ravers
says me to aviva,
“i saw them in (short) shorts
they’re ready to rock!”
green carpet on the floor
for the drum kit
and later on
the carpet
is the blanket on which
levi is hurled twenty times
tossed in the air
until the throwers
tire
in exhaustion and drop the blanket
and his bones smash onto the floor
broken
bones
and their bodies strewn on the floor
levi and bonanza
like writhers
snakes and worms
and dead bodies
outlined on beer soaked
and glass broke(d) dance
floor
this makes no sense
i didn’t see anything
truly,
was i really there?
there was too much for a pair of green
eyes
hazel eyes
brown eyes
blue eyes
black coal eyes
to see
to accept
to gather in
to process
i confess
i missed it all
within the first five minutes
the very first song
levi joined us on stage
and turned to the 65 on the floor
and dropped
his short shorts
and exposed his derriere
to the gawkers
and it was wonderful
the security
guys
big and round were happy too
they were on the stage with us,
no hassle
no trouble
no get off the stage
we were fine
afforded freedom
climbing on off the stage
after all
the band certainly
rarely used it!
knee high striped socks
Levi
bright red housecoat
it isn’t warm
inside or outside
bonanza and levi get down to the short shorts before the beats begin.
moshe keeps his shirt on
it isn’t warm
although, in an instant
of the moment
of the performance
it is Blazing Hot
mike facebooks after the show,
“arguably the craziest show i’ve ever seen”
i concur.
it occurs.
i was there.
but i didn’t see anything.
i’m too short. unlike, zenon
the giant ukrainian
punker, at least
6 foot six
and he lifts levi up,
up and throws him across
the floor
because that’s exactly what Levi wanted
to be thrown
by this giant
from the first beats, levi
throws beer on the audience and several accept the invitation to pour
beer and throw beer on them and it is beautiful
see the pictures
watch for the clips
levi says the USA crowd couldn’t compete
with us,
we rock
the 75
winnipeggers
you’re so beautiful
and in a few years, there will be 200 who will say they were there
they saw Monotonix,
truth is
they didn’t and we really didn’t see anything at all
it would take a hundred shows to take it all in.
aviva says, “we are the performers!”
freye says, “i’m afraid to get too close. i’m a dancer and i have to
protect my body from injury and yet i’m drawn to them.”
and i am afraid too. i’m 45.
i’m getting too old for
most of this
but not this
not Monotonix
they’re the fountain
they’re the joy
of life and the moment
in israel
it is all about the moment
who knows when that bomb will
go off
and the moment
rave!
rave!
rave against the dying of the light
the lying of the night
the truth is
we are all in the moment
and that’s what the explosion
of my marriage has shown me
the moment
is now
somehow
someway
get into the moment
Now!
this is your moment now
youngster
be into the moment
Now.
monotonix
knows how
levi body surfs the audience in the second song
complete trust
from the invitation
to join them
and his dropping and exposing
of his
bottommmmmmmm
he has us
we’re with him
he’s naked for us
and we accept him
them
Levi gets on a bar table and a guy begins to spin him and then
another joins in and round and round Levi spins like a bottle
singing
roaring
it’s magic
it’s the moment
Now
and Levi takes the drum stool and gets several people to lift him on
top of it, above the ground as he pounds away. it’s all about levitation
height
lifting
catching
being together
part of the show
the experience
of letting
go
and then at 1:10 AM
levi and bonanza
lift the drums
and urge the gathered to follow
and i go
no one else is moving
(yet)
they’re leading us towards the doors
and levi gestures for me
to open the doors
and i open the first set of doors and they break on through the
threshold
and i push open the next set of doors
and the air
is cold
all they’re wearing is short shorts
and they go outside and out
pour
the 75
and we’re dancing
on Fort Street
at 1:10
AM
with drums pounding and levi screaming
and he leads us
to
the oldfolks home all the lights are out and in no time
the lights turn on and people
staffers and old folks
are seen looking from windows
as the 75
scream and dance
and bonanza pounds on drums
and mike takes pics
and levi climbs a tree
ten feet
and he motions for the audience to catch,
his,free,fall
and arms lift
50 arms
and he
lets
go
and drops/falls
dead weight
into the waiting loving arms
and all is well,
no broken bones
no broken arms
or fingers
not that i know of
(yet)
and dave m is concerned
he’s the promoter, says he,
“i don’t mind, he should have gone
the other way, it’s an oldfolks home.”
says me, “when will the cops come?”
and they didn’t,
perhaps the staffers and old folks
Loved it
amazed by it.
the crazy mostly nearly naked man
hanging from the tree
and dropping into the arms
of young people
Crazy!
Crazy!
Genius!
serious fun genius.
go and see. 3 iggys/.
crazy/crazy/genius/serious/fun/genius
this is your
moment,
Now!
More Monotonix photos: