Photo by JJ WandlerUnsurpringly, the Monotonix show at the Comet last Friday was phenomenal. Fires were started, rafters were hung from, and percussionists were held aloft. It was Monotonix first sold-out show in the U.S., so they were extra-giddy about that rite of passage and gave the crowd the astonishing, beer-and-sweat-soaked show they were anticipating. More than a few folks in my group were planning on hitting the Les Savy Fav show at some point (myself included), but everyone was so enthralled by the trio from Tel Aviv that leaving the room wasn’t an option.The collective energy level was far too high to end upon load-out, so the afterparty moved back to my place, where a handful of lovely ladies from the crowd, members of the Whoremoans (who opened the show), and assorted other local DJ, musicians, and fans danced, drank, and generally made merry till the wee hours.The next morning (o.k., afternoon), while we were all eating breakfast together in the living room, it started to snow. Though the band admitted to occasionally seeing snow in northern Israel, they were pretty enchanted by watching the flakes get fatter and fall faster. Things only got better when I checked my mailbox and found an advance copy of N.W.A.’s reissue of Straight Outta Compton (it’s the 20th anniversary of its release this week–look for more on that topic in this week’s paper). We had been talking about our favorite records throughout the meal, and despite their collectively deep and nuanced level of music knowledge, Monotonix had never heard of N.W.A.

Spending the rest of the afternoon watching the landscape turn white and drinking strong coffee while Ami, Yonotan, and Ran discover the vicious, brutal beauty of that record is something I’ll never forget. When their departure for Portland couldn’t be put off any longer, we helped them get the snow off their van and gave them directions back to the freeway. I hated to see them go.If you missed this show, well, shame on you. There’s a good chance they will be back our way in late February or March in support of their forthcoming record (produced by the Fucking Champs’ Tim Green), so we’ll let you know when and if a date is confirmed.