Acid surf guitar

Posted by Stephen Centanni | Mar 7, 2018 | Music Briefs | 0 |

Band: Yonatan Gat
Date: Saturday, March 10, 9 p.m.
Venue: The Merry Widow, 51 S. Conception St., www.themerrywidow.net
Tickets: $10 in advance/$12 day of show; available through Ticketfly

Guitarist Yonatan Gat earned worldwide notoriety as a founding member of the raucous Israeli garage rock outfit Monotonix. After six years the band’s members decided to part ways, and thus began Yat’s solo career.

Since relocating to New York City, this fiery string master’s raw, primal rock style has been lauded by The New York Times, Vice and The Village Voice, which declared him “Best Guitarist in New York” in 2013. Gat is no stranger to the Azalea City, and his adrenalized, sometimes improvised local shows have been legendary.

In his most recent album, the 2015 release “Director,” Gat takes on the musical persona of a schizophrenic Dick Dale working his way through an introduction to acid. Gat uses the 11 cuts on this album to establish a psychedelic world of surf rock on the edge of madness. From the ominous string-plucks of “Canal” to the relentless beats of “Gibraltar,” Gat set new standards for surf rock.

About The Author

Stephen Centanni

With the exception of two years spent at Auburn University, Steve Centanni has spent his life in Mobile County while focusing on his two passions: music and the written word. As soon as he was issued his driver’s license, Centanni began to explore the local music scene in the early ‘90s. He filled his weekend with visits classic local venues such as the Four Strong Winds Coffee House, Vincent Van Go-Go’s and Culture Shock, all of which welcomed those who had yet to reach 18. After high school, Centanni traded Mobile for Auburn to complete his B.A. in English with an emphasis on general writing. While at Auburn, he had the honor of studying under the Pulitzer-winning poet Natasha Trethewey, who served as the nation’s Poet Laureate in 2012 and 2014. After receiving his diploma, Centanni quickly moved back to Mobile and completed the University of South Alabama’s graduate program with a M.Ed. Eventually, he was tapped by the nationally distributed Volume Entertainment Magazine to serve as the magazine’s managing editor/senior writer. His time with Volume allowed him to exercise his love for both music and writing. As Volume began to fade, Lagniappe recruited Centanni as their Music Writer and later their Music Editor, where he has remained for a little over a decade. As far as his involvement in the local music scene, Centanni organized Cess Fest at the Langan Park, which was a mini-festival focused on original local music in a time when original local music was veritably taboo in Downtown Mobile. For a short time, he brought original music to Downtown Mobile as the in-house promoter for the now deceased venue Cell Block. He managed local underground powerhouse Fry Cook, until the members parted ways. Centanni has lent his bass to bands such as Keychain Pistol and The F’n A-Holes, and he toured nationally as a member of Abstract Artimus & the Torture Children. Currently, he provides vocals for the garage blues rock outfit Johnny No. Ultimately, Centanni’s experience in the local music scene as both a participant and an observer has allowed him to witness the ever-changing persona of Mobile’s enigmatic music scene, which continues to leave him with more questions than answers.