Monica Sex

Monica Sex
Origin	Tel Aviv, Israel
Genres	Israeli rock, alternative rock, pop rock
Years active	1993–1996 2000–present
Labels	Hed Artzi
Members
Yali Sobol Peter Roth Shahar Even Tzur Seffy Efrati
Past members
Eldad Guetta Yossi Hamami

Monica Sex (Hebrew: מוניקה סקס‎; also spelled Monika Sex) is an Israeli rock band that is very popular among young fans and the contemporary music scene. Their music is generally characterized by its alternative rock sound and catchy lyrics, which led many of their songs to become radio hits and greatly recognizable in Israeli culture. One of their most famous CDs is Wounds and Kisses (Hebrew: פצעים ונשיקות‎, Ptza'im veNeshikot), released in 1995.

History

Formation and Wounds and Kisses (1993–1995)

The band was formed in 1992 in Tel Aviv, by Yali Sobol as vocalist and guitarist, Peter Roth as guitarist, Yossi Hamami on bass, and Shahar Even Tzur as drummer and vocalist. It was named after a famous female bass player from 80's punk rock band "hot killer".

Sobol, the leader and main artist of the group, wrote a few songs, and shortly the band began to perform. After three years of gigging Wounds and Kisses, the album was released in 1995 and reached gold album within 5 months. Four singles from the album received massive airplay on the radio.

US and break-up (1995–1996)

After Wounds and Kisses, Yossi Hamami wanted to play more fusion, and left the band. A while later, the band tried its luck in the United States and performed as a trio with Roth now on bass guitar. They came back to Israel for one show as an opening act for Sonic Youth and returned. They recorded a few songs in English, but after a year they couldn't adapt to the lifestyle in the US and decided to break up. Sobol came back, Roth returned to Israel and became popular among several influential bands in the country, playing and recording with them. Drummer Even-Tzur stayed in the States.

Reunion, Open Relations, Pets and hiatus (2000–2010)

In 2000 Monica Sex decided to group up again and make their second album Open Relations (Hebrew: יחסים פתוחים‎, Yahasim Patuchim). With the organist Eldad Guetta playing on the album and later joining the band, they recorded 12 new songs, mostly written by Sobol. Again, many songs became hit singles, and the album got the same immense popularity as the last one did six years earlier.

After two years Pets (Hebrew: חיות מחמד‎, Hayot Mahmad), their third album was released. After supporting the album with a series of live shows, the band went again on a hiatus, and between 2004–2010 rarely appeared or performed live, only performing in special event like the Israeli Independence Day "Rock Atzmaut" annual show.

Melody and renewed activity (2010–present)

In mid 2010, the band members announced that after many years of minimal activity both live and in the studio, which resulted in only a few live shows a year, and jamming in the studio, the band will go into the studio with the intention to write material for a new full-length studio album.

In October 2010, it was announced that the band had finished recording their latest album Melody (Hebrew: מנגינה‎, Mangina), and the first single "The Dress from Madrid" (Hebrew: השמלה ממדריד‎, Ha-simla mi Madrid) was released to the radio.

On December 19, 2010, the second single "Mangina" (Hebrew: מנגינה‎, Mangina) was released. The full album was released on February 24, 2011, in a special release show at the Hangar 11 in Tel Aviv.

Band members

Current members

• Yali Sobol – vocals, guitar (1993–1996, 2000&–present)
• Peter Roth – guitar, backing vocals (1993–1995, 2000–present), bass (1995–1996, 2001–2009)
• Shahar Even Tzur – drums, vocals (1993–1996, 2000–present)
• Seffy Efrati – bass (2009–present)

Former members

• Eldad Guetta – keyboards, organ (1993–1995), bass (2000–2001)
• Yossi Hamami – bass, backing vocals (1993–1995)

External links

• Monica Sex on Facebook
• Monica Sex's channel on YouTube
• Monica Sex at MOOMA (Hebrew)