Zigmat’s show at Mercury Lounge 8/29 By JamMuse Published: September 3, 2009
Zigmat is a great new band that deliciously combines electrifying vocals with canoodling violin with rock styled bass, guitar and drums.
Comprised of MONICA RODRIGUEZ and STEPHEN YONKIN, the duo starting collaborating in 2006, and released the “Sound of Machines” EP in July 2008, that eventually got them signed to the Brazilian label, Ultra Records and Actua Musica in Spain.
Fast forward a year, after tours of Mexico, Brazil and the U.S. and playing well-known clubs like Nublu and Mercury Lounge in the NY area, the duo has soared musically, impressing audiences and garnering a fan base worldwide. They finally released their full length album in the U.S., also titled “Sounds of Machines,” in May 2009.
Now a bit about the show from Saturday.
Monica’s vocals are enchanting. The audience sings along, eventhough she switches her lyrical vernacular between Spanish and English. To say the least, her vocals are fierce (not to mention her amazing hair and fashion sense, clothed in black fishnets and a simple black dress with golden stones). At the Lounge, people’s adorations were never ending, with intermittent, “I Love You Monica!” traveling above her soulful serenading.
Yonkin has a Chili Peper’s vibe, bowing his head, making love to his bass. His fun, simple, dance-rock bass-lines gives the audience a thumping drive. His ‘rock and roll’ stature on stage, complete with traditional black pants and a blood-red button down, gives Zigmat a great diversity both visually and musically.
The set list was a showcase of their album, minus, “Watch the World.” The album is a child with genes from rock and electronica melded together, that can make it easy to fall asleep to or make love to. “Fire” was one of my favorite songs to hear because Monica’s voice evoked such passion, that the body naturally transcended into a peaceful and thoughtful zone. “Machine,” their debut single, is also in that category. And not to sound typical, but really, their whole album is something to add to the collection and pass on, as it can reach out to all different ages and people with a wide variety of musical taste.
The rest of the sound was filled out by hired musicians. The guitarist, Hank Woods, was discussing after the show how he enjoyed his first time playing with Zigmat, and then talked about his other projects, like Apache Stone, the band on FX’s “Rescue Me,” which shows how dedicated musicians are to their skill, playing almost 7 days a week, with an array of styled artists.
Here is Zigmat’s main website, including tour dates, sounds and videos.
Before they leave for Brazil, I recommend checking them out at the Gibson Showroom on September 17 (more info in another post). When they get back from Brazil, I highly recommend attending one of their shows, supporting their talented efforts in producing some beautiful live music.
