Derek Monypeny at Rozz-Tox -- June 10.
Saturday, June 10, 8 p.m.
Rozz-Tox, 2108 Third Avenue, Rock Island IL
Currently touring in support of his most recent releases Unjust Intonation and The Hand as Dealt, multi-instrumentalist and Joshua Tree artist Derek Monypeny plays a June 10 concert at Rock Island venue Rozz-Tox, the musician lauded by Zen Effects for crafting "breathtaking compositions - stunning in their simplicity and fascinating in their meditative and even mind-altering power."
Born in the Arizona desert, a veteran of multiple explorations into the Sahara desert via Morocco and Western Sahara, and now a resident of the Mojave, Monypeny sees his musical mission as adding to and expanding on what he calls the "desert continuum;" the psychedelic sirocco swirl of desert-based stringed instruments played with utter abandon by musicians the world over. The string instrumentalist's “desert continuum” concept takes great inspiration from desert guitarists whose playing so perfectly reflects their surroundings in its gnarled beauty and all-pervasive individualism, among them Richard Bishop, Zoot Horn Rollo, Curt Kirkwood, Jesus Acedo, Bob Log III, and Howe Gelb. During his travels in North Africa, Monypeny discovered that same spirit in Saharan guitar playing, in artists such as Seddoum ould Eide, Hammadi ould Nana, and Luleide ould Dendenni.
Monypeny uses a variety of instruments to achieve these ends. In addition to guitar, he has recorded an album of solo oud recordings (Don't Bring Me Down, Bruce) and is currently performing and recording using the 15-string electric shahi baaja (Indian electric banjo). The artist is a former member of the bands Oaxacan, ALTO!, and Sir Richard Bishop's Freak Of Araby Ensemble, and in addition to Monypeny's solo work, he has an ongoing duo project with Bryan Hillebrandt titled OAE (Oakland Afternoon Ensemble). Over the course of his career, he has performed and toured with artists including Bill Orcutt, Jozef van Wissem, Eva Aguila/Kevin Shields, and Arrington de Dionyso, and many others, and in a review of Monypeny's 2019 reissue of How Can Be, the River Cities' Reader's Max Allison wrote, "Monypeny operates in a liminal space between old-west-cowboy country jams, Arabic and North African music such as Chaabi and Tuareg desert blues, south Asian and Indonesian styles including Carnatic music and Gamelan, and psychedelic rock of the mid-20th Century. The fact that all of these genres and more fuse together in the space of his solo guitar performances is a testament to the specificity of the tropes that he incorporates into his songs, and his mastery of the narrative through which he presents those ideas."
Derek Monypeny returns to Rock Island on June 10 with additional sets performed by Ak' Chamel and Floating Cave, admission to the 8 p.m. all-ages concert is $15-20, and more information and reservations are available by calling (309)200-0978 and visiting RozzTox.com.
