The GENDERS grew up studying American rock and roll, absorbing the sound and stance of bands like the Stooges and the Velvet Underground. And in that tradition, they sing about what they know: sex, drugs, and, uh, the Arab-Israeli conflict. See, the Genders hail from Tel Aviv, a relatively peaceful city in Israel -- emphasis on "relatively" -- and days before they started recording their new Rockin' in Ramallah (AMP), a coffee shop down the street from their studio was bombed. According to their MySpace blog, singer Amir Neubach has never been across the Green Line, but he likes to think of Ramallah as an idyllic Palestinian equivalent to Tel Aviv -- a place where the young and carefree can get their kicks, feel up chicks (or get felt up), and listen to loud music. Sample lyric, from "Horatio": "I ride a tank in the West Bank/I never leave/Who needs Tel Aviv?/Look out mama/My name is Horatio/I perform cunnilingus in return for fellatio." Can we get these guys in on the peace negotiations? Tonight they open for the IRREVERENDS, GOLDENWEST MOTOR LODGE, and WATTS at the Abbey Lounge, 3 Beacon St, Somerville | 617.441.9631.
LISTEN: The Genders, "Horatio" (mp3)
LISTEN: The Genders, "When I Grow Up, I Wanna Be A Fuckin' Stoner" (mp3)