EMQ’s With StartTheMonkey
Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with Greek Experimental Post-Metal band, StartTheMonley. Huge thanks to their Guitarist, Dennis, for taking part.
What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
Good evening, thank you very much for this invitation. My name is Dennis and I am the guitarist from StartTheMonkey.
The band started in 2017 and we’ve had multiple member changes. In late 2020 we released our first EP, “The Start of the Monkey”. Our then singer left the band and since then Lasonas, our newest member, came into the group. We had composed all of the songs for our full-length album “Urban Psyche” and the only thing that was missing were the vocals, which Lasonas then composed and sang.
How did you come up with your band name?
Our drummer George was listening to a song by Pixies “This Monkey Gone To Heaven”. He interpreted it symbolically that the monkey died and that we need to bring it back to life. So it’s StartTheMonkey.
What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?
We are all from Greece, and more specifically from the capitol of Athens. Despite the difficulties that most musicians face in our country, there are a lot of strong and successful bands who fight for the dream in the underground as much as on a big stage like 1000mods , Villager of LoanninaCity, Rotting Christ etc.
What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)
On the 5th of may we will release our first full-length album Urban Psyche via Electric Talon Records.
We have already released our first single from the upcoming album: the song “Cave” as an animation video which you can find in the link down below.
Who have been your greatest influences?
The biggest influences that we have are Russian Circles, If These Trees Could Talk, Amenra, Last Rizla.
What first got you into music?
My parents listened to classicl rock so there was that element in the house. But what started it all and made me want to pursue music was a classical guitar that was given to a friend of mine as a gift. He did not want it so he gave it to me so it just kind of started like that and I’ve never looked back.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
We would like to collaborate with bands that have influenced our sound like the ones we mentioned before. Russian circles, Amenra etc.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
That is a very difficult question. We don’t really have any intentions to where we want to play. As for any metal musician, the dream festival to play at is Waken because it’s one of the festivals with audiences from around the globe.
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
The truth of the matter is that we have never gotten any weird gifts from fans before.
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
To enjoy music and your life to the fullest of degrees and to not let the bad days take control of you.
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
The obvious answer is Lemmy, as he has left behind a gargantuan legacy behind him.
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
To be a musician is not an easy thing. We enjoy the writing prosses, the jamming sessions, and the travelling around the world. The thing that we hate iswhat most bands and musicians hate, especially in Greece. The government thinks that we are inferior people and does not recognize our music and there’s no help from the country. We are basically alone in this game , that’s why all the big bands in Greece are abroad.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
This is a loaded question to answer and I can only answer this question with my perspective of a Greek citizen. It’s for the record labels here to actively try to promote the band outside the country instead of being content with the situation.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
Russian Circles – “Memorial”.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?
The vinyl has the cleanest sound. There’s also a whole ritual behind it, you have to go to the disk tray and pick what you’re going to listen to, you have to clean the disk, put it on the pickup and slowly, slowly place the needle and change sides when it finishes. It’s a whole other story if you also have great company with you.
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
Our best gig to date was in a small studio in Kalamata (south mainland Greece) at Bandapart Studio. The hospitality was fantastic, a small but cozy place which gave us the chance to get close with the audience. We were watching the crowd having the best of times, supporting us by buying our merch and we met a lot of new and fun people.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
I would answer again, a musician! But to be realistic if I couldn’t be a musician I would choose to surround myself in the industry like a sound engineer etc.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
Obviously our band.
What’s next for the band?
As we have stated above, we can’t wait to share our album on the 5th of May. We also want to do some live shows/tours (if able) in the fall (stay tuned) and also a music release, but it’s too early to talk about such things.
What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
We use nearly everything available to us but mostly it’s Bandcamp, Spotify, Youtube but one might hear from us on Facebook and Instagram.
Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/artist/1WBupYLrcfIKkw7uszGyYF
Youtube – https://youtube.com/@startthemonkey583
Bandcamp – https://startthemonkey.bandcamp.com/album/urban-psyche
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/StartTheMonkey
Instagram – https://instagram.com/starthemonkey?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Time for a very British question now. As an alternative to the humble sandwich, is the correct name for a round piece of bread common in the UK either a Bap, a Barm (or Barm Cake), a Batch, a Bun, a Cob, a Muffin, a Roll or a Tea Cake?
As one of our band members was born in Australia, this is referred to as a roll.
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
We want to thank you for the invite once again, and want to thank all those who have supported us all this time.
Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.