There is something very exciting and powerful coming from across the Atlantic straight from Nashville, Tennessee making a huge impact in the UK. I am of course talking about MONA who are a four piece alternative rock band comprising of Nick Brown (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Vince Gard (drums), Zach Lindsey (bass), Jordan Young (guitar).
Here in the UK, the press are going mad about these guys. NME have already included them on their list of BEST NEW BANDS OF 2010 and that’s before the band had played any shows in the UK or released their debut single.
There have been so much great stuff written about these guys as they have been featured twice in NME magazine, one of them was a FULL page article. The band were also featured in the Guardian (Band of the Day) and other websites and blogs. Mona’s debut track ‘Listen To Your Love’ has been played twice in the BBC Radio 1 (Zane Lowe) with some great feedback from listeners and it is on the XFM playlist.
MONA’s 7” Limited Edition Vinyl ‘Listen To Your Love’ is currently available to pre-order from Rough Trade and the digital download will be out on the 13 September.
According to Nick Brown:
“I’m getting an amazing feeling about the UK … I really want to pursue things over there first….even though we are very connected here…and the labels are knocking and we are on everyone’s radar I feel our music needs to be felt. The world needs a new front man…Bono is getting old, Dylan is even older, no one has a real voice, here are many shallow songs …great songs?…yes…but still empty…I LOVE those guys and their bands..but their capacity for being a messenger of hope and the gift to sing a hymn to the heart of a generation??? c’mon…NO WAY!!! (laughs). Pain makes us great…Kurt Cobain understood that but he had no hope…its a fine line..we have to acknowledge despair and dance in it…laugh at heart ache…mock death…believe in love and completely surrender to beauty… and I try not to be pretentious or take things too serious…but I know the power of music…and someone needs to take the reigns and why not me? ..why not MONA?…in the bible God used donkeys, dry bones and drunks (laughs). I think I could fit into a few of those categories…anyways..I’m rambling…”
In the meantime MONA will be touring the UK for the first time end of this month with their debut show at the the legendary Flowerpot in Camden.
MONA’s debut video reached over 5,500 views in less than a month since it was uploaded onto Youtube. What do they sound like? To me, they sound unique and bloody amazing but you can make your own judgement.
Check out the video and listen to MONA on their myspace and facebook fanpage at:
http://www.myspace.com/monatheband
http://www.facebook.com/pages/MONA/43495831313
MONA – Band introduction by Alexandra McLoughlin
Very interesting stuff, I find your writing captivating! And such an impressive back catalogue of work, I only hope that I can join you at Glastonbury with a press pass one day! x
Awww thanks for the kind words Katie. Very sweet of you.
That would be amazing if you could join me at Glasto. I am sure we can arrange something one day!!!