What Brought Monkey Fist Together?
(Sean)
After watching my previous band have
a total meltdown, I knew it was time to
move away from the bands of egos - and
form the band I always wanted - a band
of brothers.
A promoter introduced me to Eddie our
drummer and I was still thinking about
holding auditions, when our singer Chris and Jim (dragging about a
hundred guitars behind him) both came in the same night. After playing
together, I said what the heck – think I’ll keep what I’ve got.
Originally, we had another bass guitar
player who had a different schedule
and set of goals in mind, so when he
left, I asked Scott, who I’d met through
a Richmond web site, to come down and
play a little with the band. After about
thirty seconds of a Red Hot Chili
Pepper song - we all agreed that the
band was now complete.
Today we practice once a week and
gig out twice a month, but the most
important thing to us is that we can
see ourselves staying together for
the long haul.
(The Richmond Buzz)
So how did you come up with the name Monkey Fist?
(Sean)
That’s kind of funny – a lot of people ask us that. Our other guitar
player, Jim use to play in a band called Curious George and our singer,
Chris always kidded him about having a monkey fetish. We would always
kick around names and Jim would always come out with Crazy Ape or
something like that - cause of the
fetish thing. One night he said, well at
least I didn’t say “Monkey Fist”. Well, we
kicked that around for a while and we
finally said why not. Cause I think that
after you play out enough your
performance will carry across. You
could be called Joe Dirt’s Love Child and
if you put on a good performance and give
the crowd what they’re looking for after
awhile they don’t care what you call
yourself.
(the Richmond Buzz)
What is Monkey Fist’s Style?
(Sean)
Well, we play a wide variety of music – everything from Cheap Trick to
Shinedown. But most of the songs we pick are tongue-n-cheek songs like
“Take It Off” or “Figured You Out” or
“Animals” or “Talk Dirty To Me” or “Control”
and on and on. People go to a club to have a good
time, and they want to be entertained. For me, I
do a good job when everyone is having a good
time. They are not there to dissect every note
that you play.
(The Richmond Buzz)
What’s it like playing in Richmond?
(Sean )
Well I don’t like to admit it, but I think the
general support for local bands had dropped
off a little every year. When I was a teenager
we had rock concerts at the coliseum every week - there was Judas
Priest one week, Motley Crew the next, Van Halen, and Aerosmith after
that.
(Chris)
I think the biggest problem in Richmond is
that there aren’t enough medium size
venues around. There are tons of small
ones and a couple of large one like the
Landmark, Carpenter Center, and
Coliseum with fixed seating. We’ve
really split up our audiences among
all the small spots. It’s a really tough
market in Richmond . when Van Halen
can’t fill out the Coliseum something’s
not right! It’s kind of like the lack of
support for the sports teams – just not
enough people come out. I’m not exactly
sure what people are doing but
whatever it is doesn’t involve leaving the house.
(The Richmond Buzz)
Who were some of your musical influences?
(Sean)
I grew up on the south side liking loud music and
bands with big hair. Looking back and seeing how
it all evolved – I remember seeing Gene Simons
with fire and blood coming out of his mouth when
I was a kid and I though that he was the coolest
dude on the planet. Then Hair Metal hooked me.
(Jim)
growing up around Delaware and Philadelphia I
loved Kiss and Ted Nugent, but when I began
playing EVH, Neal Schon, Warren DeMartini,
Greg Howe, Nuno Bettencourt, and Ace Frehley
set the bar for me.
(Chris)
I grew up in Southern California during the
Seattle Grunge era. Green Day and Off Spring. I got into that really load
stuff.
(Eddie)
I grew up at the tail-end of the of the disco era. The 80’s hair scene, up
through my teen years and into the 90 with grunge. Being a drummer I
appreciate bands like Rush, Van Halen, Godsmack, but Metallica is
probably the biggest influence.
(Scott)
My favorite bassists are John Entwistle, John Paul Jones, Flea, and John
Taylor. I don’t care for rap, or country, but I’ll listen to anything.
(The Richmond Buzz)
What can someone expect when they see Monkey fist?
(Monkey fist)
We all take time at home to tweak our guitars doing double and triple
takes to do the original bands justice. You’ve got to do it the way they do
it or better. Everyone wants to hear their favorite song the way they
remember it. We do such a wide variety and number of songs that we’ve
got something for everyone. That way you don’t get the same show every
time you hear us play.
Come out and support the band:
March 3rd @ Beefeater's Bar & Grill
No Cover Charge - Everyone is on the Guest List!
March 31st @ Mulligan's Southside
Southside in the house!!!
April 14th @ Beefeater's Bar & Grill
No Cover Charge - Everyone is on the Guest List!
Check out the bands current song list- click here
Check out Monkey Fist on the Web: www.monkeyfistband.com
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