Led by the mesmerizing vocals of band centerpiece Celeste Griffin, Monarchs sway in a space between hypnotic Americana and evocative soul, melding the powerful and alluring force of Neko Case, Hope Sandoval, Chan Marshall, and even touches of Erika Wennerstrom. Splitting the band lineups between Griffin’s hometown of Birmingham, Alabama and her current base of operations here in Austin, Monarchs released their sophomore EP, Those Words, Those Frames, last year, and have proven a rich addition to the local scene. Find out for yourself this weekend as Monarchs injects some soul into the Hole in the Wall and helps Haunting Oboe Music say farewell this Friday, January 15, alongside Salesman and Obsolete Machines.
Profile: Monarchs
Year Formed:
2007
Members/Instruments played:
Celeste Griffin: Songs/Voice/Piano
with the ATX Monarchs:
Alex Tomaino: Guitar
Phil Ajjarapu: Bass
Josh Halpern: Drums
Katie Holmes: Violin/Harmonies
with the Birmingham Monarchs:
Van Hollingsworth: Bass/Guitar/Song Writing
Josh Cannon: Drums
Anna Carrigan: Harmonies
Jeanette Brabston: Violin
Former Bands/Side Projects:
Monarchs was originally founded in Birmingham, Alabama by Celeste. After she moved to Austin, she gathered the “ATX Monarchs” players and performs under the same name, “Monarchs”. She still plays with the Birmingham Monarchs band members from time to time. Monarchs is Celeste’s first and only band… except for a semi-side project with Taylor Hollingsworth called “Taylor and Celeste on TV.” Her band members, on the other hand, have played/play in lots of bands. Between the two cities, Birmingham and Austin, these bands include: The Triceratops, The Magic Math, , Tameca Jones, Marmalakes,The Jitterbug Vipers, etc etc etc.
Albums:
2008: The Oak EP (no label)
2009: Those Words, Those Frames (no label)
Influences:
That’s a really hard question to answer. Some:
XX: Aretha Franklin, Bonnie Raitt, Lauryn Hill, Gillian Welch, Chan Marshall, Fiona Apple
XY: Neil Young, Van Morrison, The Beatles, Jerry Garcia, Conor Oberst, John Lennon, Jay Z
Strangest comment or comparison ever made about your music:
I was once compared to Bright Black Morning Light…
Favorite local bands:
Oooo…
I really love The Jitterbug Vipers. I think Bosque Brown is amazing (They’re almost local). Like most, I love Spoon. They just keep putting out strong rock albums. Ben Kweller is amazing live. Patty Griffin is one of the best female artists of our time. I have spun Okerville River’s “Black Sheep Boy” about a 100 times. Salesman is awesome.
Favorite local venue:
For Playing: Hole in the Wall
For Listening: Emo’s Inside or Mohawk.
Upcoming shows scheduled:
Friday, Jan 15th @ Hole in the Wall w/ Salesman, Haunting Oboe Music, & Obsolete Machines
Thursday, Feb 11th @ Mohawk w/ Wine and Revolution & Follow that Bird
SXSW stuff in March
Friday, April 9th @ Stubbs w/ Dana Falconberry and Some Say Leland
Shows over the next month that you’re excited to see:
Van Morrison!
Some of your favorite albums from the past year:
My favorite:
Heartless Bastards: The Mountain
Obvious Mind Blowing ones:
St. Vincent: Actor
Grizzy Bear: Veckatimest
Album that isn’t new that i’ve been obsessed with:
The Rolling Stones: Tattoo You (especially the backside!)
Ideal band (past or present) to open for on a national tour:
Hmmm. It’d be fun to have toured with Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band. A couple of my friends play for that band and I think that their audience would be likely to get behind Monarchs.
Austin Sound questions:
You have two versions of the band - one in Alabama, and one here. So how are the two groups different, especially for you creatively?
Well, both of the bands have had shifting memberships. For me, the biggest difference is that Van Hollingsworth is in the Alabama band… Van and I do a lot of writing and he is always my most creative collaborator. We just have a really rare musical connection that I haven’t found with anyone else. The Austin band is still settling in and in the process of becoming the best it can be…. We recently got a new awesome drummer and I’m really interested i seeing what it will be like playing a show with him… and how the new band dynamic will feel. I have a good feeling about it… Becoming a good band is just a constant evolving process.
So which famous Monarch do you feel best encapsulates the band?
My grandmother, Celeste Evans Burnum. She’s a queen. I named the band “Monarchs” thinking about my family.
Song Introduction:
I chose “Move on Out” because it’s a sassy little number, good for head nodding and hip swinging. It gets to the point and is over pretty quickly–just like, shibaaam—givin’ it to ya! Also… it has a really dirty guitar part at the end that makes me feel good inside.
Sound Off:
Hmmm. I write 1 upbeat for every 3 slower songs. Personally, my favorite Monarchs songs are the slow grooves like “Those Words, Those Frames” or “Go I’ll Go”. I generally feel a slow groove way more than a super upbeat song… for example, I would much rather hear Outkast “Elevators (Me and You)” than “Bombs Over Baghdad”. HOWEVER, I do love to write some hip swinging–boogie–music. And when I do, it seems that I have a lot of folk influence in me. This makes sense considering my Alabama upbringing.
Also, I like to think of Monarchs as a community project. Writing songs is only so good if others can’t receive them and enjoy them. So I see the listeners as a big part of the Monarchs community. My family and friends are really freaking important to me and they have been amazingly supportive of my music. My players put flesh on my songs. So many people have helped promote, record, or do something for Monarchs because they believe in the music. So I really feel like Monarchs has been a real, organic process. Bottom-up shit.
Mp3s:
Move On Out
Those Words, Those Frames
Website:
Myspace
