and so it begins...

happy friday.

3 FAKE albums!!!

This is a little something that I got tagged on facebook...I was intrigued by the idea of randomly selecting wikipedia entries, quotes, and totally random flickr images to create albums...and you know, the MONOlog LOOOOOOVVVESSS those album blog entries. Why not create some fake ones. Yeah I have too much time on my hands...so shut it.

*Create Your Own Indie Rock Album*

1 - Go to "wikipedia." Hit “random”
or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The first random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 - Go to "Random quotations"
or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.

3 - Go to flickr and click on “explore the last seven days”
or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days
Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4 - Use photoshop or similar to put it all together. (Picnik.com is SUPER free and easy.)

So here are the ones MONO has come up with:

1. Maria Kolasa - Stumble Over Something
This would definitely go under some kind of indie artist maybe sounding a bit like Lykke Li, or Ingrid Michaelson...definitely.



2. Clay County - Not To Need It
Ahhh yes, the quintessential indie band from the mid-west that combines a little alt-country with alt-noise but with a softer side. Ghost of the Russian Empire comes to mind as far as sounds, maybe even a little Band of Horses and Wilco.



3. Serie B 1959-60 - To Be Mysterious About Any
This band is definitely from Europe. The cover looks very "Smiths". I could imagine this sounding like something the Head brothers would do, so most like the band Shack. And if you don't know who Shack is...do yourself a favor and check them out.

Jaydiohead - Minty Fresh Beats

Not silent, and deadly...We've been blasting this at MONO headquarters for the past few months. It was only fair to do a monolog on this mash-up. The whole record is available for download, so get it here, son. www.jaydiohead.com

Mr. Relm

Who: Mike Relm

What: DJ/VJ

Where: San Francisco

When: Thursday, March 26th 2009

Why: You know.

Any friend of Dub Trio is a friend of ours. We met Mike when the Dub came into town. This was right before our big DJ launch and we felt what better timing. It was only right that we hit one of his shows. He was on tour with Metric traveling many many miles through Canada. Now he heads back home to the states. We are going to welcome him home.

EFX series...a sneak peek. shhhhhhh.

D has been cranking on getting the EFX series cases up onto the website. NAMM 09' proved to us that everyone is going to love these products. People were coming up to it and were blown away by the design elements. We had DJ's and non-DJ's come into the booth wondering what the heck they were. Everyone was into the slickness and functions that they saw. I know we are teasing some of you out there that are jonesing for a peek. We've got some photos up and running right here on the monolog. Did I also mention the dual case? Let's take a little dive into what you can expect from the new products: Let's do this Billy Mays style: Click HERE to join our fantastic mailing list if you want to know when these cases go LIVE on our site!



1. The 365 pack
Do you find yourself DJing clubs 7 nights out of the week and you hate the fact there isn't a case out there that fits all your needs. You also travel around the globe and are hard pressed to find something that the airlines won't give you crap for. The case you use right now is falling apart. Well have I got a fantastic offer for you! The 365 DJ pack was made from the ground up, just like all our cases. Protection is the key and should be for anything that carries valuables. This is the perfect case for serato DJ's looking to travel.



2. The Producer
The hype for this case was off the chain. Anyone and everyone at NAMM went bonkers for this case. Extreme function and protection for anyone who is in the music biz carrying around a laptop and needing space for modules, effects units, harddrives...you know who you are. We can't wait to get these bad boys into your hands.



3. The Dual M80
For those of you carrying 2 axes to your gig, look no further than the MONO dual M80. This beast has all the protection elements from our flagship single M80. We've transferred over everything that worked with our single and have come up with a genius design that will allow ultimate protection for both instruments. So we've taken all the problems with dual cases that we've seen and improved the design and functionality of the case.

Glen Phillips and his Top 5!

All you GP fans will definitely enjoy this. Glen has had a busy year thus far. He has been working with The Works Progress Administration, a band that consists of Sean Watkins (guitar), Sara Watkins (fiddle), Glen Phillips (guitar), Benmont Tench (piano), Luke Bulla (fiddle), Greg Leisz (various instruments), Pete Thomas (drums), and Davey Faragher (bass). It's a wonderful partnership that started in 2007 with an album in the works that is set to release sometime in the summer of 2009.

Glen has also been highly involved with Plover consisting of Neilson Hubbard, Garrison Starr and Glen Phillips, with Kirk Yoquelet. This project/band will most likely appeal to many Toad fans as the band ventures into familiar territory. Their self-titled album can be heard in its entirety at http://plover.bandcamp.com/ . Be sure to give these both a listen.



1. The Strokes - Room on Fire
I love how this album moves. It's been rainy days at home, and with three kids there are a lot of dishes to do. The Strokes are a fine motivational soundtrack to my domestic duties.



2. Band Of Horses - Cease to Begin
The title of this album alone makes me jealous. I wish I'd come up with it. Simple, pure, timeless songs. Dammit.



3. Flight Of The Conchords - S/T
Business time is still my ringtone for when my wife calls. They take me to my happy place.




4. Django Reinhardt - Django, Au hasard des rencontres
Hot jazz from way back when. He still smokes just about anyone.



5. Radiolab - WNYC Podcast
I know it's not music or a record, but I'm obsessed. I listened to the episode on stress last night for the fourth time

Chiming in with Jonathan Auerbach

It's plain and simple, Jonathan Auerbach is a rocker. Someone who likes to lay into the music he was gifted to play. I had the chance to get Jonathan on the phone and we talked a good while about the opportunity for MONO and JA to do some heavy groundwork on an endorsement. Jonathan's newest release "Siren Call" has seen some worldwide radio play in Europe as well as his native New England area. It has garnered him praise not only for its musicianship, but the soul it possesses.

On SIREN CALL, Jonathan fires his signature guitar, vocal and lyric riffs, backed by a %&*#! killer band: electric guitarist Bob Britt, drummer and percussionist Angelo Collura, electric bassist David Santos, vocalist Pam McCann – aces who have toured and recorded with the likes of Bob Dylan, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Billy Joel, and John Fogerty.



Press play, and the blazing lead rocker, "Keepin’ It Real" engulfs the listener, making clear that SIREN CALL is a bold, edgy rock record, yet, as every tasty track reveals, one of unexpected musical turns. Tunes of grit and grace, full of space and mystique. Mood and melody moving with muscular ease. Soulful stories rendered true.

Of his award-winning writing and maverick music, Jonathan muses, “I'm a conspirator. I write songs to stoke my wanderlust and also to hijack the listener for the ride. The title, SIREN CALL, describes the new music’s force and, in the end, its strong pull on me. Fathoming the soul of these songs was navigating them to ever-deeper water, so as not to be lured onto shallows, rocks and shoals.”

SIREN CALL, released in 2007, follows Jonathan’s spirited 1st CD, LAUNCH, released in 2004 to wide acclaim and airplay, USA and overseas tours, and notably, strong CD and Apple iTunes sales. SIREN CALL tracks "Keepin' It Real," "Memory Lane," and "The Dark" are presently spinning on FM and internet radio (see website news and press).

A powerhouse performer on stage in clubs worldwide, Jonathan -- with or without the band --plays with abandon. He is currently performing and touring in support of SIREN CALL.

Jonathan uses his time and talent to get involved and to help others. His outreach work and concerts have been dedicated to causes ranging from hospices to the homeless to "music therapy" in cancer care. As a a member of the Leadership Council of the Boston-based Dana Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI), Jonathan has made a major multi-year commitment to secure the future of its music therapy program:

*In year 2007, Jonathan, through his music, has helped raise money and donated to DFCI $30,000 in support of the music therapy program at the Zakim Center for Integrative Therapies at DFCI.

**In 2008, an additional $20,000 has been raised thus far and donated.

***In 2008, continuing in 2009, Jonathan conducts a series of master class workshops at DFCI for patients in the music therapy program, titled "Rock-in'-Time: a Rock Music Performance Jam.” The workshop will be interactive and entertaining as well as instructional. “Music therapy is about safety in song,” says Jonathan. “I’ll be teaching kids who already have the ability to play an instrument to enhance their playing and performance skills. Performing music well while having fun doing it empowers and builds confidence. Each child has unique health challenges, but music is a universal gift: music moves, music frees, music heals.”

For more information please visit http://www.jonathanauerbach.com/

Keith Golden's top 5!!!

Keith has been with us from the start. We finally got a chance to meet in New York where he has been killing the NYC scene for years. You can find him on tour with Dido as her band leader and bassist.



I asked him to hit the MONOlog with his top 5...BAM.

1. Rhymefest- Man In The Mirror
Rhymefest's hip hop tribute album/mixtape to Michael Jackson. Funky! Great beats, good rhymes and hilarious skits. Produced by Mark Ronson.



2. M.I.A. - Kala
Burning beats & rhythms. Blistering lyrics. Truly original and mixing in influences from Baltimore club music (my home town).



3. Malcolm Mclaren - Duck Rock
A fantastic trip around the world thru music and rhythm. South African, Old School Hip Hop, Afro-Cuban, Merengue and Tennessee Mountain Hillbilly music all blend seamlessly in this album presented as a radio show by The World Famous Supreme Team in NYC. The accompanying video is also amazing with great shots of life in South Africa and the B-Boy scene of NYC in the early 80s.



4. Bob Marley - Babylon By Bus
Starts with passionate greetings in the name of Jah, Ras Tafari and takes us on a bus thru Europe with one of the best bands starring one of the greatest singers and a devastating rhythm section in the Barrett Brothers. My favorite live album.



5. Prison Song - Volume One
Musicologist Alan Lomax released several albums that are old recordings of Southern American folk music from the early and mid 1900s. Prison songs, church songs, porch songs. They are phenomenal and powerful. This was the first of them that i heard so I picked it for my list here, but any Alan Lomax compilation is compelling listening. Raw and passionate deep soul music.

NAMM 2009: Year of the DJ...DAY 3 & 4

Continuing our trek through NAMM 2009, we start with day 3. Things started to pick up a bit as everyone knows day 3 means the day NAMM opens up to the public. What this usually means is that a lot of the bigger name players come and do shows at their sponsoring booths and such. One of our favorites came down to the booth.

Introducing, Andy Korn!

Day 3 & 4:

Andy has been with MONO since our launch back at NAMM 2007. He has been a great supporter of our cases and has connected us with so many great musicians. You can catch Andy performing with the likes of Ronnie Spector and Josh Fix.



We also caught word that Daru Jones of Idle Warship was going to come down.





Another favorite stopped by to chat. Toshi Kasai!!! He is currently holding down the ax fort with Big Business. His hobbies include shredding and engineering some of the best music today including, the Melvins, Tool, Foo Fighters, Totimoshi, Danzig...just to name a few. He also entertains us with his presence.



Otis and Cassie Taylor were also in the building! They came around to chat. I caught their show the night before and was really excited that they came by again. They were about to leave for the airport and I had to get a shot with them. A true blues legend with his up and coming daughter. Priceless.



These guys need no introduction. Will Calhoun and Victor Wooten were doing clinics and came by. We introduced Victor to his new double case which he was excited about.





And the newest member to the MONO crew is big bro Frank. He's family.



Vivi Rama, who is currently on tour with Macy Gray payed us a visit. We met her last year when she was on tour with will.i.am.



I was also really excited to meet Marcel Rodriguez of Mars Volta. We intro'd him to our newest line of DJ cases.



Rob Caggiano of Anthrax is also a big supporter of MONO. He told us we make the best straps available.



So there it is, another year of NAMM and another year gone by. We are so excited with what 2009 is going to bring the company and we hope all our monolog readers will stick with us through this journey. It's great to be a part of something that's still being written and this company was started to include all of you into the world of MONO. Thanks again for all the support. PEACE!

Katie Herzig's top 5 albums...BOOYAH!

We are on a roll. This top 5 album thing is awesome. Here's Katie's top 5:

1. Jonas Brothers - A Little Bit Longer
lahlahlah...I love this!














HAHA straight up fooled. Sorry Katie...here's her real top 5, in her own words:

1. Andrew Bird - Noble Beast (Useless Creature)
I am such an Andrew Bird fan. I loved his last record and have highly anticipating this one. So far i've found myself listening more to the instrumental useless creatures... but i still have many miles to travel with this CD.



2. The Killers - Day & Age
Let's be honest, the song "Human" I've loved since i first heard them sing it on Saturday Night Live. Now I can't get enough.



3. Civil Twilight - Human
Speaking of human's... these guys are amazing and soon I think everyone will know them. As talented and in the likes of Coldplay, U2, Radiohead.



4. Peter Bradley Adams - Leavetaking
love this record. I sang harmonies on it so I am definitely biased. But it's made up of such beautifully crafted songs. And the way the acoustic instruments hit you.... it's like butter.



5. Rufus Wainwright - Poses
I just said this one because I often forget how much i love this record even though I haven't listened to this one recently. But I will know that I put it on this list.

Jordan Hamlin's top 5!!! wait...top 8

You can see Jordan on tour with Katie Herzig as they have an extensive schedule hitting all parts of the U.S. with Ten out of Tenn. Don't forget to see them live!!!

1. Rachael Yamagata - "Elephants....Teeth Sinking Into Heart"
We were on the road and our cellist, Claire, had to have this CD. I had never heard of any of Rachel's stuff at the time. We had a some time to kill in the car, waiting on soundcheck, so we sat in the car at night and just listened from start to finish. I was totally sold by the first verse. Dark, exposed, beautiful.



2. Civil Twilight - "Human"
Katie first told me about these guys after she saw them play a showcase in Nashville. These South African boys are now (thankfully) fellow Nashville residents. We played a festival with them and i was totally blown away by their live show. Their record continues to provide me with a soundtrack to both driving fast at night (Letters From The Sky, Something She Said) as well as staring out the windows of airplanes (Stolen, Quiet In My Town). *Confession: on a flight alone from Denver to Nashville, I listened to "Stolen" for probably over an hour straight. Don't tell them. I'd be embarassed.



3. David Mead - "Almost and Always"
David's talent is borderline absurd. To quote, "I celebrate the guy's entire collection!". His new record makes me somehow nostalgic, a dash melancholy, and blissfully content all at the same time. Is that ok?



4. Derek Webb - "Stockholm Syndrome"
Is it possible to freak out about a record that (as of this writing) isn't done yet? Yes. I started freaking out about this record 15 seconds into the first song I heard from it. Derek has, and will continue to, make strikingly brilliant records in every genre imaginable. He makes the music he was born to make and, for our sake, I hope that continues indefinitely.



5. Joe Pug - "Nation of Heat"
(Derek beat me to it. We played with Joe on NPR's Mountain Stages and I didn't even get to see his full set. I guess my spirit wasn't ready for the full glory. We just got to see Joe again when we played the Ann Arbor Folk Fest with him last week and I'm glad I finally came around. I can't listen to Hymn 101enough. :) )



6. Butterfly Boucher - "Scary Fragile"
(Is it legal to have two Bouchers on one list? Well, I do. I've been waiting for this record to break free from it's major label shackles for years! Looks like it will finally happen soon!)



7. Thad Cockrell - "EP"
(I've listened to the EP soooo many times on the road. I never get tired of it. Thad and Jason Lehning created something truly amazing here.)



8. Lovers Electric - "Whatever you Want"
This Australian husband and wife duo are crazy talented. When I first heard "Honey", i listened to it about every day and had mini dance parties in my head. I hear Eden's sister makes music too.

NAMM 2009: Year of the DJ...DAY 1 & 2

This years NAMM went flying by. I can remember sitting down during the summer thinking, man we've got some time. And then January was upon us. This was a huge year for us, 2008 was already great, but 2009 we knew was going to be monumental. The launch of another series of cases is the sign of a growing company, and we wanted to not only grow but WOW a bunch of people along the way. We spent a lot of time in 2008 on designs and marketing for the launch of the EFX series.

Day 1:

Typically starts with a drive to SBUX and an intense round of coffee. Little did we know that the convention center actually has a VIP lounge that serves Starbucks. Didn't quite find that out until day 3. Ooooooops.





The van is loaded and we are ready to haul our stuff to the booth.



We get to our booth and are greeted with all of the hard work and dedication it took to set the thing up. So the day before pretty much is a whole day of getting the booth ready. This year we had a few new posters to show in the booth.



Panned view of the entire booth, same layout as last year.



Day 2:

Skribbs makes it down to the booth with Slynkee. The launch of the EFX series absolutely blows people away. Musicians from all parts of the world comment on the new series. We are finding that a lot of non DJ's are getting into the idea of using these cases.





Stay tuned for more........

Eric Holden's top 5 albums of the moment...

You might know Eric best from his work with The Bloody Lovelies, or his work with Five For Fighting. But Eric has been up to a lot more than that. His Bio speaks for itself.

Check out his complete bio here: http://www.myspace.com/eholdenbass

So I asked Eric to do me a favor and think of 5 albums that he is currently in awe of. Here is what he came up with:

1. Emm Gryner - "God Soul of Rock and Roll" (unreleased)
Canadian born singer songwriter has vast experience of touring under her belt. With all that experience she has come up with 11 albums.



2. Weezer - "Red Album"
These guys have been at it a while. If you don't know who Weezer is, uhhhh.



3. Benji Hughes - "A Love Extreme"
This double disc of supremely awesome Rock ballads does not disappoint.



4. Raconteurs - "Consolers of the Lonely"
Jack White and his project band that doesn't seem like such a project. This is legit. Following the success of "Broken Boy Soldiers", the Raconteurs hit the studio once again to put out their second.



5. Django Reinhardt - "Djangology Box Set"
One of the greatest jazz guitarists of all time. I am still amazed to this day how deft his index and middle finger are on his left hand.