Monks of Mellonwah (MOM) are an award winning four-piece alternative rock and indie band based in Sydney, Australia. The band has toured nationally and internationally. Along with writing and recording music there's just so much more open for them to do. Several of the band members bassist John de la Hoyde, drummer Josh Baissari, and vocalist/guitarist Vikram Kaushik got together to discuss their music and the plans ahead.
1. Can I get a backstory on the band/band biography?
Vikram Kaushik: We all went to high school together, out friendships were formed from that. Josh was really the connective tissue initially, he and I used to jam chili peppers covers at lunchtimes, he also knew joey and with Will as singer we all ended up playing together at a benefit concert the school held. The show was loads of fun and we decided to form our band afterwards with the addition of Johnny on bass.
2. How did you guys come up with your band name?
Vikram Kaushik: Wish I had a more exciting story for you but the name comes from a video game called Hocus Pocus... great game would recommend it to anyone The seven mad monks of mellonwah were a set of characters in one of the levels, pretty badass even though they were probably made of about 5 pixels each.
3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
Joseph de la Hoyde: We are based out of Sydney, Australia. We love our home and especially love playing to our fan base here, but the live scene is struggling a little. Quite a few classic venues are going out of business, and sometimes it seems all people wanna do is watch DJs and drop pills haha. But nonetheless, when a ripper crowd turns out for one of your shows down under, you can expect a loose night!
4. What lyrical theme do you guys use in your music? What message do you want to send?
Vikram Kaushik: There's no real recurring lyrical theme but the lyrical angle is definitely very introspective. I drive myself nuts thinking about different theories and philosophy so a lot of the songs reflect that. There are songs that are about personal experiences like "Tear Your Hate Apart" and "I Belong to You".
5. What bands have influenced your band and its sound?
Joseph de la Hoyde: The age old question! We are all influenced by a heap of different bands and our tastes can vary quite a bit, but there are always crossovers… We collectively love bands like Muse, the Chili Peppers, Incubus, Rage Against The Machine and I guess this shows our love for dramatic alternative rock music. We try to take elements from everything we hear and like, and meld them into our own thing. 6. How does it feel to have written, recorded, and soon release your debut album "Turn The People"?
Pretty surreal actually. When we started, we had no idea how far we could take it. We had five songs and were busting our guts with excitement over working with Keith, not thinking a great deal about how we were going to have to come back home after a whirlwind tour and recording experience in Vegas, and write and record the rest of the album to a standard set by one of the greatest producers of all time. It was a pretty daunting thinking back on it, but I think a boiling pot of pressure, necessity and a blast of inspiration following the best month of our lives drove us on. Recording at home actually turned out to be epic. We managed to learn a great deal from Keith which we applied to our own processes and the result was not only a debut album that we were insanely proud of, but a new formula which we could follow for albums to come. We are confident in our ability to write, record, edit and mix high quality music and can’t wait for the albums to come.
7. What's the story behind the song "Tear Your Hate Apart"?
Vikram Kaushik: Whilst it's not something I want to explain, I hope that everybody that listens to it can take their own meaning from it. It's a personal lyric, but I guess the message of the song comes in the final vocal verse "Tear Your hate apart, don't let it bury you..."
8. Can you tell me about the song and video for "Ghost Stories"?
Joseph de la Hoyde: "Ghost Stories" was one of the original album tracks. It begun like all our songs back then as a jam which quickly turned into one of our best live tracks. When Will (our old singer) wrote the melody and lyrics, the song took on a strange aura, becoming this haunting story about how a relationship can play havoc on your mindset; it became somewhat of a modern ghost story haha. When Vik rejoined the band, we re-wrote the chorus and the song changed even more. It was still the same song, but now it became everything that defined us as a band. It was live and raw, fast paced and furious. Had metaphoric and poetic lyrics and now hand a catchy and provocative chorus. It had the stamp of all the musicians that had been in the band and symbolized more than ever our growth and evolution. The video sort of follows the idea of a ghost story. Our director Bruno Kataoka came up with the idea of a demented psych nurse torturing one of her patients (Vik) with images of his haunting past. The idea was really cool, but more importantly the visual and mood Bruno managed to capture in the video suited the music to the tee. We loved it.
9. What image do you think your music conveys?
Joseph de la Hoyde: Haha Vikram is the master of this kind of stuff! He can sit there and talk your head off about how the song we are piecing together in the studio reminds him of a phoenix rising from the ashes, or how this guitar tone show be occupied by shining red lasers and puffs of flames at our future stadium shows. But looking at it seriously, a big part of our music is the visceral imagery, the journey it takes the listeners on and the emotion it evokes. With each songs its different but the one thing about MOMs music is that it is always there.
10. What type of band are you guys?
Joshua Baissari: Non-genre-ised. I wish there was a genre called fresh or new-fangled rock that cannot be put into one specific category. I think for classification, alternative rock is probably the most normal type of band we are. Genre aside, the type of band we are is one that puts making good music at the top of our agenda. Our drummer for example, is more concerned with making sweaty beats than doing his hair or leaving his shirt on at shows.
11. Who did the cover art for "Turn The People" and how much input did you have on it?
Joseph de la Hoyde: The art for "Turn The People", and actually all MOM album art (excluding the Stars Are Out EP), was done by a talented girl named Eloise Lewis. She has been a great friend of the bands since its beginning and has been rocking out at nearly every gig to date. But that is besides the point. She is a grossly talented artist who doesn't need much direction to get to the core of the music with her art. We always have input and ideas are constantly floating around, but we ultimately leave it up to Ellie to come up with the final ideas.
12. Is there any story or concept behind the "Turn The People" title?
Joseph de la Hoyde: Funnily enough, we nearly called the album "Alive For A Minute" following the theme set by songs such as "Afraid To Die", "Downfall" and of course "Alive For A Minute". It was like a tale of some secret agent who rose to fame and then was shot down as a result of his ego. But we quickly ditched that. We realized that the real core of the album was in the song "Turn The People" and its chorus line, ‘all the seas, roll around, turn the people upside down, see confusion tear away’. Its a conceptual thing. It doesn't have one meaning but many. I like to see it like this: It is asking people to think about their ways, it is asking people to be open, to consider the things around them and the environment they live in. Its about coming together and weathering the storm together. It is the waves and currents in the ocean, it is saying that we are those waves, we are the people, and this is the music.
13. Who produced "Turn The People" and what was it like working with them?
Joseph de la Hoyde: Haha. Well. This is awkward! I’m not sure how I landed this question but I’ll take the opportunity to talk about our experience working with Keith for the first half of the album… The whole experience at the Palms, Vegas, was incredibly surreal. We stayed one lucky night in the Hugh Hefner suite, and the rest in bloody nice rooms. We woke up, caught the elevator down and walked straight into the incredible Palms studio where Keith would already be there, painstakingly editing drums and tuning vocals. We had crazy fun, and not just because of where we were, but because Keith is a great guy and we all get on tremendously. Keith comes from a great time in music, and his ability to produce hit records is not only due to his knowledge around a million dollar Neve desk, but his ability to get the best out of you as a musician. Personally, having been working and producing the band myself, I loved working with Keith. He taught me so much and is still teaching me. He has given me the confidence and knowledge I need to carry the band onward and I greatly look forward to working with him again soon!
14. Select two songs from "Turn The People" and what inspired the lyrics.
Vikram Kaushik: I guess It would be interesting to talk about 'Pulse' and 'Downfall'. The writing process for the lyrics of these two songs came about in a similar way. The rhythms and melodies came first and from there I sat down and tried to find words that fit the feel of the music and sounded the right way when matched with the melodies. In essence it's drawing on the style of someone like Anthony Keidis. I'd read that this was his process for the song "Can't Stop" and I'm sure many others. I used that a lot on "Turn The People"...in the music we've written since I've moved away from it so its something unique about the album.
15. What are your upcoming touring/show plans?
Joseph de la Hoyde: Although we don’t have anything set in stone quite yet, we are looking at potential US/Europe/Aussie tours in the latter half of this year. Details to follow!
16. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
Joshua Baissari: Online or at a show soundcloud is great for streaming our music and bandcamp or iTunes if you wanna buy our stuff.
17. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?
Joshua Baissari: How it made them feel. When you hear a song for the first time and you can’t get it out of your head, that feeling you get when you make such a discovery is a feeling we’d love others to experience.
18. What can the fans expect to see from you in the future?
Joseph de la Hoyde: The Monks are only going to get better. Our fans can expect to see some insane live shows very soon, and our debut album is finally out! We have also begun writing and recording our next LP, so there is plenty in store for the future!
19. Any final words of wisdom?
Joshua Baissari: Don’t eat the yellow snow. Eat at least 7 weet-bix daily to feel Australian.
20. Is that your final answer?
Joshua Baissari: Haha no, be good to your mother. Treat others the way you want to be treated & stay true to the Journey lyrics, “Don’t stop believing, hold onto that feeling” – follow your dreams.
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