Monikers- Review and Interview
Written by Matthew Winters Sunday, 18 January 2009 23:38
Florida seems to give a down and out punk world the same thing the Northeast scene gave to alternative rock in the early nineties: a home. A place where the music can flow and grow, a place where boys with beards and girls with tattoos can go to start bands and send their music out to a world that gave punk over to the world of novelty long ago. This is state of No Idea records, The Fest, and Against Me. So it is no surprise that Florida’s Monikers' new album Wake Up is sneering punk smorgasbord.Monikers, singer/guitarist Ryan Seagrist, guitarist Mark Bonner, Kaz on bass, and drummer Scotty, sound like the Lawrence Arms if they didn’t have two vocalists or Hot Water Music if they didn’t have the hardcore feel. “Unemployed” is a highlight of Wake Up with it’s gravelly sung refrain of “Every fuckin’ day”, and quick running time of just over two minutes. Lyrically Wake Up derives most of its material from personal experience and keeps the listener engaged because you can tell the band wouldn’t be there if they didn’t have to get themselves heard. Opener “80 Proof” is one of the longer tracks on the album. The chorus of “Don’t wake me / I’m sleeping in today / Don’t wake me / Leave me where I lay,” starts up the record right with lyrics that are quintessentially punk (think “Burnout” by Green Day), but the music, like most punk music, shows a band that has oodles of determination underneath the energy.
Although the determination to be a good punk band is there, the energy is really what harnesses the record together and makes it a memorable release. That energy is evident on every song. Monikers move from song to song with energy to burn and they rage through each song as if they won’t able to play another one if they stopped to let the listener breathe. 
That energy can be a detriment, however, because that pulsing energy can overshadow some great things in the album, i.e. the lyrics, the great vocals, and the overall songwriting. However that energy can also cover up some flaws in the album as well. The vocals are a little hard to understand at some points, partly due to how Ryan Seagrist sings and partly because I think that this is how the songs were designed to sound. The album wouldn’t suffer from a little bit better sound quality, but considering Monikers probably recorded Wake Up themselves it still sounds better than most of the punk bands out there.
The only point where Wake Up lets the listener hear Monikers stripped down is on closer “Black”, a touching ode to saying goodbye to those that we love. This song, more than any other, shows the band as what they could become. With some luck, and a growing fan base, Monikers could create a modern punk masterpiece, because “Tomorrow will be better / It’s up to us / It’s our life”.
I recently had the opportunity to exchange some e-mails with Monikers and ask them some questions about their new record Wake Up out on Kiss of Death Records, what is like to record a full length by yourself, and how Roman Candles can make any show a better one.
Matthew Winters – First off, congratulations on your new album, it's a really great one. Let's talk about that first, the album is called Wake Up and it is a very good straight up punk album in the vein of the Lawrence Arms. Tell me a little about the recording process.
Monikers - I had a recording studio for a while, so we did it there. I was getting out of there, so we were short on time. We had to learn some of the songs a day before we recorded. It was pretty rushed, and it was the first album that I had recorded. No budget. It was fun.
MW – Where did you record it and with whom?
Monikers - I did it myself at Carte Blanche recording in Orlando. It's a good place - my ex-partner Jon is still running it.
MW –What were some of the challenges that you faced in getting your music into the studio?
Monikers - We don't really practice all that often. It was hard for us to learn twelve songs at once. We only played “80 Proof” (From Wake Up) once together before recording it. In hindsight, we should probably have practiced a little more coming up to the recording process.
MW –Who writes the music in the band, or is it a collective process that comes together while jamming together?
Monikers - I demo most of the songs in full and give copies to the rest of the guys. A few songs we did together, like “Line Up” (From Wake Up). They contribute their parts, and we rearrange some things when we play it all together.
MW –What about the lyrics? Are they written by one person or does everyone contribute to the process and make the lyrics more of a collaborative process than a one man show?
Monikers - I write all the lyrics. I usually write them as I'm coming up with the song. It's all at once. I'm trying to write a little differently on the new stuff, trying to write short stories and then fit them into the music. We'll see how it works out.
MW – Personally what is your favorite song on the album? Why? What is you favorite lyric on the album?
Monikers - I really like “80 Proof”. It sums up a certain point in my life - just out of college, nearing 30, still playing punk shows and touring. The album is kind of a snapshot of that portion of my life.
MW –The album channels some really great acts, Hot Water Music and The Lawrence Arms and even early Green Day, what records and bands in your eyes directly informed this record and the recording of it?
Monikers - We started Monikers because we wanted to write 90's style pop punk. It was the point at which I got into punk, and I still love those records. It was a really honest time - before Green Day hit the mainstream. People were in bands not because they could make money - they did it for fun.
MW – What bands in the current scene make you want to make music?
Monikers - There is a little resurgence going on. Witches With Dicks were great, there's Off With Their Heads and Ringers, Lemuria. Tons of good stuff right now.
MW –What bands or singers do you contribute to your style of playing?
Monikers - We sort of wear our influences on our sleeves so to say. (Bands like) Jawbreaker, Crimpshrine.
MW – What do you have to do to keep your dreams of playing music professionally afloat? Or is playing music more something that you do for fun with friends?
Monikers - We still have jobs and don't expect to be able to get rid of them. We tour when we can. It's always been about having a good time and being part of the community. We're a punk band. We're never going to make any money. I've learned that lesson...
MW – I saw some of your show fliers on your website and it seems that you have played with some pretty great bands already in your time. What has been you favorite show so far?
Monikers - Some of the best shows have been in our hometown. House shows. One great show was with Witches With Dicks in Boston. It's always crazy in Boston. We played a basement and set off roman candles. Someone punched out the light bulb and fireworks were going off everywhere. It was a tiny space. No one got hurt that bad. Another time in Boston, the fire department came to a disused practice space we weren't supposed to have the keys to. All the kids had to run away before anyone got arrested. Fireworks again.
MW – What is your favorite part of playing a live show?
Monikers - I love trying to interact. Making fun of people. Point and laugh. People tend to throw a lot of drinks at us.
MW –The punk scene right now seems to have been written off by a lot of the media, but it still grows and strives. What is your take on the current scene in punk music?
Monikers - It seems to have gotten back to be a self-sustaining sort of entity. The newer bands are carving their own niche, and it hasn't really been co-opted by the media. Fine by us.
MW –What bands do you respect in the punk music world?
Monikers - Like we said, Closet Fairies, New Bruises, Off With Their Heads, Dillinger Four. So many good bands right now.
MW – Last question: What are the future plans for Monikers?
Monikers - Another record. Another tour. We'll see how it works out...
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