Projexions #1: A Box Full of Monarchs

If you are new to the 507projex pursuit of art in its damnedest corners, in its finest dimensions, then you may have not heard of Monarch Box.  We've been stoked over Monarch Box ever since they popped up on the intarwebz.  Having resident stud Matthew Limvere as frontman doesn't hurt either (looongtime friend, and  of the projex).

We decided to touch base with them again after our first (and perhaps lost) interview way back in 2006-7? (I forgot).

507: So, what’s new with Monarch Box?

MB: Wow...well a lot has been going on since you guys last interviewed us. As far as what's new with us I guess we could start with where we are located at. We have been living in Austin, TX for the last two years, after a brief stint back in Minnesota. We love Minnesota, always have, but Austin is where we feel we are supposed to be at this point in our existence. Jared Jones recently left the band after about 3 years of playing lead guitar with us. We will miss him, but it was apparent that Jared was going to leave sooner or later. I have a feeling that this lifestyle isn't what he's looking for and that's fine. He will do great things. We have a new guitarist now named Aaron Thompson, "A.T", and he fits this band like a glove. A.T. is one of our old friends from Minneapolis and he is one hell of a player. We also have Chris Plowman, a Godsend from Arkansas on bass. Perfect! It's looking good! We recently finished up our new EP and will be pushing it on our next tour. We have already been on 2 separate tours this summer. They were both great. We got to come back to MN and do some shows. It was great to see and play with our old friends and cohorts, and we got some really good press when we were there. Thanks to Blake Stopple and Kill-Me-Care-Bare. By the way, if you haven't heard them, then you need to get your hands on their new EP and get out to one of their shows. They are an absolutely fantastic band.

507: Since our last interview a few years ago, Monarch Box has grown into a new aural space…How did MB progress from “Sidewalk Stars” to tracks like “Take the Money” and what if any genre shift has taken place?

MB: As far as the progression of our music and sound, yeah, it is safe to say that we grew into a different and more aggressive area. This just happened naturally and I'm happier with our sound now. I wouldn't say that we had a genre shift, but I will say that having two new band members definitely gave me room to explore our music and sound more. It allowed me the chance to get back to my roots and it gave us the opportunity to embrace what we are. HIGH ENERGY ROCK AND ROLL. When that first album was done, I was in a contemplative state in my life. I had just come to terms with who I was shaping up to be, and I had also finished up a month long stint in rehab. You get a lot of time to think about how you've totally fucked up your life when you are sitting in a hospital bed TOTALLY FUCKING SOBER. They let me have my guitar in rehab and that's where a lot of that album was written. Right there on a hospital bed with me in a freaking hospital gown. The music on our new EP and what is up online is what I've always wanted this bad to sound like. I grew up listening to The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Beach boys, Joe Strumer, Rancid, NOFX, Dinosaur Jr, ect.. Everyone in this band has such a diverse taste in music, but when it comes down to it, we love playing really loud, fast, melodic Rock and Roll. We definitely have punk rock influences, but I wouldn't go so far as to call us a punk rock band. There's a certain anger
in all of us and that is transposed into what we write and how we perform on stage.

507: Monarch Box was tapped to write the score of Benji Meyer’s skateboarding documentary Name of Film, which aired on MTV2 and FuseTV…How is writing a soundtrack different than an album, what considerations go into writing music that will have a visual accompaniment?

MB: When Benji Meyer approached us to do the soundtrack to "Feelin' Minnesota, we jumped all over it. I knew they were looking at about 10-15 different bands for it, so we were pretty stoked when we got the phone call. It was good to work with my brother again, Darin, as we have worked together on projects in the past. It was a great experience. We recorded the entire soundtrack here in Austin, TX at Sweatbox Studios with Mike Vasquez engineering the whole thing. Mike put his ass on the line for us and we won't soon forget it. He worked really hard on the project. Our old bass player and friend Phil Ajjaripu said that he knew where we should record it and brought us to Mike. It gave us the chance to write and play in so many different genres and styles. And that studio just breeds creativity. You'll see what I'm talking about when it airs. We even got to throw down a country fried ho down on the film! We also lucked out with our new EP being used as well. It is expected to air on MTV 2 and FUEL TV in the U.S.A. and Europe. Crossing our fingers! This will be our first Major Exposure to a large audience. It was actually pretty natural and we look forward to working with Red Bull in the future.

507: So where is MB headed for your upcoming West Coast tour? I’ve heard some mention of the name, The Roxy…

MB: Well, for our west coast tour we will start here in Austin, TX and will then head to El Paso, New Mexico, and Arizona before we reach California. We are doing our first 4 shows with Minneapolis Indie Hero Mark Mallman. Super exited about that. Mark's a king when it comes to performing. Check him out www.markmallman.com. After that we will head to L.A.. We are almost done setting up our show at On The Rox (The Roxy). Hopefully that all works out. Hey L.A.! Come out and introduce yourself on Oct 8th! After that we will start heading north. We will do some California shows and then head through Reno, NV on our way to Salt Lake City. From there we hit up Denver, Omaha, South Dakota and then we will be in Minneapolis, so yeah, we are coming to do a couple of hometown shows! We will let you know when and where very soon. After MN, we will head south and finish the tour by hitting
cities along I-35 and then head over to Arkansas. Dallas should be our last stop before we get to Austin. Check our myspace for daily updates on shows (Monarch Box on Myspace).

507: There’s probably a hundred responses, but what is the best thing about being MB in Austin, Texas?

MB: The best thing about being Monarch Box in Austin, TX huh? Well, I'd have to say that we get to do some fun shows and all, but really the best thing is the family that we have down here. Mike Vasquez from
Sweatbox Studios has been so good to us man. It was good to get a solid friend out of recording and playing. There are so many bands in Austin, that you have to fight and be hungry for it all the time. You will think that your band is the best thing ever, and then you go to a show and see something that will make you go home and want to totally overhaul and beef up what you are doing musically. It's a challenge that only makes you better. We also have a good network of bands and friends in Austin. But the best thing about being here is simply that. Being in Austin with all the freaks, weirdos, sinners and saints.
Cheers.

And cheers to you, mate! >>> data compiled by @rtn