Featured Artist Interview

I was told the beauty of underground music is the rawness and realness of the sound. Most indie artists are creating music for the love of expression and not merely for some kind of financial gain. There are millions of artists making music to share with the world. It is a beautiful thing when a group of talented individuals joins together to make something that is bigger than the sum of each part. Monorev is a group of extraordinary talent and creativity. When I heard their music I instantly knew that they were a band worthy of being featured on 4fame.com. Based out of Switzerland, Monorev has the talent to conquer Europe and also become worldwide phenomenon. Listen to their music and see why Monorev is destined for greatness!

1. Please introduce yourselves and what is your position in the group?

My name is Will, and interestingly I am the only native English speaker in the band. The others all come from Bern, Switzerland. I am the singer and write all of the lyrics, and am also the most temperamental of the group!

2. How did you come up with the name Monorev and what does the name mean?

Unfortunately there is no spectacular story behind the name. We came up with a list of about 200 different names (some of them pretty awful!) and slowly thinned it down to about 5 and then to 2. We had almost decided on the name Ladyrev, when we had the opportunity to go backstage at a Kooks concert. When we told them about the name, they all said that they preferred Monorev – and so it stuck.

3. The band was formed in 2006; did you guys know each other before you started performing together?

Timo (guitar) and Martin (drums) had been playing together in a couple of different bands for quite a long time and had achieved some success with a band called “Rainhead”. Daniel (bass) joined shortly before that group broke up and I arrived on the scene in a couple of months later, Monorev rose from the Ashes. I had also been playing with another band, but was looking for something new, as it wasn’t heading in the direction that I wanted. I found an online ad asking for singers and gave Timo a call.

4. I understand that during your first rehearsal secession you came up with the pop hit “Headlights,” why do you think you guys were able to click so fast musically?

We knew we had something special when we just clicked straightaway musically. I had an idea that I had been playing at home and brought it into the bandroom and the song just came together. I think we all had the same kind of expectations from the music we wanted to play and also shared a lot of similar musical influences. We are also accomplished musicians, which helps when you are trying to pull a song together.

5. What is the creative process for Monorev, when it comes to producing songs? Does everybody in the band have a hand in coming up with song concepts or writing songs?

The final songs are the end sum of a lot of hard work from each member of the band, but the original ideas can come from anywhere. Many of our songs have come from ideas that we have pulled out of jam sessions and then sweated and argued over for a couple of months. Some of the ideas don’t make the final cut though; we have quite tough quality control. A lot of bands that I know just stockpile music and concentrate on having enough songs for the next CD, but we like to work on a good idea and refine it and change it over time. This can make the songwriting process quite long and drawn out, but at the end we have songs that we can enjoy playing again and again. I also write a lot at home, as do Timo and Daniel.

6. Who are some of your musical influences?

Any music that isn’t written to a commercial formula! Our influences come from all over, but generally we tend to veer towards music coming from the alternative and/or Indie scene (Rock, Electro, Post-Rock etc). A lot also depends on the quality of the musical ideas and the production. Some of the bands I have listened to a lot recently are Tiger Lou, Mew, Mute Math, We Love Machines, The Boxer Rebellion and the list goes on…

7. You have an album out titled, “My Mirror Me,” what is the meaning behind the title?

I came up with the title for the album. A lot of the songs are written about things I have experienced or lived through in my head and so the content kind of shows me a bit like in a mirror image. It’s me – but not really me, if you get what I mean. Your mirror image can show you how you are, but it is also backwards, so it’s not really you. All of the songs are very personal, but maybe not all of them are based on actual events.

8. How long did it take for you guys to create the album and how many songs are on the album?

The album actually took a long time to come together and is a collection of all of our best songs from the first 2 years of playing together. We had previously released the Headlights EP at the beginning of 2007 which was recorded in 2 weeks and after only 3 months of writing, and the original plan was to record an album in the autumn of that year. Unfortunately a couple of unforseeable events took place that resulted in the album being put back by nearly a year. The first was that I was diagnosed with a tumor in my abdomen and was rushed into hospital for a big operation. That put me out of action for nearly 2 months. Then by the time I finally recovered and recording began again, our studio/bandroom was broken into and everything was stolen, which was heartbreaking as we lost all of our cherished and vintage instruments. We were lucky to be able to cover most of the damages on our insurance but it took a long time to get things moving again. Then in the summer of 2008 we joined the record label Sophie and re-recorded a large part of the album, which was finally released in January 2009. Swings and roundabouts, but we got there in the end!

9. What has been the public response to the album so far?

The response had been great and has landed us regular airplay slots on the national radio stations here in Swizterland. It has also sold very well and we are already looking at re-pressing with Sony to make sure it stays in the shops and on the radio.

10. For a person that has never been to a Monorev show, how would you describe Monorev concert?

An intense live music experience with waves of complicated guitar and vocal harmonies washing over the audience. Our live shows are much heavier and louder than we appear on the CD and we really like to immerse ourselves in the music when we’re on stage. Our songs really breathe at bigger venues that allow the sounds to expand and fill the room.

11. What is next for Monorev?

We are now in the process of writing news songs for the next CD and at the same time playing as many concerts as possible to promote the current CD. Whenever we write a new song, we integrate it into the setlist and so gradually replace the older songs. Like this we can also see hope the crowd react to the new material. We have played a lot in Switzerland and now our aim would be to play more in places like Germany and France and in the UK to try and reach a broader audience.

12. Do you have any plans of setting up an international tour or are you strictly performing in Europe for now?

If the offer landed at our feet tomorrow morning we would be on the next flight out! However, doing it on your own is pretty difficult without a lot of financial backing and some good contacts, but it is definitely something we want to achieve with Monorev.

13. Where can people go to purchase the album “My Mirror Me?”

My Mirror Me is available on iTunes globally and in the shops in Switzerland.

14. Any last words for the fans out there?

Keep in touch with what we’re up to on myspace.com/monorev, buy the CD and let us know what you think. – Will/Monorev

Monorev "Ten Dollar Smile"