Fall of Monroe

SDP: Who's in the band and what do they do?
Rob: Guitar and trigger samples.
Troy: Guitar, backing vocals and keyboards.
Fred: Bass/sex appeal.
Chris: Vocals.
AJ: Percussion.


SDP: Briefly describe your music.
Fall of Monroe (photo taken from myspace)
Rob: We try and combine our eclectic tastes that we have in music into one big stinky pile of weirdness. I'll try and classify it. Here it goes: technical metal with ambient parts, jazzy interludes, keyboard phrases and breakdowns. Just listen.
Fred: Different?
Troy: Our music is: sexy, erotic, complex, melancholy-beat-boxing.

SDP: What's your live show like?
Rob: We are a live band, so we strive to be the best we can on stage. Basically we try and go as nuts as possible while still sounding as cohesive as possible.
Fred: They’re fun to watch I think.
Troy: A memorable experience. We are boner donors.

SDP: Why should people listen to your band?
Rob: Because we drink beer and are the kings of gnar. We like what we play and so should other people (unless they suck).
Fred: Because the San Diego music scene is a big piece of shit and people need to listen to music that is more then just a big breakdown and has substance behind it.
Troy: People should listen to our band if they recognize the stale talent and lack of individualism in San Diego’s music scene. Granted there are a handful of great bands that have come out of this place, shows have been put to shame the last few years with all the douche bags showing up and playing karate in the pit and not actually listening to the crap they make themselves look like fools for. COME TO OUR SHOWS AND KILL EACH OTHER- THAT’S MORE FUN THAN PRETENDING.

SDP: How long have you been a band for?
Rob: We've been around since late 2002, but we really solidified the line-up in may of last year.
Fred: I joined March of '04
Troy: Rob, AJ, and I wrote the first FOM song in December of 2002. When Fred and Chris came in to the band we really became Fall of Monroe.

SDP: Where did you get your name from?
Rob: Just some random words thrown together. No meaning behind it, really.
Fred: I think it's gay.
Troy: We didn’t really think about it to much, nor do we give a shit.

SDP: What makes Fall of Monroe different from every other band out there?
Rob: We try and approach our music from a different angle. We don't write for other people, just ourselves. We've seen a lot of bands in the local "scene" come and go, but we're still around. If you can name a band that sounds exactly like us email us fall_of_monroe@hotmail.com.
Fred: Cuz we like beer.
Troy: We have style. We want to be the best possible band that we can be, and we play whatever the fuck we want. You may not like us, but you know we are fucking good.

SDP: Is there any message you try to get across through your music?
Rob: Fuck yes, it's all about sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll. Beer is rad too.
Fred: Think outside the bun.
Troy: Sex, drugs, rock n roll, being republican*, being an individual, and not giving a FUCK about shit.
*Note that Rob has no political affiliation

SDP: Do you have a single song that has a special meaning to you?
Rob: They're all our babies, we love them except for one that shall remain nameless. We should've aborted it.
Fred: Umm nope… Chris makes the lyrics…his head’s a little screwed up (from drugs) so he probably has weird meanings.
Troy: Each song takes forever to perfect for us… They all have special meanings or maybe they remind us of things that happened in the past or whatever. I enjoy playing "Coathanger" though…

SDP: What bands, people, books, etc. have had the biggest influence on your band?
Rob: Generally speaking, musicians that break boundaries and fuse together interesting sequences intrigue us. Whether it's a insane technical passage, a beautiful pop song, or even assorted random noise. The weird stuff is what we like.
Fred: I don’t know…I like ISIS.
Troy: Musicians with their own sound. Chris Martin, John Lennon, Bob Marley, Ben Weinman.

SDP: What about the band are you most proud of?
Rob: I personally am really proud that we survived a lot of the rough spots that we've had. I'm also really proud of our current lineup. We've got no one holding us back...We all have something to bring to the table.
Fred: Umm yeah, that we all have something to bring to the table.
Troy: I too am proud that we can stick together through thick and thin. There have been times when I didn’t think we would survive, but I think we all recognize that we have something here that we all love, and it all belongs to us, and we love sharing it. I’m also proud of the fact that I play with 4 of the best musicians in San Diego.

SDP: What is the biggest thing you want to improve?
Rob: Getting bigger shows again.
Fred: Yeah help us out.
Troy: Bigger shows with rowdy ass people.

SDP: What CDs are currently in your stereo?
Rob: Necrophagist, Into the Moat, Dillinger Escape Plan, Portishead, Gorillaz, ISIS, Cult of Luna, Cave In, Air, Between the Buried and Me... iTunes on shuffle is the best.
Fred: Ummm Coldplay, Air, Isis, the Dillinger Escape Plan (a must listen to) and other random things.
Troy: Coldplay, Frank Sinatra, Pinback, MF Doom, Between the Buried and Me, Jack Johnson, DJ Incredible, Necro, Steppenwolf, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent.

SDP: Do you have any closing comments?
Rob: Thank you Joel! drink eer.
Fred: Yeah thanks man.
Troy: Thanks. Show us your boobs too….

mp3s: http://www.purevolume.com/fallofmonroe

http://www.myspace.com/fallofmonroe

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