The Monks

The Monks ( German: " The monks " ) are a beat band that was active in the former Federal Republic until the late 1960s. Since 1999, they give back concerts together. The Monks were markedly different from other bands of their time. Today, they are among musicians and fans as a pioneer of the punk and influenced later artists like Henry Rollins, the Beastie Boys, Jello Biafra, The White Stripes or The Fall.

Band History

The members met as in the Coleman Kaserne in Gelnhausen near Frankfurt GIs stationed know. In 1964 she founded under the name "The 5 Torquay " a beat combo, the interpreted, inter alia, Chuck Berry and Rufus Thomas. After her discharge from the army in 1965, the musicians remained in Germany and developed together with their friends Karl -H. Remy, a student of the Ulm School of Design, and Walther Niemann, a student at the Folkwang School in Essen a very idiosyncratic style of music. Dave Day switched from rhythm guitar to the banjo, and they called themselves " The Monks ". With respect to the associated with the new band name change of image was the " sixth and seventh Monks " Remy and Niemann. As their manager they laid ground rules for the appearance of Monks, both on and off-stage, solid: A Monk had therefore short hair, a tonsure, black clothes, and, instead of a tie, wear a rope and had beyond and Others to be " exciting " and " strong". Thus, the Monks were pushed as an "anti - Beatles".

In Hamburg, the band got a contract in the Top Ten Club. They played beat music and original pieces. Producer Jimmy Bowien helped the Monks to a recording contract with Polydor and in November 1965 began recording their debut album "Black Monk Time ". The album was released in early 1966 and contained only self-composed pieces. Three singles accompanying the album. "Black Monk Time " was first published neither in England nor in America. Only later pressings came there in the trade. The first edition of the album achieved high collector prices today. A CD version of the album was released only in 1994.

To promote the album, she appeared in, among other Beat-Club, but were received by the audience with mixed feelings. Among other things, they already showed very early sound experiments there. Three members of the band gathered during a short nameless song to the guitar and plucked at each different strings or knocked it around while bass and drums further ensured the beat. The sound of the Monks was tinged psychedelic and took elements of until a decade later emerging punk anticipated. The pieces of the group are low in tune, rhythmically difficult and repetitive, yet they do not leave the verse-chorus pattern of conventional pop songs. Set in conventional songs in the fourth bar a chord change one, the key for the Monks changed just now in the eighth or thirteenth cycle.

Their performances, among others, along with The Creation and The Troggs were organized mainly by their tour manager Wolfgang Gluszczewski. This allowed the Monks in large city halls, but often play in halls and guest houses smaller towns and villages. In Northern Germany, as in the former European Beat metropolis Hamburg, the Monks were rather an acclaimed band, whereas they often met in the Catholic South Germany on antipathy. In her song " Monk Time " the band said in Dadaist lines critical to the Vietnam War, which caused especially at performances before American soldiers sometimes resentment in the audience. A vehement opponent of the Monks was to play Tony Sheridan, who denied any ability of the band, authentic rock ' n ' roll. If it had been only after Charles Wilp, the soundtrack to his former Afri-Cola commercials would, however, been rather played by a philharmonic orchestra, by the Monks - In 2000, finally used Coca -Cola a few bars for the track " Monk Time " for a TV commercial.

It became clear that the publication of their exalted music for the foreseeable future would bring neither the Monks still their record profits. 1967 was fully booked a tour of Asia. But before they could start, the band for commercial failure and, including a planned appearance in Vietnam sparked due, partly at odds on. The musicians moved then back into private life.

Reunion

After it was published in 1994 under the title "Black Monk Time " Eddie Shaw's autobiography about his years with the Monks, the band for the first time took place on 8 November 1999 for an appearance on the Cavestomp Festival in New York together again; It was also her first appearance in the United States at all. A CD of the live recording of this concert was released in 2002 under the title "Let's Start a Beat ". On 8 November 2004, died drummer Roger Johnston just days before scheduled performances in Benidorm. For him, Adam Fesenmaier joined the band, which gave its first concert in the UK in 2006 at London's Dirty Water Club.

Gary Burger was from August 2006 the mayor of his home town of Turtle River in Minnesota. On 10 January 2008, died guitarist Dave Day of a heart attack, followed in 2009 by his Walther Niemann.

Was published in 2006 by the directors Dietmar Post and Lucía Palacios for Play Loud! Productions during the lifetime of all the " Monks " produced documentary monks - the transatlantic feedback. To accompany its publication appeared a tribute album called Silver Monk Time, at which participated Alec Empire and The Golden Lemons among others. 2008 were the two directors of the film the Adolf Grimme Prize:

"It's not just the little in this film that the esoteric that" monks - the transatlantic feedback " was so great. Not just the subcultural capital, this cool knowledge of a footnote in pop history. It is rather the nonchalant talent to make the individual story of five stranded in Germany GIs and their brief foray into the hinterland of the charts a parable of the emancipatory power of an era. "

Discography

Albums

• Black Monk Time ( 1966/1994/2009 )
• Five Upstart Americans ( 1999)
• Let's Start a Beat - Live from Cavestomp (2002)
• Monks Demo Tapes 1965 (2007) ( Early demos )

Singles

• " Complication" / " Oh, How to Do Now"
• "I Can not Get Over You" / " Cuckoo"
• " Love Can Tame the Wild" / " He Went Down to the Sea "

Re - Issues

• Black Monk Time ( 1966/1979/2009 ) ( LP / CD Polydor (Universal ) - third release in connection with monks - the transatlantic feedback
• Complication / Oh, How to Do Now (1966/2009) ( single by Play Loud Productions - first re-release March 2009)