Thelonious Monster is an American
punk rock band from
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...
, led by singer-songwriter
Bob Forrest and named after jazz musician
Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Sphere Monk (, October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including " 'Round Midnight", ...
. Active from 1984 to 1994, again from 2004 to 2011, and reforming a second time in 2019, the band has released five original studio albums. Described as having "traced emotional dips and bends with exceptional acuity and impact"
History
Members include Forrest on vocals; bass players Jon Huck, Rob Graves, Dallas Don Burnett and
Martyn LeNoble; guitarists Chris Handsone, Bill Stobaugh, Dix Denney, Zander Schloss,
Mike Martt
Mike may refer to:
Animals
* Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum
* Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off
* Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...
, K.K. Barrett, Jon Sidel; and drummer Pete Weiss. They were a popular live attraction in the underground rock clubs of
Hollywood in the 1980s but never achieved major commercial success.
Their 1986 debut album,
Baby...You're Bummin' My Life out in a Supreme Fashion was described as "bluesy, jazzy, snaggle-toothed singer-songwriter pop blaring through a busted speaker."
1987 saw the release of
Next Saturday Afternoon, long time
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...
music critic
Robert Hilburn wrote that it would be "prized by those who crave penetrating and perceptive rock ‘n’ roll. In its best moments, the LP explores questions of identity and self-worth in stark, unflinching ways that recall the passion and purpose of some of rock’s classic collections."
In 1988, guitarist
John Frusciante auditioned for Thelonious Monster. He was in the band for only three hours before being asked to join the
Red Hot Chili Peppers.
1989 saw the release of
Stormy Weather, called "still far from the smooth or dance-happy edges preferred by mainstream radio, the album is more accessible than its predecessor. There are some winning melodic touches amid the occasional all-out, slam-bam rock ‘n’ roll."
In 1992, the band released
Beautiful Mess on
Capitol Records
Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...
. The
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...
described it as "another series of soul-searching tunes about relationships and self-doubts. What distinguishes Forrest’s music is the absence of self-pity. In the tradition of John Lennon, Forrest is capable of expressing irony or anger in a social context, but he recognizes the enemy is often within." The following tour brought the band around the world, including a notorious set at the 1993 Pink Pop Festival
After several years of sporadic activity and Forrest's tenure with
The Bicycle Thief, Thelonious Monster reunited in 2004 at the
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in
Indio, California and at the
Sunset Junction Street Fair in Los Angeles, and released their first new album in 12 years.
California Clam Chowder would feature guitarist
Josh Klinghoffer, who was also a member of Forrest's short-lived band,
The Bicycle Thief. Klinghoffer would eventually go on to replace John Frusciante in the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
In 2009 Thelonious Monster reunited for their first shows in five years. The band played a show at
The Echo in Los Angeles as a warm-up for dates on
Warped Tour
The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touri ...
, and a show at Pappy And Harriet's in
Pioneertown, California.
Former members of Thelonious Monster are featured in the 2011 documentary ''
Bob and the Monster'', which details the life and career of Bob Forrest.
In 2019, Bob announced on his Instagram account that Thelonious Monster were in the studio working on a new album. He also posted a photo of Dix Denney and Josh Klinghoffer working in the studio.
Band members
Current
*
Bob Forrest – lead vocals (1984–1994, 2004–present)
*Pete Weiss – drums, percussion (1984–1994, 2004–present)
*Dix Denney – guitar (1984–1994, 2004–present)
*Chris Handsone (a.k.a. "Chris Handsome") — guitar (1984–1989, 1992-1994, 2019-present)
*
Martyn LeNoble — bass (1990-1992, 2019-present)
Former
*Jon Sidel — guitar (1992–1994, 2004)
*
K. K. Barrett - guitar (1986)
*Bill Stobaugh — guitar (1986) (died 1996)
*Jon Huck — bass (1984–1988)
*
Rob Graves - bass (1988 - 1990) (died 1990)
*Tony Malone - guitar (1989)
*
Zander Schloss – guitar (1992–1994, 2009–2015)
*Dallas Don Burnet – bass (1992-1994, 2004-2015)
*
Mike Martt
Mike may refer to:
Animals
* Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum
* Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off
* Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...
– guitar (1989-1991, 2009–2015)
Discography
Studio albums
*''
Baby...You're Bummin' My Life out in a Supreme Fashion'' (1986)
*''
Next Saturday Afternoon'' (1987)
*''
Stormy Weather'' (1989)
*''
Beautiful Mess'' (1992)
*''
California Clam Chowder'' (2004)
*''
Oh That Monster
Oh, OH, or Oh! is an interjection, often proclaiming surprise. It may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music Albums
* ''Oh!'' (Girls' Generation album), 2010
* ''Oh!'' (ScoLoHoFo album), 2003
* ''OH (ohio)'', by Lambchop, 2008
* ''Oh!'', an E ...
'' (2020)
Singles and EPs
*''
The Boldness of Style'' (1987)
*''So What If I Did'' (1989)
*''Blood Is Thicker Than Water'' (1992)
*''Body and Soul?'' (1993)
*''Adios Lounge'' (1993)
References
External links
Official Band WebsiteBob Forrest Official Website*
allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...
br>
Thelonious Monster on Trouserpress.com
{{Authority control
Alternative rock groups from California
Musical groups from Los Angeles
Musical groups established in 1983
Musical groups disestablished in 1994
Musical groups reestablished in 2004
Punk rock groups from California