The first time I saw Major and the Monbacks was at a frat party at Hampden Sydney.
The first time I saw Major and the Monbacks was at a frat party at Hampden Sydney. At very first glance I thought their act was something resembling a joke, or a gimmick at least — all eight pieces of this band were outfitted in dress clothes.
Like grownups in Sunday school attire, or more realistically, appearing that they had ransacked their respective fathers’ closets and seized the not-worn-in-over-a-decade suits and sport coats that their respective mothers had hoped to forget.
What were they doing? What exactly was happening here? I had to get to the bottom of this scene.
I stood and watched the crowd of drunken co-eds dancing, spinning, not missing a beat to this retro’d-out psychedelic charade of old school blues-rock music that was the Monbacks show.
I may have been cynical at first, but I quickly conceded to my cynicism that this band was doing something right. Not only were the tunes catchy — I mean incredibly catchy. The party was into it, the band was into it, and I was left trying to figure out what was wrong with my perception of what was going down on stage.
Within minutes I got it. I started bopping and dancing and swinging to Major and the Monbacks’ joyous, celebratory tunes. There was no gimmick. The band wasn’t trying to be something that they weren’t. As I opened up, I saw a style bloom before my eyes. This band was doing it’s thing — and killing it. They were making what is a somewhat forgotten sound to the millennial generation their own. No shame. No need for it.
Major and the Monbacks have been compared, both fairly and unfairly, to numerous other bands. Ignorance, or rather lack of attention to nuance, has led many to grab the Monbacks by the sport coat collar and pin them against other groups that kind of bring the same vibe that this 8-piece ensemble from Norfolk, VA puts out. Let’s stray from the typical “reminiscent of xyz” comparison and talk about this group’s music.
Major and the Monbacks are ironic by default. But not ironic in the hipster sense of the word. Their style evokes memories of doo-wop — rock n’ roll in the ‘50s when audiences were still unsure of the importance or longevity of the electric guitar in popular music. Glancing past the irony and the music of days past, what is ultimately clear is that Major and the Monbacks have not only revived, but given a psychedelic face-lift to the soundtrack of the dancehalls of the ’50s and ’60s.
The Monbacks aren’t playing off a sound that’s already been tracked. Contrarily, they’re using said sound as a platform to jump off of while they explore uncharted territories in this tried and true realm of retro musicale.
At this frat party, while I found myself getting over my own ego and cynical nature, I began to see what this band actually stood for. Beyond the silly sport coats, I heard a group of serious, progressive, forward-thinking artists. They weren’t tying dead genres together. These boys were (and are) making good old fashioned music. No more, no less.
I was left thinking, “…how could you not like this?” The band is full of high-energy showmen. The songs are not only solid but catchy, intricate and simply… good. A Monbacks show is one that you could proudly take your parents to as a gesture of “You’re cool, we’re cool.”
More importantly, a Major and the Monbacks show is one that you could hype to your friends as a spectacular event with nothing but good tunes — tunes that might sound familiar from a somewhat forgotten time, but no doubt, tunes that challenge the boundaries of modern psychedelic rock. Captivating vocals, wild blaring horns, blistering keyboards, and a rhythm section that can hang with the best of them. The Monbacks truly have got it goin’ on.
The band released their debut, self-titled full length album May 12 and celebrated with an album release party at the Broadberry April 30. It’s avaialble on iTunes and Spotify. The album certainly doesn’t skimp on production or energy — in fact it closely captures the vibe of a live Monbacks show — while of course staying in the creative safety box of a studio release.
At the very least, Major and the Monbacks are a band for every music lover to keep tabs on. The band persistently tours festivals and clubs all over the east coast. With any faith and luck, they’ll be grabbing the attention of audiences nationally.
Major and the Monbacks are a mom-and-pop band. Not just because these boys own and rock the music your mom and pop grew up to, but because they resist the mainstream.
The band is on a mission. Pay attention.
Major and the Monbacks next show is June 16 at the nTelos Wireless Pavilion in Portsmouth and from there they travel up and down the East Coast including Floydfest July 24.
