New Interview with 100 Monkeys! (New Pics)

(Flutter Zine): How did you form 100 Monkeys?

(100 Monkeys): 100 Monkeys was formed in a living room in Hollywood when Ben Johnson Ben Graupner and Jackson conjured up Monster Delux. Jerad and Uncle Larry joined the band in the following months as the we took our first residency at the 24k Lounge.


(FZ): Who thought of the name?

(100 Monkeys): Jackson and Graupner had been using the name 100 Monkeys when they would record with others. After the completion of Monster Delux 100 Monkeys become the formal title of the band.


(FZ): What inspires your music?

(100 Monkeys): Anything and everything. Common elements in the music are the devil, drinking and women who cheat and steal.


(FZ): Talk about the song writing process, do you all write together as a group?

(100 Monkeys): We have many approaches to the way we write our songs. Sometimes we'll go on day long improvisations and come out with pieces like Wasteland Too or Future Radio. In other cases one of us will write up an entire song and bring it in to the group to flesh out like we did with LDF.

(FZ): Your new album, Live and Kickin was released over the summer; you have the tour, and a new studio album coming in January. I know most, if not all of you, have side projects going on, so where do you find the time to do so much?

(100 Monkeys): We don't sleep much. We wouldn't want to. There's an endless amount of drive when you have the kind of support our fan's give us.


(FZ): Traveling from city to city together must be fun with some interesting stories; could you share anything with us?

(100 Monkeys): There's so many. The most interesting things will happen when you travel. Trucks and trailers malfunction, the weather will throw a curveball now and again, and there are all sorts of characters out there - good and bad. You should check out 100 Monkeys Ventures. We had Brady Bell, a fantastic young author, accompany us on one of our recent tours and he chronicled everything and posted it at 100MonkeysMusic.com


(FZ): It's really great that you are all so involved with charity work. Talk about the Spencer Bell Legacy Concert and how you got involved with this charity?

(100 Monkeys): Spencer Bell, Brady's older brother, was an extremely prolific artist that we lost to a rare form of cancer. The legacy concerts are a celebration of his life and work. If you want to get involved or if you haven't heard Spencer's music you should check out Spencerbellmemorial.com.


(FZ): You're currently in the studio working on your upcoming album. Tell us a little about what we can expect to hear.



(100 Monkeys): We'll be announcing our new album in early November so keeps your eye's open. There are a bunch of other projects, videos, singles, and webcasts that will be coming out between now and end of the year.

Fun Facts:
Favorite:
Song: Cleva Gull
Artist/Group: Spencer Bell
Album: Brain
Movie: Girlfriend
Book: 100 Monkeys Ventures

(FZ): If you could tour with another group or musician, who would it be?

(100 Monkeys): Touring with the Kissing Club has been amazing and we hope to play more dates with them on future tours. One of these days were going to get the whole SBL line up together for a gigantic tour. Tin Tin Can, Drew and the Medicinal Pen, The Stevedores and More.

source via greenboneLJ