MONARCH consists of Ryan Williams, whose term as guitarist and songwriter for Red Sun Rising helped thrust the band from the garage to greatness and James Lascu and Matt Puhy, AKA the powerhouse rhythm section from rock band Wilson (a band known for their amazing live shows)! Adding a fresh perspective is MONARCH’s vocalist Sabastian Duke.
The seeds for MONARCH were planted in 2015 when both Red Sun Rising and Wilson were on tour with mutual friends, Nothing More, on their JENNY US tour. Though they were already labelmates, this would be the first meeting between Ryan Williams, James Lascu and Matt Puhy. The three quickly hit it off spending the next five years crossing paths as they crossed continents, performing nearly 1,000 shows between their bands.
It was a coincidence that both bands’ runs would come to an end in late 2019. Williams set out on a new path – co-writing and producing other artists. As he worked on other people’s material, the bug to write his own came back. His first call was to James Lascu. Within weeks James drove in from Detroit and the two found themselves firing on all cylinders. With ideas for songs coming at a fast pace, MONARCH was in motion.
Photo by Melinda Boyd
One week later the Center for Disease Control would announce the existence of COVID-19. What initially felt like a terrible twist of fate, soon became all the motivation (and time) the two needed to search for the rest of the band. Matt Puhy was the obvious first phone call. The next step was a “vocalist wanted” ad. Through the hundreds of audition videos sent in, there was one voice that evoked an undeniable reaction. That was singer Sabastian Duke of Norman OK. Within the first two weeks of responding the choice was made to add him to the group.
With their self-titled debut album on its way, MONARCH have released their first single, “The Fray” today, and the video can be seen below.
Willliams says of the coming release “The songs on the record are pretty different from one another, but there is a thread that goes through all of the tracks that make them identifiable as MONARCH songs. We are exploring all facets of rock music on this album.”
Exploring on their own terms, without comparison to contemporaries has enabled MONARCH to produce a sound that is uniquely theirs and a joy they can share with rock fans coming out of extended isolation.
