Old Monk

There’s plenty of more new singles from fresh releases included below. But first, we want to introduce you to Brooklyn band Old Monk, who are making their web debut exclusively on IRC with two new songs from their latest album, Birds of Belize. The track “Butter and Toast” is one of those pop tunes that gets in your head and stays there all day, but not in a bad way. The band describes its sound as garage rock mixed with art prog. They include among their influences The Kinks, Frank Zappa, Pavement and Deerhoof. Surprisingly, they’ve never opened for another band, so we can only hope the band get some of the love we think they deserve. - Indie Rock Cafe

Old Monk: Whether you lived through college rock of the early ’90s or just happen to own the better part of the Creation Records catalogue from 20 years ago, your ears probably will recognize Old Monk’s guitar chug and they will probably like it. Old Monk have a their debut LP out in February. - Bushwick BK

Last, I’ve got new music from Old Monk. I know nothing about them but this: (a) they appear to be from Brooklyn, provincial home of the coolest people none of us know personally, (b) the song that they sent to me, “Warm Moustache” makes me deeply happy, (c) they spell “moustache” the same way that I prefer to, and (d) you can sort out more details here. Enjoy. - Citizen Dick

Old Monk – Finally released their full length album which has been highly anticipated here at The Daily Consciousness since we discovered the booming music industry coming out of Brooklyn, NY.

Last feature we said that Old Monk has “exceptional drumming and creative licks” and after listening to their new album Bird of Belize nothing has changed. They’ve maintained their garage punk/rock sound meanwhile creating easy listening mixture to appeal to a vast audience. We highly recommend these guys.

The album is currently available through iTunes & Amazon. CDs will be released February 2nd, 2010. - Daily Consciousness

The Daily Consciousness: Old Monk’s biggest musical influences on Birds of Belize have been?

JC: Pixies, Pavement, Prog, Laphroaig

IB: Guided by Voices, Dead Kennedys, Eddie Money, Anvil

TT: Old Monk … because they had already written most of songs for the album when I joined, so I focused on understanding what they wanted to do.

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The Daily Consciousness: What is the significance of ‘Birds of Belize’, where does this title stem from?

JC: Ian went on an expedition to Belize and was inspired by the beautiful flocks

IB: Also a hilarious t-shirt from goodwill

TT: I just smiled and nodded.

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The Daily Consciousness: What inspired the album art? who put it together?

JC: The album cover is an observation of the contrast between our appreciation of nature, and the fact that we live in an urban environment. Living in a dense urban area like Brooklyn, you don’t have much of a chance to enjoy exotic birds. We mostly get pigeons. And I imagine that in their heads they are wishing they could fly away and go hang out with the birds of Belize.
IB: Also pigeons are stupid and don’t think about anything but relieving themselves.

TT: Josh and I exchanged specific ideas for a while, and my friend’s designer Jessica Moon refined and finished the artwork.

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The Daily Consciousness: Is there any single message you try to express through your music as Old Monk?

JC: That loud guitars, drums and bass make everything better

IB: That prog can have sex with punk and create tightly knit two and half minute rock songs

TT: I like David Bowie

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The Daily Consciousness: If you could recommend our readers three artists who would they be?

JC: Lagavulin, Balvenie, Glenkinchie

IB: T rex, Blue Oyster Cult, Mission of Burma

TT: I Monster, Meho plaza, Wallpaper

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The Daily Consciousness: Does Old Monk have favorite city or venue to play in? (Other than Brooklyn)

JC: Brooklyn!

IB: Brooklyn!

TT: Brooklyn!

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The Daily Consciousness: Other than making music… are there any other hobbies?


JC: Building guitar pedals that I use to make music.

IB: Cooking, calculating my risks as to avoid the danger that lurks around every corner

TT: Eating, sewing and photography

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The Daily Consciousness: How long have you three been jamming together?
JC & IB – 8 years

JC, IB & TT - 7 months

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The Daily Consciousness: In your opinion(s) what is the most rewarding aspect of making music?

IB: All the attention, drugs and women. shooting heroin into your nether-regions. Oh wait, that’s Nikki Sixx. I guess the fact that most places still give you free beer for playing. And it just feels good to make something that somebody else claps for.

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The Daily Consciousness: To wrap up this interview… do you guys have any final comments for readers?

IB: We are not above playing your son’s bar mitzvah. We just need the free beer. - Daily Consciousness

Last summer, Old Monk appeared on our radar with the song “Butter and Toast,” taken from their debut LP Birds of Belize. The album is out now digitally on Supermartyr Records with a physical self-release next month. We caught up with the band at the Bodega to learn more about the record, their recording process, and their love of Emerson, Lake and Palmer.

Old Monk’s earliest incarnation began when Joshua Carrafa and Ian Burns met at college in Colorado and played together in the band Nightmare Fighters. After school, Burns stayed in Colorado, while Carrafa moved to New York, but the two continued to swap songs across the distance.

“He tried to convince me for years and years to move to New York,” says Burns. “And then I finally did like two years ago.”

Years of trading tapes gave them a good jumping off point. “When we finally started playing together officially as Old Monk, we had a huge catalogue of songs,” says Josh.

What they didn’t have, however, was a bassist. Carrafa and Burns carried on as a duo, sometimes trying out bass players that either moved away or didn’t click.

“Whenever we played just the two of us, it was always just a temporary thing, looking for that bass player,” says Carrafa.

The pair recruited Tsugumi Takashi through a Craigslist ad in June.

“We had a show like a week away, and we were like, ‘Uh, we should probably have a bassist for this show,’”says Burns.

“She learned our song very quickly, we asked a lot of her in a short amount of time and she did a great job,” says Carrafa. “She learned our whole set in like five days.”

Takashi’s Bushwick home is sometimes the scene of makeshift rehearsals involving two acoustic guitars and djemebe.

Birds of Belize was recorded over two sessions at Park Slope’s Seaside Lounge. Financial constraints, however, dictated these sessions have a gap of some months between them. “When your family’s not rich and you don’t know Neko Case’s little brother or something you can’t just do that,” says Burns. “You have to wait awhile, get some money, go to the next step.”

Takashi had not yet joined the band for the first session, but was able to add in neglected bass lines and subtle backing vocals for the second one.

In many ways, Birds of Belize is very understated: The lo-fi aesthetic takes the focus off of individual parts, and sometimes muffles Carrafa’s vocals. You have to listen carefully to catch the myriad of obscure and literary references checked, from Cassius Clay to Mary Shelly to Scottish beer (“1200% alcohol, tastes like a tree,” says Burns of the namesake of album closer “Skullsplitter”).

Old Monk balance an unironic love for Yes, Emerson Lake and Palmer, and other prog rock with the fast and furious approach of post-punk. Carrafa’s truncated guitar noodlings squeak by quickly in intros or hide under verses. Most songs clock in at under three minutes — not a lot of room for indulgent soloing, but room for live variation.

“There’s a little bit of a song that opens up while we’re playing,” says Burns. “I mean, it’s a two-and-a-half minute pop song, and it doesn’t vary that much, but once we play it, it’s a little bit different each time.”

Old Monk are playing a show in honor of the digital release of Birds of Belize tonight at Cake Shop. Tickets are $7. - Bushwick BK

Old Monk is a trio of hard rockers that delights in surprising musical twists. They sit on the fence somewhere between punk, garage, and indie rock, and like their heavier brethren they change suddenly between all sorts of weird time changes and chord progressions, but always with head-banging fluidity. Bassist Tsugumi Takashi kept the beat with simple, effective bass lines while Ian Burns banged out bar after bar of crazily fast drum parts and Joshua Carrafa switched fluently between destroying his guitar strings with fast-picked chords, and complex, distortion-fueled riffs, all while singing disarmingly sweet melodies. Their set was totally enjoyable. If you like things on the harder side, but with carefully crafted pop melodies, check these guys out. - Best New Bands

Old Monk start us off. The Brooklyn indie three piece are readying to drop their first album, Birds of Belize, in February through Supermartyr Records, and its a very very good release that demands your attention. Simply put, Old Monk are a band that offer up concise cuts of aggressive indie pop, using cultural touchstones as varied as Cassius Clay and Thomas Pynchon to give us a skewed narrative of the world they, and we, live in. Its intriguing, beguiling, arresting, but overall joyous in its overt exuberance and penchant for the shiniest of guitar pop hooks. Modest Mouse via Superchunk? I think we're onto a winner here... - Sonic Masala

I had a long distance relationship once. Well I say long distance. I lived just north of the M25 and she lived in the Isle of Wight (both in the UK in case you were wondering). It lasted about 6 months and then she met a sailor (also called Andy, strangely) and that was that. One thing we never thought about on those weekend phone calls was making music and that is where we differed to Old Monk.

Ian Burns lived in Colorado, Joshua Carrafa in Brooklyn. Their first EP took years of swapping answering machine recordings and exchanging lo-fi demos over the internet before it was completed. True dedication that puts me and my lost love to shame. We should be thankful they stuck with it.

Once Burns moved to Brooklyn they enlisted bassist Tsugumi Takashi and dubbed their project Old Monk. Soon they’ll be releasing their hectic and energetic debut “Birds of Belize”. Quite a journey.

This track, “Warm Moustache” is taken off that album. They have been compared to Pavement and it’s easy to see why, but if you look past those lazy comparisons you’ll see a band that knows how to compose a catchy lo-fi number.

Taking a very minimalist approach, focusing on just guitar, bass, drums, and vocals the track and indeed the album itself shows what a labour of love it is. The kind of dedication that saw them keep going across the miles, sees them playing the guitar parts through various pedals that Carrafa personally hand-built.

Piling straight in from the very start the guitars crash happily alongside Carrafa’s vocals. Backed up by an urgent drum beat and an insistently catchy middle it easily fuses classic pop and garage rock and gives you just under 3 minutes of lo-fi perfection.

Now they’re geographically closer I think we can look forward to big things from Old Monk. - Listen Before You Buy

At times, Brooklyn can feel like the evil twin in a geopolitical game of brain drain with the Twin Cities, but tonight, we’re getting brain back, courtesy Old Monk. The pop-rocky trio even takes some light jabs at their own Williamsburg scene, and we’re more than happy to get behind that. The real reason we dig these guys, is their buzzy, energetic sound. The clean, sort of disconnected vocals pair nicely with the driving, peppy percussion, keeping things joyously chaotic. It was a hard road to bandom for these guys, starting with just two dudes stuck at opposite ends of the country. Lots of hours of phone tag later, drummer and guitarist were united in New York but something was missing. Bass player Tsugumi Takashi came along and made the band complete.

Other than that being a fun story, it really gets at the level of perfect in-syncness these guys display: rough edges, tight center. They’ll be appearing with Dandylion WarPaint and Purest Spiritual Pigs. Until then, dig Old Monk’s “Butter and Toast” track and get set for a high energy show. - Secrets of the City

Old Monk - "Butter & Toast" (The first single is a messy, energetic slice of garage-pop with a noodling, Isaac Brock-like guitar intro that sets the tone for the Brooklyn-based 3-piece's infectious debut album Birds Of Belize out now on Eenie Meenie Records.) - Atlas and the Anchor

Judging by the name of this band and their album, I was expecting some dirgy folk along the lines of Michael Gira, but instead I heard a band with a song called "Warm Moustache."

These guys (and gal) from Brooklyn go by the name of Old Monk, and together they play a fun and erudite style of indie rock. Their first full-length, Birds of Belize, was released in January by the California-based Eenie Meanie Records and packs a nice selection of energetic jams. The aforementioned "Warm Moustache" harkens back to Electr-O-Pura-era of Yo La Tengo and Pavement at their least lazy (frontman Josh Carrafa even sings the lyric "fight this generation"), while "Butter and Toast" gives nods to the Mike Kinsella's Cap'n Jazz days.

The band eschews lo-fidelity and opts for a nice clean production, which I think has to do with the fact that they're good musicians. Most of their songs tend to veer into that fun prog-pop-rock territory that Deerhoof is so fond of, but never veers into "Alright dudes, I know you can play eight time-signatures in half a minute" territory.

Check out "Warm Moustache" below, and if you live in New York, catch Old Monk every Wednesday at Cake Shop. - Viva Radio Blog

Old Monk’s Facebook page describes the trio’s music as “happy rock,” which, listening now, seems right on the mark. They recall all the college-rock bands of the late 90s that are typically referenced whenever anyone plays upbeat, fast paced and with reckless energy, particularly towards those more earnest than ironic. There are prickly Vampire Weekend-like guitar runs and sincere drum bashing. Let’s call them a noisier version of The Promise Ring. - The L Magazine

Old Monk knows how to get down, and the Brooklyn band shows off its skills on debut LP Best Of Belize (Eenie Meenie). Album track “Sacred Birds” is full of lightening-fast riffs and singsong vocals. The opening chords almost channel a bit of early Vampire Weekend, but this band has also drawn comparisons to Pavement. However you spin it, “Sacred Birds” is worth a listen. The short and sweet song will have you tapping your feet all day. Download it below. - See more at: http://www.magnetmagazine.com/2012/03/11/mp3-at-3pm-old-monk/#sthash.Vj4zmnvi.dpuf - Magnet Magazine

What do you get when you cross the jaded affectation and unbalanced tempo of 90s-era Pavement with the energy of pop punk and the attention span of an ADD-inflicted toddler? Brooklyn’s Old Monk attempt to answer that question with their debut full-length release, Birds of Belize. At just under 40-minutes, the album is a quick fix for the twitchy music addict who’s jonesin’ for something fast, jumbled, and a touch miffed. It’s not an easy listen, as the band seems determined to wreak havoc on your central nervous system. But the payoff’s worth the risk of a few involuntary spasms (some people call this “dancing”). Birds of Belize is exciting, fresh, and like any successful bender, leaves its listener wanting more.

It’s worth mentioning that singer Josh Carrafa doesn’t have a typical artist’s “day job”; he’s a practicing lawyer, and up until about a year ago, his specialty was multi-million dollar divorce suits. Once can’t help making a connection between this high-profile—presumably highly stressful—career and Carrafa’s proclivity for frantic, madcap rock music. We’ve all seen some version of this story: powerful, wealthy, unhappy executive seeks to escape his repressed lifestyle via drugs, anonymous sex, and/or listening to moderately upbeat 80s pop music while chopping a colleague into tiny pieces. Perhaps Old Monk is Carrafa’sescape, which is not unheard of and surely healthier than a homicidal preoccupation with “Sussudio”*. At the very least, he acknowledges how these experiences in law may have shaped—and continue to influence—his songwriting; as he articulates “there’s certainly a lot of tension and emotion in divorce law, so that is always an interesting energy to drive creativity.”

To really listen to Birds of Belize is to realize that this is a labor of love. Carrafa and bandmate Ian Burns pen songs that drip with odd nuances, at once mysterious and close to home. Their prose reads like a well-worn journal full of academic references to Europa and Goya’s Saturn Devouring His Son, casually viewed through the lens of someone who’s still searching for meaning in the trivial details of life. If that sounds like a heap of pretentious poo, don’t worry—the duo has a sense of humor. Take “Warm Moustache,” a tongue-in-cheek (and pretty accurate) critique of the cool kids that fill the streets of their gentrified neighborhoods: “The band keeps changing its name to what everyone’s saying / and they really hate the new one / you think you’re Pynchon / but you’re just Bedford and seventh.” When they're not biting the hands that feed them, Old Monk is busy obliterating eardrums. Birds of Belize is loud, and from what I hear, the band has no problem cranking the volume “up to eleven” at their live shows. Consider yourself warned.

Birds of Belize was released in January. You can order the album via EenieMeenie Records; or, if you want a little taste before committing to album ownership, listen to three tracks at Soundcloud, including the aforementioned “Warm Moustache.” For more information, visit Old Monk’s official website and Facebook page. The band is currently playing a weekly residency at the Cake Shop, NYC, so if you’re in the area, check them out! (But maybe bring a pair of earplugs, just in case you’re able to repress the embarrassment of wearing earplugs.) - We Heart Music

Brooklyn's Old Monk is sort of an anomaly. They stray away from the typical formulas to being a hit indie rock band from New York. The band blends in sounds from good ole Pavement and Weezer's Pinkerton. In addition, they fuel enough afterboosters in their songs to get fans of pop punk pogo dancing and have metal fans turn their heads by Josh Carrafa's blazing guitar solos. This mixture leads to an eclectic sound in comparison to the usual sounds coming out of their borough.

Either way, the band has been able to churn out songs that have a heart pounding pace all the while contain epically grand choruses.

Following-up their debut album Birds of Belize, the band is prepping for their sophomore album which will be out later this year on Eenie Meenie Records. They're starting things off with their first single titled "Seymour." It's possibly one of their catchiest songs to date. It's quirky in its approach and packs a catchy hook. The song is the first of four singles that will be released prior to their next album.

Discussing the track, Carrafa states:

"...Seymour is the title character in the JD Salinger story of the same name. He suffers from this affliction a bit. A fear of the future. A longing for the past. Constant dissatisfaction. I like JD Salinger.

But in reality, the past was not that great. And the things you do in the future have a fine chance of being better than what has already happened. But it’s hard to accept this. So we will always yearn." - Prefix

Brooklyn trio Old Monk start their month residency at Cake Shop tonight (2/1), playing the first four Wednesdays in February. Tonight's show is with Black Forrest and the Dearloves.
Old Monk just released their debut album, Birds of Belize, on Eenie Meanie Records a couple weeks ago. It's choc-a-bloc with big riffs and sticky choruses, with a little of Pavement's brainy cool, and surprisingly complex structure (there's a whiff of prog) given that most of the songs are well short of the three minute mark. Some serious chops too. There's three tracks from the album available to download at the top of this post. "Warm Moustache" is particularly catchy.
Click through for streamable versions of the MP3s, plus Birds of Belize cover art. - Brooklyn Vegan