Interview with The Monocaines, 19 June 2005

"Maybe you know the old movie "the invisible man", where he injected some MONOCAINE to make himself invisible. At the end of the movie he became a psycho ... ;-)

"Mono" is the opposite of "stereo" ... vintage sound. And MICHAEL CA(I)NE was a famous actor in the sixties. I think that was the original reason why we choosed for this name."

NB - Please introduce yourself
M - Okay. Nik plays the guitar and is the leadsinger. Typically he is also the one who writes our own songs. Olli plays the drums and keeps us organized. Bass is played by Ole and the Vox Organ is mastered by Janneke.

NB - When and how did Monocaines start?
M - It must have been in the beginning of 2003, which is when Nik and Olli met. They soon discovered that they shared mutual music aspirations. Monocaines basically started as a project but soon developed into an actual band. In our quest for fellow musicians Ole soon joined us as the bass player leaving open the spot for the organist. We were pretty intend on a woman, believing that female vocals would complete our sound. Our choice to choose a vintage organ provided the best sound variety as it offers the most contrast to the guitar sound. After several came and went we found the perfect match in Janneke as a seasoned organist.

NB - Monocaines sound is pretty retro. I like it, but I would like to know why you choose for this sound. Only because its good fun and you like that oldfashioned sound or is it more than that?
M - It was not a conscious decision, it just happened. We all share a passion for music of the sixties, but didn't want a purely sixties sound. But as it often happens your personal music taste, such as Punk Rock, Northern Soul and Sixties Beat tends to influence the sound of your own music, wether you like it or not. You notice this, when you listen to bands like The Fleshtones or The Jam. Sometimes by blending different styles you end up ceating your own unique sound. This offers endless creative possibilities. With this being said we don't see our music as oldfashioned in the traditional way as it has quite a few modern aspects too. The same goes for our dresscode. We appreciate Mod-Style, but we are not Mods. That would be unbelievable.

NB - Did you play in other bands before?
M - Sure. Olli used to play with the Skaband Blue Chateau. Ole was part of a Punkrockband and Janneke already played the organ with The Cavegirls. Nik has already been playing the guitar for quite a while and used to sing as well until he settled in for the Monocaines.

NB - Can you tell me more about The Cavegirls. Sounds like a garage band?
M - THE CAVE GIRLS were a 60s garage band. two girls - two boys. Music for purists! I think they released 2 or 3 vinyl singles, but i'm not sure about that. Janneke knows better ... but their old website is still online. have a look ... www.thecavegirls.de.

NB - You just released a 7inch on Copasetic. Can we expect more, an album perhaps?
M - The Routine and experience of live performances especially with having a big audience is our main interest at the moment, which is why we do quite a few German Festivals this year (SwampRoomHappening, SummerSafari etc.). An album is not intended yet, but the second single should be out on Copasetic by the end of this year.
Already published: 4-Track-Debut on Copasetic, "Back in my arms" on LARSEN 21 (Split-Single), "Mirza" as part of the Nino-Ferrer-Tribute-Sampler (Larsen), "Back in my arms" as single track on MISTY LANE Fanzine-CD, Giveaway-Single of "Summer Safari 2005"

NB - Your favourite 60s bands and your favourite new bands?
M - There is no easy answer to that, as there is so many of them. :-)
60s Bands: Small Faces, The Sonics, The Who, The Standells, The Action, The Chocolate Watchband, Music Machine and of course the Northern Soul Music.
New Bands: The Jam, The Fleshtones, Makin Time, The Prisoners, The Creeps, Miracle Workers, The Fuzztones, Curlee Wurlee, The Movement, King Khan However, also such bands as the Clash, Elvis Costello or Mando Diao are worth listening. In the end there are so many good bands.

NB - How do you like to spend your free time?
M - What is free time anyway? If our personal schedule allows it, we really enjoy setting out to other bands concerts. Also going to cinema is okay as well as reading a book now and then. Besides all of us do have proper jobs.

NB - Do you like movies and what are you favourites?
M - Excellent movies are fun, BLOW UP for example was a pretty good one from the Sixties.

NB - Can we expect you in Holland soon?
M - We haven't planned anything yet, however Ole our bass player is keeping contact to The Stilettos and has also been to the Primitive-Festival. Maybe there's something coming up soon.....The music scene in the Netherlands seems to be really interesting.
We zouden graag eens in de Vera te Groningen spelen, dat lijkt iets voor ons te zijn omdat het een toffe club is en ook niet te veer te rijden vanuit duitsland. Maar we hebben nog geen echte contact met die mensen daar, maar misschien gebeurt er iets in de toekomst. We houden van de Nederlandse musicscene. Bijzonders goed zijn de Nederbietels, Skidmars, The Waiscoasts, The Stilettos, Green Hornet, The No-Goods enz. Sommige leden gaan bepaald ook dit keer weer naar Rotterdam voor de PRIMITIVE FESTIVAL. ;-)

NB - Anything you want to say to No Brains readers?
M - Yes. All of you go and get our new Record, which is fantastic!!!!!