With so much new music floating around the interwebs, sometimes it’s hard to dig a little deeper and find out more about a promising artist.

That’s why The Profile is breaking it down for you. The Pitch takes care of the nitty gritty factual bits, The Plot serves as a Q & A with the artist, and The Plug is where you can go for more. 

The Pitch

Monks Of Mellonwah are a four piece alternative rock band hailing from Sydney. Formed in high school during 2010, the band came together through a collective love for rock music and dreams of the big stage. Since then they have released an EP and full length album, toured the US and played Singapore’s Music Matter’s festival mid 2013.

Inspired by musical icons Muse, Incubus, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and German film composer Hans Zimmer, Monks Of Mellonwah are on a mission to add something new and meaningful to the history of Rock music. Their debut album Turn The People was released on March 7th. Profile written by guitarist Joe De La Hyde.

The Plot

Hometown
“We all come from different parts of Sydney. Josh is from Blacktown, Vik used to live in Dural, but now lives in New York, and John (De La Hyde) and I are from rural Kenthurst. We all met at school, except John and I, who are brothers, and jammed at our place in Kenthurst. I definitely think where we live has shaped our music, but maybe not in a tonal way. This side of Sydney is so relaxed and living on acreage has given us so much freedom in the way we rehearse, relax, and now record. We now do most of our recording from home, and the last noise complaint was, well, never. Josh has strong roots as a performer for his local church, and I know this has influenced him, but primarily, living so close together and having so much at our disposal has really allowed us to explore our music and ultimately find our sound. ”

Influences
“Musically, all of us have our own influences. Josh likes anything from metal to K-pop, Vik loves anything from the Red Hot Chili Peppers to U2, John loves bands like Silversun Pickups, QOTSA and Radiohead, and I love Muse, NIN and film music… What we do have, is a collective love for bands like Muse, Pink Floyd and U2, and for all our different and similar tastes, we can always appreciate each others latest craze. I think our music speaks volumes when it comes to how we blend our ideas and influences.
In terms of other influences, we love movies, anime, people and the world, so I guess we have a heap to say when writing music.”

Favourite Local Act
“I think we would all answer this different, but mine is The Presets. I feel like they are always pushing forwards but always still manage to maintain that element that makes them them. Those heavy synth arpeggios really get you going!”

Favourite Local Venue
“Definitely the Annandale! Not only has got a great vibe and sound, it has been like a home to us, always loyal and always fun. It’s a shame about its issues over the last few years.
We also love venues like Sydney’s Oxford Art Factory. We have played some of our best shows there and have had some of our best turnouts there too. ”

Dream Collaboration/s
“Considering my love for Film Music, I would say first up Hans Zimmer. Following along the lines of our Trilogy EP ‘Sky And The Dark Night’, I would love to write a feature length concept album with Hans and then take the album on the road with the London Philharmonic. Maybe one day.”

Best Gig You’ve Ever Been To
By far Muse back when they were touring their album The Resistance. Everything about that show was perfect, and I honestly don’t think a band can and has matched that level of playing live ever. The quality of the music coming from the speakers was unparalleled and the way the stage was set up was unreal. Not since the Pink Floyd days has a band worked so hard at elevating the stadium experience. It is a gig to date that has inspired me in the way I look at playing live shows.

The Plug

“Our debut album Turn The People came out March 7th, it’s available in stores and on iTunes, also there’s a US tour coming up, here are the dates:

Saturday 7th June 2014
Last Exit Live, Phoenix, AZ
KWSS-FM & KUKQ-FM

Monday 9th June 2014
The Viper Room, Los Angeles, CA
Indie 1031.com & The Independent FM (iHeart Radio)

Tuesday 10th June 2014
The Standard, Fresno, CA
KFRR 104.1FM

Wednesday 11th June
The Atrium @ The Catalyst, Santa Cruz, Carmel, CA
KRML-FM

Thursday 12th June 2014
The Boardwalk, Sacramento, CA
KKDO-FM

Friday 13th June 2014
Doug Fir Loung, Portland, OR
KNRK-FM

Saturday 14th June 2014
Bodega Nightclub, Reno, NV
KRZQ-FM

Tuesday 17th June 2014
The Crocodile, Seattle, WA
KNDD-FM”

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