An Interview With The Nashville-Based Alt-Rock Band MONA!

Meet the alt-rock band MONA!  The guys recently signed to Bright Antenna Records (Cheerleader, The Wombats etc) and even more recently released new music.

If you aren’t familiar with the Nashville-based band, they’ve played CONAN, The Tonight Show, Jools Holland; toured in support of Noel Gallagher, Kings of Leon etc.; and appeared at some of the world’s biggest festivals including Glastonbury, Coachella, Lollapalooza and more.

Learn more about Mona in the following All Access interview:

Thanks for your time! Now that we are entering the fall of 2016, what are some words you would use to describe this year? What have been some of the highlights for the band? 

After being in the studio for 2 years..looking forward to releasing new music and getting on the road.

Growing up, did you all always want to be musicians? Can you recall your earliest musical memories?

I grew up in a church so I was always around music since birth.

How did Mona first come together? How did you come up with your band name?

 My grandmother’s name was Mona.

Congrats on recently signing with Bright Antenna Records! Why do you think they are right for your band and your music now? What’s it been like moving away from a major label?

Music should be about humans, not corporations. We got exhausted by the Walmart experience.

What has it been like opening for bands like Noel Gallagher, Kings of Leon and others? Can you recall something that you learned from those experiences?

There is always something to be learned from another musician. With Noel specifically, he is the real deal. He treated everyone with a lot of respect.

Let’s talk about your upcoming EP. Where did the inspiration for it come from? How do you think this collection is different than your previous album, “Torches & Pitchforks”?

I seem to always write about dualism in all areas of life: relationships, sex, religion, life in general. I always see both sides, hence “In The Middle.”

Has anything surprised you about the music industry? What do you think has been your biggest challenge? And what do you think has come really naturally to you?

Don’t give up. Same with all aspects of life; if you want it, keep going.

At the end of the day, what do you hope is the message of your music? What do you hope listeners take away from your songs?

It’s not up to me to tell someone what to feel, I do try to provoke feeling in general though. To provoke emotion, to stir, poke or scratch a little deeper than the normal everyday life brings you.