Monty Are I is a band from Providence, Rhode Island. The band’s 5 members are: lead vocalist, Steve Aiello who also plays guitar, Justin Muir on drums, Ryan Muir on vocals, guitar and trumpet, Andrew Borstein who plays keys and trombone, and Mike Matarese on bass.
Andrew was kind enough to do an interiew for Double Dance!
How did Monty Are I get started?
- All 5 of us grew up in the same town together in Cranston, Rhode Island,
most of us within a few blocks of each other. And we were all in school
band together–concert and marching band. One winter there was a talent
show being held at our high school and Steve, our lead singer/guitarist,
wanted to get a band together to play in it. So he asked a bunch of his
classmates to join him. All we needed now was a name.
Where did the name come from?
- Our beloved band teacher’s name was Arthur “Monty” Montanaro. So we
decided to bust his chops and go on stage at the talent show calling
ourselves “Monty’s Fan Club.” Some years later, we started taking the band
seriously and eventually got signed. The lawyers at the label told us our
name was at legal risk for lawsuit because it was too similar to other
existing artists’ names. So we had to change it, and we ended up with
“Monty Are I.” We’re simultaneously saying that we are still the same band
we’ve always been, and we’re repping our home state (RI) with a little
play on words.
What is the band currently up to?
- We are currently driving in our van from Vancouver to Edmonton, Canada.
We’re in the middle of a month long tour with our good friends in the Red
Jumpsuit Apparatus. We’re also getting ready to release our new album,
called Break Through The Silence, on September 22. And our first single
from that album will probably go online later today on our myspace.
You guys played a couple weeks on Warped Tour this summer, is that
something you’d like to do again?
- Yes definitely. We have a much longer history than some people realize
with Warped Tour and the Ernie Ball Stage. We played the Ernie Ball stage
for 3 years before we were signed. We won the Ernie Ball Battle of the
Bands national contest in 2003, and that’s where the relationship
started. Now we’re sponsored by Ernie Ball and Steve and Mike our bassist
play their custom guitars exclusively. We owe a lot of our initial success
as an independent band to Warped Tour.
In one word, describe what Monty Are I sounds like:
- Epic.
What are some of Monty Are I’s major influences?
- Everyone in the band would answer differently for their own personal
influences. For ex: Steve, the primary song writer, would mention
Metallica, Guns ‘N Roses, and Goldfinger. Justin might say Rx Bandits,
Ryan might say Ben Folds, Mike might say Stone Temple Pilots, and I might
say Gavin Castleton. But as a band, we can all agree we’re heavily
influenced by bands that rock, that are exciting, and that know how to
write good pop songs. And by pop, I mean popular songs that appeal to lots
of different types of people.
If you could tour with any band, who would you choose?
- That’s a tough one. Right now, I think we’d probably agree that Muse is
on the top of our list.
Do you have a favorite venue that you’ve played at?
- We have lots of favorites for different reasons. I’d rather mention that
our favorite states to play in are Montana, Wyoming and Louisiana. They
always bring it! Seriously, we have had some of our most ridiculous shows
in those states. I think kids there can appreciate it more when they only
get to see touring bands very rarely.
Who in the band writes the music?
- Steve is the primary song writer and idea generator. Pretty much all our
songs start from one of Steve’s ideas. Then the rest of us take those
ideas and totally change them around, and add ourselves into them. Or
sometimes we barely touch them at all. We are definitely a band of 5
producers, so we all like to have input on what everyone is doing in a
given song, the arrangement, overall sound and theme. We write songs by
demoing them on our computer, so we can hear exactly how we want them to
sound on CD.
What are the bands future plans?
- We plan on releasing our new album in just over a month, touring nonstop
to support it, and then taking over the world. In that order.
now a fun one… what’s your favorite animal?
- Leopard. By the name of Leonard.
Big thanks to Andrew for the interview! Monty Are I’s new album “Break Through Silence” comes out September 22nd, but you can check the band’s new single now on their myspace!
