Sunday, March 9, 2008

Sunday Music: The Monks

Dressed in black, with heads shaved like medieval monks, the rock group The Monks may have seemed, at least to the general public, like a novelty act. Formed by U.S. servicemen stationed in Germany during the mid-60's, the group faced some limitations in their ability to look like actual rockers. Thus, the tonsures.

Musically, The Monks were far from a novelty act, and are still cited as early influences of both garage and punk. Dave Day, who played the banjo in the following clip, passed away from a heart attack in January, 2008. I assure you that you will never view the instrument as homespun or folky ever again...this is some aggressive banjo-playing.

The Monks live in Germany 1965, performing "Complication"

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi,

I'm enjoying the music feature.
You said you really liked this. Enjoy again!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDNsX4DtzZs

Larry

The Fifty Foot Blogger said...

Thanks, Larry! I was especially fond of the version you owned. I've never heard it played that way since. It was less percussive, and with more shading. It always made me a little sad, which meant that yes...I liked it.

Anonymous said...

Here's a piece by Brahms that I just learned. The performer's rendition and dress are much prettier than mine.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=kQPwiR4PKfs

The Fifty Foot Blogger said...

I'm impressed that you're still playing, Larry! I tried guitar lessons a few months ago, and...let's just say the guitar is "resting."