#MusicExchange: Monark

17 May 2017

Monark are hot right now with a new self-titled album on the way and a great 1st single called, Broken busy charting nationwide.

We spoke to the band members, Eugene Coetzer (vocals, percussion) Ewald Jansen van Rensburg (guitar, synth), Deon de Klerk (bass) and Graeme Wuth (drums) this week to see what makes them tick.

How are you?

We’re fantastic! So many exciting things going on right now in the Monark camp. We have our brand new self-titled album launching now, and the first single from that, Broken is already starting to do well, plus some amazing shows coming up in the calendar around South Africa!

What does music mean to you?

Music means so much to us on an everyday basis. We can’t say it’s THE most important thing, as our families and friends will always fill that space, but making music is the most incredible creative outlet for all of us, and we’re continually in awe of how powerful that responsibility is.

Any funny moments on stage?

Tons! We’ve had some very strange people find their way onto stages that we’ve performed on, most just seem very keen to dance with Eugene, but to be fair, he eggs them on quite a bit. Problem is that these people tend to trip over cables and guitars…When Ewald is not dropping his own guitar that is.

Your heroes?

Anybody who stands up for what’s right, regardless of what people might think of them.

It’s your round, what are you drinking?

It would swing between a really nice Cabernet Sauvignon or a large draught beer depending on the place and mood.

The songs you wished you wrote?

Sergei Prokofiev – Dance of the Knights
Rolling Stones – Paint it Black
Michael Jackson – Beat It
John Mayer – Belief

Dream gig to do?

A packed show at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado. (In addition to a sold-out Wembley Arena or 02 in London.

If you were not musicians what would you do?

We’d probably go back to what we do on the side or studied for, quite an interesting mix: Eugene, our front man has a doctorate in Ancient Greek mythology (Yes Dr. Eugene Coetzer). Graeme, our drummer is a qualified pilot. Deon is a computer boffin and builds websites and apps, and Ewald studied law and medicine so he would have some epic choices to make!

Pick five words to describe yourselves?

Driven, Fun, Original, Excited, Happy.

5 Desert island discs?

Coldplay – Parachutes
Radiohead – OK Computer
John Mayer – Continuum
Neo – For All We Know
Queen – A Night at the Opera

Greatest movie ever made?

Toss up between Forrest Gump and Shawshank Redemption.

Who do you love?

It’s cheesy, but after our families, we love our fans the most. We never cease to be amazed that people will spend their time and money coming to hear us play. It is such an honour. Always.

What does the usual mean?

Something that fits perfectly, and often, into a figurative box.

Favourite fashion garment?

Shoes! Shoes finish everything off!

Do you have famous phone numbers on your phone?

Yes. Not sure how many would answer though?

Happiness is?

A sold-out show and people singing your lyrics back to you.

On stage I tend to?

Get really distracted by the crowd.

If you were walking on stage for a keynote speech, what song would you use and why?

We Will Rock You – Queen. You don’t even need to hear the lyrics to know that what’s coming is badass!

What are you doing next?

We’ll be embarking on our album tour in June starting at the Barnyard Rivonia on 9th June and going through to July.

Wishes for 2017?
We really want to take things up a notch with our live performances and reach more people, not just locally in SA, but across the world. Having said that, SA will always be our home base.