so it seems that some one took up my offer to write for this thing, remember to check buddyhead for my stuff, i’ll post up some stuff tomorrow, o and check out Open Books, anna works for them -pat
Bands to watch out for: The Loneliest Monk
By Anna Piepmeyer
We trudge over to Logan Square on a Saturday, adorned in our best last’s night t-shirts and experiencing the simultaneous high/low of too much coffee and not enough sleep. It’s almost noon, raining, and a handful of folks form the thinnest simulacrum of a line across from a stage already coated in humidity and drizzle. I’m here for The Loneliest Monk, a band I started following after seeing them perform spooky, ambient interludes during a performance at EP Theater last winter.
This bare-bones twosome, composed of Michelle Morales (cello/keyboards/vocals) and Miles Benjamin (drums/vocals)—with their masks, three piece suits, and phantom-of-the-Opera flair—straddle the fine line between appearing puerile and developing an actual sound. In fact, part of me wants to hate them: their syrupy cadences, slow, drawn out notes, and theatrical sensibilities have the potential to be every bit as annoying as one would expect from any self-proclaimed “avant-garde” indie duo. However, Morales and Benjamin just bring too much skill to the table; unlike so many of their counterparts, the Loneliest Monk is comprised of two real musicians, whose intellect, poise, and tonal restraint give their songs an ethereal quality, and make their performances truly memorable.
Today is no exception. The Loneliest Monk takes the stage, and slowly begins to hum to the small group waiting, standing, and obfuscating my view with their medley of colored umbrellas and cigarette smoke. The day is miserable, but the perfect scene for the band; their protracted notes, wistful harmonies, and masquerade-ball garb blend with the rain like an old-fashioned haunting. Any less talent, and this pair would simply look like a couple of hipsters playing dress-up.
