Monahans FREE Monthly Downloads

Beginning in March of 2010, Monahans will release a new song each month for the remainder of the year. Each recording will be made available in mp3 format, exclusively to fans and members of the band's email list and other media networks (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc). In addition to the songs themselves, you may also expect to see video footage, photos from the studio, album art and liner notes along the way, as a means to provide a little more insight into the process as it unfolds over the course of the year.

These recordings will be FREE downloads for the time being, but may be released as a collection for purchase in various formats at a later date.

more info:
http://www.monahans.net

7.21.2010

MONAHANS LIVE BROADCAST AND UPCOMING SHOWS

On Thursday, July 29, at 2pm (CST), Monahans will perform a live set and interview on KUT (90.5FM) Austin and kut.org. The band will be promoting songs from their monthly download series and upcoming show Club DeVille in Austin, July 30 along with Telegraph Canyon and Aaron Sinclair (of Frank Smith).

more info and upcoming show dates: www.monahans.net.

7.21.2010

UKEMI AT FLIPNOTICS, MOMOS

Ukemi has announced the following Austin performances:

Fri 7/30 Flipnotics (Barton Springs, 10pm) w/Davy & Taylor, Brave Julius

Thu 9/16 Momo's (10:30pm) w/ Abra Moore (9:15pm)

"Theatre for the ears."
- Richard Dodd, Grammy Award-Winning Producer (Tom Petty, The Wallflowers)

“The quintet uses folk-rock instrumentation – [nylon] guitar, upright bass, violin, piano, and drums - but they pack a wallop.
- Big Western Flavor

6.17.2010

MILTON MAPES SONG COVERED FOR ROBERT PLANT'S "BAND OF JOY" ALBUM

Sometimes hard work pays off. Sometimes you get lucky. Other times it's just plain cosmic.

“The Only Sound That Matters", a song which first appeared on Austin-based band Milton Mapes’ 2003 album “Westernaire”, has been recorded by Robert Plant for inclusion on his new record ”Band Of Joy,” (due out September 14th, 2010 in the US).

The song was actually written in 2000 by Monahans and Milton Mapes front-man Greg Vanderpool while he was living in Nashville, just prior to re-locating to Austin in 2001. Now it seems to have come full-circle, as Nashville-based Buddy Miller co-produced this new album (which also includes Austin's Patty Griffin on vocals) along with Plant in Music City.

Coincidently, Miller also mastered Milton Mapes’ debut release “The State Line” in 2001. Almost seven years later, Vanderpool and his wife had a chance encounter and brief conversation with Plant at the Nashville airport just prior to the release of Plant’s album with Allison Krauss, “Raising Sand”. Ironically, neither of these events directly led to Plant hearing the song (by suggestion of a friend) and choosing to cover it for “Band Of Joy”.

Milton Mapes’ version of “The Only Sound That Matters” was recorded in Austin at Ramble Creek Studio, by current Monahans members Britton Beisenherz, Roberto Sanchez and Vanderpool back in 2002. Since then, the track has received critical praise in context of the “Westernaire” album, and was featured on a 2003 Starbucks/HearMusic compilation (alongside Gillian Welch, whose Woodland Studio--oddly enough--is where Plant’s album was made)

Milton Mapes morphed into Monahans in 2006, and since then Monahans has released two full length albums. Currently, the band is releasing new tracks each month as part of their “2010 Recordings” free download series. Their latest recording “A Memory Of God” will be available June 22nd via the band’s website www.monahans.net.

The next show scheduled for Monahans is July 30th with Telegraph Canyon at Club DeVille in Austin, four days after Robert Plant & The Band of Joy's sold-out appearance at Stubb's BBQ, right across the street.

Cosmic indeed.

5.25.2010

UKEMI SHOWS THIS WEEK

Ukemi has announced the following regional performances:

Wed 5/26 KTBC Fox 7 (Austin) 8am Live Broadcast

Thu 5/27 Austin, TX @ Momo's (9:15pm)

5.25.2010

MONAHANS RELEASE TRACK #3 "QUELL"

Monahans has released Track #3 in the band's monthly series. "Quell" and other downloads are available here:

http://www.monahans.net/2010_quell.html

4.29.2010

MONAHANS TO PERFORM AT MARFA FILM FESTIVAL

Monahans will perform in Marfa, Texas in conjunction with the Marfa Film Festival on Thursday, May 6. The band will take stage at El Cosmico at 8pm prior to the screening of short film "Clouds" (Jennifer Lane) and feature documentary "The Sun Ship Game" (Robert Drew).

Details/Links on Monahans website:
http://www.monahans.net

4.15.2010

MONAHANS’ NEW ALBUM DOWNLOAD PROJECT, BAND MEMBER, REGIONAL DATES

Monahans released 2010 Recordings: Track 2 "Roam An Empty Space" to fans via email and social networking sites on April 15th. This marks the second installment of a monthly FREE song download project the band launched in March with the release of Track 1 “All In Love”.

The release of "Roam An Empty Space" comes after a busy month, during which bassist Joshua Zarbo (former Spoon, Future Clouds & Radar) officially joined the group prior to a string of SXSW shows, and which the band was featured as one of the Austin bands to watch for in 2010 by both Austin Monthly and Tribeza magazines.

Monahans will continue to release a new song each month for the remainder of the 2010. In addition to the songs themselves, fans may also expect to see video footage, photos from the studio, album art and liner notes along the way, as a means to provide a little more insight into the process as it unfolds over the course of the year.

According to singer/guitarist Greg Vanderpool, “We’re sort of taking the Radiohead album release model, but doing it one song at a time, in hopes of staying in touch with our current listeners as well as reaching out to new ones. Two of us are expecting children this year, so it’s a way for us to keep an active creative schedule while staying closer to home.”

In conjunction with the new song release, Monahans will be playing several Texas regional shows over the next few weeks:

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