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Questions or comments to: MMonarch@live.com Steppenwolf's Born To Be Wild is now in the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame! See Michael live in Florida with:
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Favorite Quotes |
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"The music
business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where
thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs...... There's also a
negative side." -- Hunter S. Thompson |
"Before you criticize
someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you criticize
them, you're a mile away and have their shoes." -- Anonymous |
"Life is not a journey
to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well
preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally
worn out, and loudly proclaiming, WOW! WHAT A RIDE!" |
"You don't really own
anything you can't carry
in both hands.......at a dead run!" -- Robert Heinlein "Live everyday like
it's your last...... someday you'll be right!" |
Vintage Guitar Magazine Interview
Classic Rock Revival Interview
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MUSIC REVIEWS
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Michael, I waited a long time for this CD, and it WAS worth the wait !!!!! Please do NOT send any copies to Jeff Beck or Junior Brown, for fear that they will "Give Up" playing.........Brian Carrigan This CD is awesome!!! A perfect example of a virtuoso guitar player’s ability to paint with a full pallet of sonic colors! How many players can pull off this kind of diversity? From Rock and Country pickin' to Blues and even some Latin tracks, it’s all there in MM3. This is guitar playing at it’s best!......Rick Waite, General Mgr. – West L.A. Music
Michael is a fine musician who controls his guitar sound with enviable technique. The riffs he plays are unique and often quirky but at the same time bluesy and soulful because of his emphasizes on tone and phrasing. “Pickin’ A Boogie” combines skill and originality, starting with clean country picking, morphing into bluesy slide, then turning into crazy all out rock and even a surprise left turn to some jazz scaling at the end. “Slide On Over”, the second tune on the CD, is as the title indicates a song that features electric slide guitar with heavy bombastic drums. There is some nice steel string acoustic guitar there too. The haunting “Softly She Came” has a beautiful melody played on classical guitar. There are a couple of stand out Latin inspired tunes, “Cubana” and “Amor Or Less”, also featuring nylon string acoustic guitar. “One Last Time” finishes the album with a simple tune that would be right at home in a movie soundtrack. Although Michael has drawn on some of the guitar greats for inspiration on this project, he has come up with something fresh and original that covers quite a lot of musical ground. This is an instrumental album with a great deal of quality played by an experienced pro. Highly recommended……..Mark Spiwak, #1 ProTools sales USA THE NEW STUFF YOUVE BEEN RECORDING IS ABSOLUTELY FAN-FRIGGIN-TASTIC . GREAT MATERIAL!!.........Goldy McJohn - Steppenwolf
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This is a guitar lovers CD with a great mix of music. Stylistically, the fully-instrumental album moves seamlessly through Rock, Latin, Country, and Jazz genres. The writing is strong throughout and the result is a collection of tunes that are unique and highly enjoyable. Standouts include "Pickin' A Boogie" which mixes boogie woogie piano with cleanly picked country guitar and a surprise ending, "Knee Slapper" an all out country pick-fest and the Latin influenced "Amor Or Less" and "Cubana" featuring acoustic guitar. By including Hammond organ on "Malibu Sunset", Michael has added some nice additional colors to the recording. To sum it up, this is a must get album which shows a dedication to quality music......Jeff Tranner - Rock Guitar Review, March 2006
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Some guitar players know how to play all the notes - but Michael not only knows the notes, he knows where and when to play them. As a professional in the music business I don't get excited about every player I hear, but this cd pushes all the buttons! When I heard "Guitar Bazaar" I wondered how he would top it....well he has! I recommend "the Other Side of the Tracks" to any listener who wants to hear guitar playing at it's best....Rick Waite, Vice President & General Mgr. - West L.A. Music, Sept. 2002.
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This cd opens up fast and hard with rockers like "Blow Out!" and the Near Eastern influenced "Back East" but don't think that is all there is. Monarch moves effortlessly into "When It Rains", which is an interesting mix of classically influenced new age jazz and then into the bluesy "Last Call". It's rare to find a guitar player who plays with great technical chops, yet maintains the soul of the music.......Ron Marzilli, ASCAP Songwriter
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I received your CD today. Michael, it is
beautiful. My favorite track is Back East. My tastes these days (and for
many years previous to now) tend towards the classics. It is so refreshing
to find a rock artist who can reproduce the feeling of classicism, without
letting go of his rock roots. You are a talented guitarist, and a talented
writer.....Rhonda Schnepper - July 29th, 2003
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" Back East" got a lot of airplay here,
after I played it for the first time my people have requested it week after week. Talk to you soon..... Mark O'Neill - 103.7 3WAY-FM - August 25th, 2003 |
I'm a long time fan and musician myself.
I ordered your cd and I'm very impressed with your playing! "The Other
Side Of The Tracks" is superb. Anyone who's been a fan of Michael Monarch's
musical journeys over the past 37 years would be foolish not to purchase
this CD. It delivers on multiple levels - I never get
tired of playing it..... Uncle Light & Rich M - Music Fans - July 8th, 2004 |
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Greetings to Michael whose work I followed since the
early Steppenwolf days and later on thru his work in Detective. I have
discovered a new musical dimension with Michaels latest work on the
other side of the tracks. Simply its an excellent display of musical
moods and chords. Would be nice to have Michael visit Venezuela, not
only for a concert but also to know the beauty of the country.
Best to Michael
Edgar Arvay - Caracas, Venezuela
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Just wanted to let you know that I have been rocking to The Other Side of the Tracks...it is awesome! Looking forward to your next CD! C.W. - March, 2005 |
Many "guitar-oriented" albums are released each year. Some are wimpy new-age efforts, others bluesy romps, recycling old licks 'til the cows come home. This is none of these - just a straight-ahead rock and roll whirlwind, moving effortlessly one tune to another, with major influences Jeff Beck and Albert King echoing throughout. |
Drivin' Rhythm and Dynamic
Guitar... |
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I didn't know what to expect from this CD, but the first song, "It Feels So Real", blew me away! The rest are great too, especially "Heart N' Soul", "If I Can't Have You", "Be All Mine" and "Little White Lies". The singer has a great voice and Mr. Monarch's writing and production are superb. I highly recommend this CD if you like Pop/R&B. Some great dance tracks too!........A music fan from California, USA
Absolutely incredible! The lyrics are beautiful. I can see it getting a lot of air time.......R.S. CA September 23, 2003
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If you have purchased a CD and would like to write a review,
please use the email link below.
MMonarch@live.com
legal notice -
Copyright 2000 - M.Monarch - All rights reserved