Jango Monkey

Artist Information

Biography

Hitting new creative peaks with musicianship and song craft that demand your attention, Atlanta-based Jango Monkey uniquely blends elements of indie rock, Americana and improvisation. The band features Rob Platner on guitars/vocals, Eric Martin on guitars/vocals, Timothy Watts on bass/synth, Blair Price on keyboards, and TK Thornton on drums/vocals. A fixture on the southern jam scene for over 6 years, 2011 is destined to be the “year of the Monkey”. Not only are they thrilled to be included in the fantastic festival FLOYDFEST X (July 2011), the band will release their second studio CD entitled Magic Whoosh in February 2011 and expect to announce a regional tour in support of this new release soon. Jango Monkey recently played their 3rd Jerry Day Fest (in the spirit of Jerry Garcia) honored to be the only all original band on the bill. Also in the past year, with an eye always on better beer, Jango Monkey was invited to play for several thousand happy people at Terrapin Brewing Co’s 8th Anniversary Party. The band’s first studio release (2008) was mastered by Rodney Mills (Codetalkers, Pearl Jam, Gregg Allman, REM, Drive-by Truckers) and documents the depth of this sextet – moving from quirky indie pop gems to extended jams, while employing unique instrumentation that makes the experience often feel like a rock orchestra. That release hit # 6 on Jamband’s Radio Charts during the summer of 2008. Hittin’ the Note magazine profiled the band in the “up and coming bands” section and called the music “adept, distinct, well-structured, and at times feverish”. In the fall of 2008, Jango Monkey was selected to become part of Leeway’s Homegrown Music network. The brand new album Magic Whoosh was also mastered by Rodney Mills and gives listeners another full hour of eclectic songs ranging from indie folk rock to epic prog to big studio jams that capture the bands improvisation side at its finest.
Jango Monkey live delivers a sonic journey through tight tongue-in-cheek sarcastic pop to huge guitar based jams that open up into exploratory spaces featuring layers of drums, bass and keys.
The live show may include covers by Phish, Traffic, The Who, Avett Brothers, moe., Grateful Dead, Traffic, Pink Floyd, Ween, The Beatles, Wilco, Alejandro Escovedo, and other random obscurities.


The members of Jango Monkey have been gigging in the Atlanta area for over 10 years, and as a result have developed an extensive mailing list of fans. The band has played throughout the Southeast – at everything from house concerts, to regional venues and college campuses. A list of venues played is available on request.

Instrumentation

Rob Platner - Guitars and Vocals
Tim Watts - Synth and Bass
Eric Martin - Guitars and Vocals
TK Thornton - Drums
Blair Price - keyboards

Discography

Jango Monkey released a 4 song studio Demo in January 2005. A full length studio disc was released 12/3/07. The bands second studio release Magic Whoosh was released 2/8/11. Full audio streaming and mp3 downloads including both studio recordings and live shows are available on http://jangomonkey.com and http://magicwhoosh.com

Official Website

http://www.jangomonkey.com

Links

• Facebook
• MySpace
• Jango Monkey's New Album Magic Whoosh

Audio

• Reality Show
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• Eucalyptus
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• Got It Made
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• Hurry Up & Wait
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• Musical Gods
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Lyrics

• Hurry Up & Wait
• Musical Gods

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• CD review by Home Grown Music Network [+ Show ]
  

  Rife with piano and rootsy rock melodies, Jango Monkey's self-titled release is loaded with influe...
  Rife with piano and rootsy rock melodies, Jango Monkey's self-titled release is loaded with influences that merge oh so sweetly.
  The Atlanta sextet creates a highly agreeable sound with plain-spoken vocals that ride atop friendly rock backdrops. Despite the wealth of sounds that inform their style, this isn't ADD-rock - this music is firmly grounded in the real world, with an emphasis on memorable songs, witty lyrics, and symphonic song construction, and the band creates songs that mix-and-match a laundry list of textures, moods, and melodies.
  
  The first track alone will have the listener thinking extra hard to place the myriad elements that flow throughout. "The Escape" has a bit of rollicking piano, churchy organ, folky vocals, improv-rock guitar work, and multi-purpose drumming. "It Takes Awhile" brings to mind the mid-tempo country-rock shuffles of moe, as strummy electric and acoustic guitars blend with meaningful lyrics. "Losing It" introduces even more ingredients, with vocal "oooh-wops" and bluesy, subtle dual guitar work over a rhythm full of motion. The unintentionally descriptive song title "Hurry Up and Wait" captures some of the yin and yang of Jango Monkey's sound, and the song itself lends itself to dancing or relaxing - listener's choice. "Green Girl" is a highly emotional song, with this lyrical nugget of truth - "Idiots are everywhere" - busting through the subdued psychedelia.
  
  There's quasi-funk with a dose of the dulcet tones of vibraphone ("Got It Made"), loping tuba blues with a singalong chorus and demented melodies ("Shelter"), and dramatic pop-rock spiced with majestic horns and burbling synths ("Pests"). I think the band has enough material here for two albums, or at least enough ideas - the last part of the disc suffers a bit from all-inclusiveness, as if they felt they had to put at least an hour's worth of music on the album. "Great Expectations" picks up after a less-than-stunning start, but "You've Got Another Thing Comin'" (not a cover) could have been left out with little repercussion. However, the reward of the last song, "Musical Gods," is well worth the hour-long journey. All told, this is a great, representative debut from a band with endless creative possibilities.
  
  --Bryan Rodgers

• ISSUE 57 Hittin' the Note Magazine (published June 08) IN TUNE column [+ Show ]
  

  "The note from Rob Platner varied little from those that cross my desk regularly: the leader of Atla..."The note from Rob Platner varied little from those that cross my desk regularly: the leader of Atlanta, GA's Jango Monkey had hoped to score some press for the quintet. Half-way into the first track of the band's eponymous debut, I sensed that Platner had been much too modest - the music was adept, distinct, well-structured, and at times feverish. Formed in 2004, Jango Monkey's output is centered on Platner's songwriting, but it is marked as well by the dynamic backing of Tim Watts on bass/synth, Eric Martin on lead guitar, T.K. Thornton on drums and Bill Kahler on keys and sax. The quintet is often augmented by Jango Jim Kirkland on electric violin,Rick Fenwick on vibraphone, Maria Rossoto on percussion and Casey Viggiano on backing vocals, adding strokes of new color to an already vibrant canvas.
  Opening with the cycling piano of "The Escape", Platner leads Jango Monkey through 12 fully-formed compostitions that explore the abilities of the whole collective. Where Platner's writing succeeds most is in his ability to etch plain-spoken images, that despite their simplicity, reverberate with truth and feeling. The easy groove of "It Takes Awhile" is bolstered by multi-part harmonies, a mature restraint that defies the bands age, and a style that populates much of the album. While the CD boasts a focus on "Song", Jango Monkey is just as prone to blow open song structures with a well-formed knack for improvisation. Jango Monkey is poised to add yet another pattern to Georgia music's ever-growing tapestry of sound."
  

• Buzz, Press, Reviews, Comments... [+ Show ]
  

  The band has been honored to play: The East Point Arts & Ale Festival The Dunhams's Farewe...
  
  The band has been honored to play:
  
  The East Point Arts & Ale Festival
  
  The Dunhams's Farewell Party at the Peachtree Tavern featuring the best of Atlanta's Jam scene
  
  Terrapin Beer Company's JamFest at Jakes Toadhouse
  
  Sweetwater Brewery -4:20 party 6/30/05
  
  Jango Monkey was selected from thousands of applicants ("among the most promising and exciting unsigned acts on the current music scene") to perform at the 2005 Atlantis Music Conference.
  
  Jango's Chief songwriter, Rob, has played multiple acoustic shows at Smith's Olde Bar Songsmiths Series "featuring Atlanta's finest singer-songwriters"
  
  
  
  Some fans weigh in:
  
  "Consider my mind Blown"(from Garage Band review)
  
  "really enjoy the lyrics, very descriptive and yet still indecipherable, very cool. arrangements and the writing are top notch"(from Garage Band review)
  
  "Yuv really come a long way. Really dig it all. Now must pull myself away from jango site and get on with me life. (I've been on the site overnite) "c. Rhodes
  
  "We are listening to the live stream from your website and really like what we hear. Any band that has been inspired by Moe, Phish and especially the ToneMutts has our support. Can we put in an advanced order for the debut album?" Mark and lorrisa
  
  "I love your sound. You are all insanely talented." Tracey
  
  "very obvious you have great rapport with each other while playing" rick
  

Setlist

Typical show consists of 2 sets. 1st set - 1 hour, short break, 2nd Set - 1.5 hours. Option for 3rd set. 90% originals, 10 % covers is typical mix, but this is adjusted for particular environments and crowds. Up to 4+ hours of live music can be provided in environments favorable to sets that include extended improvisation.

Original Songs: 30+ songs


Jango Monkey plays covers by the following artists: Gomez, Eels, Alejandro Escovedo, Pink Floyd, Grateful Dead, Wilco, Traffic, Ween. moe, The Beatles, Zappa, The Who, Phish, Widespread Panic,
Rolling Stones, and Beck among others.

Basic Requirements

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