Donna Monarch and the Inside

A unique artist, Donna Monarch works in both music and theatre. With her band, The Inside, Monarch lays down a fusion of styles; New Wave, Jazz, Country, Broadway and other influences to form an art rock show that she calls, Rock n Roll Theatre.

A rare singer/songwriter with a strong sense of poetry, Monarch has a new release titled, Paper Wings. She will be touring in support of the album this spring. Donna has a talent for attracting amazing musicians and her dates in Germany will be no exception with virtuoso, madman guitarist, Jan Henning in the band. Monarch lends vocals to Jan’s 2003 release, Sunset Avenue.

Donna has worked with the same songwriting partner since 1991, Scott Hartzog. He moved to Los Angeles with her, where they fell in love, and now married, they live near family in Oklahoma City. While in LA, Donna recorded her first solo album, Future Kisses, at the studio of jazz legend, Brian Auger. Karma Auger, son to Brian, produced the recording. “Her voice ranges from high, sweet priestess to earth-mommy rock intensity. I hear an amalgam of Joan Baez, Erykah Badu and Julianna Hatfield.” –Doug Hill, Music reviewer for the Norman Transcript

Other band members include Victor Rook on bass who holds a Doctorate degree in jazz trumpet and latin percussion master, Armando Rivera. David Short has played with such artist as Reba McEntire and White Zombie.

For several years Monarch was the guitarist for an experimental funk, touring band called Limbo Café, which U Magazine called, “The best of a new wave of pop band emerging from the Midwest”. Indie rocker, Monarch worked as a professional musician at a young age. “My aunt and uncle had a bluegrass band and they would take me to gigs and stand me up on a chair with an oversized guitar and I would play and sing. So, my first roots are bluegrass.” Since then she has been featured on CNN and MTV as well as many national music publications. Monarch can be seen at the largest clubs and the smallest Cafes.

Playwright and Director, it wasn’t until 2003 that Donna received a degree in Theatre from the University of Oklahoma. Donna is conceptual artist that loves the spectacle of live performance. Her shows are always eye candy with great use of dance, costume, set and light. Donna recently founded a non-profit organization in Oklahoma to help bring the performing arts to the schools and to special needs and at risk children, The Performing Arts Studio. She served as Executive Director for the first year to insure the organizations vision.
She is currently editing a film adapted from a play, which she wrote and directed about the Julia Hill story called, A Tree in the Storm.