Me And My Monkey
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Me And My Monkey

| INDIE

| INDIE
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This band has not uploaded any videos

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"Beer, Germans, and More Beer"

Me and My Monkey is so much more than a self-referring pronoun and an arguably human ancestor. An indie electronica band hailing from Tbilisi, the capital of the Republic of Georgia, MAMM consists of Sandro Chinchaladze on vocals and guitar, and Gocha Bakradze ..boards and guitar. Chinchaladze and Bakradze formed the band in 2006 and have been recording music in their modest home studio while playing numerous gigs in cities across Georgia. With influences ranging from The Beatles, Soundgarden, Radiohead, Sigur Ros, and Beck, to list a few, the MAMM sound combines catchy electronic beats, ambient keyboards, and electric guitar riffs with lyrics dealing with freedom, revolution, identity, and, you guessed it, love. Chinchaladze's echoing, self-assured vocals evoke Beck meets Depeche Mode's Dave Gahan, and lead the melody above textured synth harmonies, giving an effect of a potently filled acoustic space – a welcome concoction for indie-electronic-rock adoring ears. Finding likely inspiration in teenage unrequited love, Chinchaladze first began writing songs at the age of sixteen. Having played drums as a teenager, he now focuses ..boards and guitar. These days, depression and unhappiness prove to be loyal muses for Sandro's songwriting, although he notes that: "London is the main inspiration for me after my girlfriend." She'll be happy to hear that she beat out the capital of the biggest British isle as the creative fuel behind her boyfriend's melody and lyrics. Plans for the release of MAMM's first record Star Fucker are well underway. Until then several demo tracks are available for streaming on MAMM's myspace page. "If you want I'll kill myself, but leave me now, I'm fine" is a loving proposition from If You, a track that seeps melancholic sadness and recalls a barren landscape where hope is all that's left for one to hang on to. The playfully anarchist Forever is a confident declaration of a self-aware bad-boy: "I am I am who I wanna be, I choose the way that I wanna live, I do not mind if you do not like me, I do not care if you do not want me". The hauntingly eerie I Choose To Be talks about growing ambition in the face of social disaster, while the charming synth beats of Post Industrial Boys dance along with Chinchaladze's whispery promises of love, sandwiched between ambiguous mentions of post-industrial boys' subscription and reading preferences. A moniker like Me and My Monkey begs the question of how the band came up with the name. "Someone wrote monkey on my PC on which I make music, and since there was only me and my PC when I started to make this project, I called it Me And My Monkey," Sandro explains. An expectedly random name origin, as band names go, and fortunately, Me and My Monkey is in no way a reference to Robbie Williams' song by the same name. MAMM is releasing their first single It's Coming Back and starting to record their first eleven-track album Star Fucker in one of Tbilisi's major recording studios, Studio 1. As a result of the tumultuous political situation during the last several years, the Georgian economy has only recently begun a painfully slow recovery, which means that financial support for experimental musicians is low in Tbilisi. Two hundred dollars was the maximum amount of money that MAMM has been paid to play a concert in the city. Besides the lack of money to be made, Sandro points out that: "It's very hard to make live music in Tbilisi because there are no places where you can play, like pubs or concert halls, and there are no people who would like to help to promote your music." Despite the odds, MAMM did find an eager manager from Germany. "My manager is German for example - it's because I couldn't find a person in Tbilisi who would have liked to promote MAMM. It makes me a little bit sad, but I would still rather have a German producer than no producer at all, " Chinchaladze jokes. If MAMM's manager is anything like the archetypal methodically precise and efficient German chap, he's bound to do the band a lot of good. Instead of griping about their unfortunate circumstances, Sandro decided to take action to improve the opportunities for indie musicians in Tbilisi. He plans on using future income from MAMM's revenues to create a professional recording studio in Tbilisi. "I want bands like ours to be able to record theirs songs for free and to promote this kind of music in Georgia" Sandro muses. Working hard to advance his musical career in a city that provides little support for up and coming indie musicians can be exhausting. It's no wonder that at the end of the day, after coming home from his day job at a university run publishing house, Sandro refuels his creative juices with a cold beer, hoping that with the release of their first record in six months time, MAMM will gain the exposure it deserves on the international music scene. Having performed at festivals in Germany (Saarbrucken and Frankfurt) and having toured extensively around Georgia, MAMM have thei - www.trendwhore.ca


"'Me and My Monkey' presented their new single, 'Its Coming Back'"

On May 17, the band 'Me and My Monkey' presented their new single, 'Its Coming Back' at club Cubik Rubik. 'Its Coming Back' comprises three tracks: 'It's Coming Back', 'Standing and Waiting' and 'We are the Monkeys'. The tracks were recorded in May 2008 and mixed at "Studio One". The band's new video, shot by TV station 'Mze', is also included in the CD.

Me and My Monkey is a new band established in 2006 with two members. The band plays indie, electronic or experimental music, and is definitely one of the more active two-man bands in Tbilisi. Following their alternative roots, the Monkeys' new CD is refined, professionally done and effective.

As it is ineffective to describe electronic music in words, I will simply say that Me and My Monkey's music is energetic, sychronic and exciting. The CD "It's Coming Back" was not a disappointment by any means.

Apart from live performances and their website (www.myspace.com/medachemimaimuni), the band has so far had no means to attract a larger audience. Therefore, this first CD was a chance for the band to create a sharp, recognizable image for themselves.

Me and My Monkey's presentation followed the obvious theme; when buying the CD for 10 lari, you got a banana free, and the cardboard CD cover displays a tree. Finally, one of the three tracks says: we are the monkeys. Pretty simple ideas make an impression, work perfectly as codes and bring fun.

If I try to say things as purely as monkeys did, the band has its style, is progressing and knows exactly what and how to do.

The CD is a limited edition, so make sure you get your copy by heading down to 2 Brother Kakabadze St. (in front of McDonald's), 'Planet X' on 26 Kazbegi Ave. and 'Literature Cafe' on 2 Tarkhnishvili St. The CDs will also be available in other shops and online soon. It will also be exported to Germany in the near future.
In September, Me and My Monkey will start to work on a new album. So we can expect more from this original band soon.

Band: Me and My Monkey
Members: Sandro Chinchaladze and Gocha Bakradze
Producer: Michael Wiederhold - Georgia Today


"Ich habe einen Song „Starfucker""

CR: Tete, erzähle uns etwas über Deine Band?
TT: Me and My Monkey wurde als Band 2007 gegründet, davor habe ich bereits solo an dem Projekt gearbeitet, spielte gleichzeitig noch in einer anderen Band, „The Neverland". Die Musikrichtung würde ich als indi-electronica bezeichnen. Die Band besteht aus mir (Sandro – Tete – Chinchaladze) und Gacha Bakradze. Wir haben 2007 unser erstes Video gedreht (Efedrin), jetzt in 2008 das zweite (It's coming back). 2008 haben wir auch unsere erste Single herausgebracht, mit Hilfe unseres Produzenten Michael Wiederhold und seines Labels Caucasusrocks. Die CD enthält 3 Tracks und einen Videoclip, Booklet und ein speziell angefertigtes Limited Edition-Cover. Reinhören und *kaufen* kann man sie auf der Webseite unseres Labels (http://www.caucasusrocks.net/). Zur Zeit arbeiten wir an einem Album, das hoffentlich noch in diesem Jahr herauskommen wird.

CR: Habt ihr denn Auftritte in Georgien?
TT: Wir treten von Zeit zu Zeit in Tbilissi auf, davor war ich mit dem Solo-Projekt auch in Deutschland, in Frankfurt und in Saarbrücken.

CR: In dem Song „We are the monkeys" heißt es „we came out from the trees..." – was bedeutet das?
TT: Wir treten in Georgien auf und versuchen, in Europa Fuß zu fassen. Weil Georgien für diese Musik der Dschungel ist. Wir wollen raus aus dem Dschungel, weil wir die Monkeys sind.

CR: Wie würdest Du euren Background beschreiben? Mich erinnern die Songs auf der CD ein wenig an die Smashing Pumpkins.
TT: Beeinflusst sind wir vielleicht von Radiohead, Sigur Ros oder den NIN. Unser Background ist auf den ersten Blick nicht georgisch. Aber wir sind die einzigen, die so einen Sound in Georgien spielen, das macht uns auf eine Weise speziell georgisch.

CR: Ihr singt auf Englisch?
TT: Das hat überhaupt nichts damit zu tun, dass ich die georgische Sprache nicht mögen würde. Ganz und gar nicht. In unserem Fall funktioniert das nur nicht; für unsere Musik macht sie keinen Sinn. Ich habe einen Song „Starfucker" – das wäre dann „Varskvlavt Mtqveneli".

CR: Eure Songs lassen sich auch aufs Handy runterladen?
TT: Wir hatten das Glück, an dieser neuen Technologie teilnehmen zu können. Die Songs unserer CD lassen sich als Klingeltöne oder Mp3 über die lokalen georgischen Mobilfunkanbieter aufs Handy runterladen.

CR: Wie ist die Lage für Bands alternativer Musik in Georgien?
TT: Die Lage hat sich im Vergleich zu früher wesentlich verbessert. Trotzdem sollte es mehr Möglichkeiten für Auftritte geben. Alternative Musik ist ein neuer Stil in Georgien, das braucht Zeit bis sich das einbürgert.

CR: Habt ihr denn Unterstützung vom Publikum?
TT: Junge Leute lieben Liveauftritte. Es wäre besser, wenn es noch mehr Bands geben würde. Dann hätten die Leute eine wirkliche Auswahl, die Kultur würde wachsen, die Musik würde wachsen. Du musst den Leuten etwas Neues bieten – und nur Du kannst das leisten. Nach und nach wird diese Szene wachsen, da bin ich zuversichtlich. Je mehr Leute diese Musikrichtung hören wollen, desto mehr Bands wird es geben. Die Qualität der Bands wird steigen, jeder wird sein bestes geben, weil sie untereinander konkurrieren. Das wird auch für die Musikindustrie wichtig werden.
Ich möchte noch unseren Partnern Giorgi Gvarjaladze (Studio 1) und Michael Wiederhold (Caucasusrocks) danken. Vielen Dank auch an Sano Records, die die CD gedruckt haben und an Petite, die unser Cover produziert haben. - Georgien.Blogspot.com


"Me And My Monkey"

He is Sandro Chinchaladze (TeTe) – vocals, sound FX, guitar, midi, programming and songwriter – and together with Gocha Baqradze – guitar, midi, FX, keyboards – he is leading the musical project "Me and My Monkey". A couple of recoded songs, one video, no official concerts yet, but intensive work can be counted for the one year old "band".

In the very beginning there was an official profession, which artists usually don't follow, though TeTe's profession didn't exclude the arts at all – he is a film director. However, he prefers music and works in music as a consequence of a decision he made a long time ago. The young guitar player and vocalist managed to go through different projects, worked on typically diverse styles in music and partners and gained a considerable experience by these musical expeditions.

Projects he finds worth mentioning are the folk band "Iberioni" with an interesting (at least verbal) characterization of its distinct form: Celtic-Georgian folk accompanied by classical and acoustic instruments. I didn't really have a chance to test this music, but the description doesn't talk negatively about its makers. Later there was a band "Neverland ", for which Sandro was a guitarist and vocalist; the band probably deserves a more comprehensive introduction, but not here and now, as much as it will take us too far. Just to put a small info, the band existed until the really recent past, but by far "Me and My Monkey" is the single most active project in which the musician is involved.

To move to the subject more precisely, I should probably need to prove why this band is on this page devoted to progressive contemporary Georgian artists, who make art currently and make it well. The boy shaped out above, seems to be quite talented and enthusiastic. What I actually like about this small community of two is an awareness about their creation, reasonable steps, calm and productive move towards the target. They don't overdo it with experiments and don't suffer from "star syndromes" (ok they are not stars, but not everyone who experiences this disease is really a star). Their music is enjoyably acceptable not only for the rare listeners, easily adopting with innovations and sometimes considering experimental and chaotic as equal, but also common ones who don't go into merges and just like to experience new music. So, consequently, it's sort of polished experimental, having its clear combinative direction with electronic, rock and indie.

In December 2007 the band presented the first video on "Efedrin", which demonstrates drug addiction drugs, but is not for, but against it – being an anti-narcotic act. Despite its few negative points (meaning artistic elements), basically the video is right.

At the present "Me and My Monkey" is working on a single, which will be on sale in the middle of March with a purpose of introduction it to the audience. It contains three tracks: "Efedrin", "Standing and Waiting" and "Its Coming Back". Logically, the way leads to the album, which as the single is going to be recorded in the "Studio One" or simply with George Gvarjeladze.

Gradually, music lovers can't find any extreme arguments against this project, if one doesn't try hard and like to lie. Honestly, it doesn't really have a sense me to discuss all their creative abilities and formulate some bias or subjective interpretations of their art here, as almost the full production of "Me and My Monkey" and the video as well, can be found on internet. You should just visit the nicely designed virtual space of the band, get into details, listen and watch. Follow the link: www.myspace.com/MeDaChemiMaimuni - Georgia today


"MAMM - Band From Georgia"

Me and My Monkey is a Georgia based electronic duo crafting many strong energetic songs. Occasionally some of their beats are on the heavier side and a bit droning but they often change the momentum just as the rhythm becomes monotonous. The tunes are tight and well-engineered layering many beats and melodies as the songs progress. The vocals are mostly spoken as if beats themselves adding a sense of foreboding. Overall they have steady,colorful pulse from beginning to end in most of their music. They are definitely a solid band to check out building off Massive Attack with some slightly more up tempo tunes to their name. - TuneJar.com


Discography

2007 - Demo Album
2007 - Feauterings & Covers
2008 - It's Coming Back (Single)
2008 - Feel Me Inside (Single)

Photos

Bio

Both involved in solo projects before forming MAMM, They joined forces after a chance meeting at a party stirred their drunken spirits and inspired their musical collaboration. Sandro Chicnchaladze had been playing with local Tbilisi act The Neverland, while Gacha bakradze was part of local band Vietnam Radio. The pair decided to quit their respective solo efforts in 2007 and put their heads together to focus wholeheartedly on MAMM.
Officially MAMM was formed at 2007 in capital of Georgia, Tbilisi. Influenced by favorites like Beck, Mogwai, Royksopp, Radiohead and etc … early hard rock sound developed into indie electro-rock complete with catchy synth beats, sweeping atmospherics, and sharp songwriting.
After getting favorable reviews at the Rockwise festival in Saarbrucken, MAMM got a producer from Germany and they signed a contract with label “CaucasusRocks” to work on putting together their first record.
Staying true to the monkey theme, the duo outfitted their recent May 17th CD release party with free bananas donning MAMM stickers, watching the giddy audience with contained hilarity as a jungle of banana-chomping enthusiasts danced along to their track We Are The Monkeys.
Nowadays band is working on their first album “The Starfucker”
You may contact MAMM at MeAndMM@Gmail.com