MonkeyJunk cap off tenth anniversary by winning Juno for “Time To Roll”

Print

Ottawa based blues/ swamp rock trio MonkeyJunk are pleased to celebrate their tenth year, by not only playing some of their favourite rooms including the Geomatic Attic, May 24, but to win their second Juno Award for their most recent  album  “Time To Roll.”MonkeyJunk return to the Geomatic Attic this week. Photo by Richard Amery
“I haven’t spent much time at home,” admitted baritone guitarist/ vocalist/ harmonica player Steve Marriner, waiting for a sound check to start in Dauphin, Manitoba. He was pleasantly surprised to see the new album won the Juno award.


“I don’t think we expected it. It was a pleasant surprise. It‘s our second one. We also won one in 2 012.  But this one caps off a great tenth anniversary run,”  he said, adding the trio, including drummer Doug Sobb and lead guitarist Tony Diteodoro are visiting some of their favourite places. While the band calls Ottawa home, Marinner has lived in Toronto  for the past two years, Diteodoro splits his time between Edmonton where his girlfriend lives and Ottawa and Sobb lives in Ottawa full time.


“We’ve had a lot of sold out shows on this tour. We sold out a hometown show in Ottawa the National Arts Centre, which is a great feeling because 10 years ago , we were playing small clubs for about 60 people,” he said, adding the trio is celebrating their tenth anniversary by visiting some of their favourite places to play and playing with some of their favourite musicians.


“ In Winnipeg we played with Joey Landreth of the Bros. Landreth, Big Dave McLean, who is a big influence of mine and in Hamilton, we played with Steve Strongman,” he said.
 The tour has featured some of the biggest crowds they have played for.


 In Sault Sté Marie, we played for 200 people, which is more people we have played before,“he said adding they also have some big festivals booked for the summer including the Salmon Arm Blues and Roots Festival, The Harvest Jazz and blues Festival in Fredericton, and the Edmonton Blues Festival.


 In addition to touring cross Canada with MonkeyJunk, he also just completed a tour with Colin James which stopped by the Enmax Centre for the Lethbridge Jazz and Blues Festival, which was the last time he was in Lethbridge.

  “I think that was the last time I was in Lethbridge. I recorded a new album with Colin which is coming out in the fall. it will be the same unit as the last one, Blue Highways, so it’s very bluesy. But we won’t be touring again  again until March,” he said, adding he also enjoyed touring with Steve Dawson, another Juno award winning musician, with whom he did a quick United States tour including stops in Dawson’s adopted home town of Nashville.

 


“I haven’t been home much. I have a new girlfriend  now and haven’t seen her much. But we‘ll take some time off in the summer to  hang out,” he said, adding they haven’t thought about writing new music yet.
 Along the way, he befriended Lethbridge musician Leeroy Stagger.


“We had a really good time together and became friends. We may be working on a project together, but I can’t say for sure,” he said.
 he is excited to return to the Geomatic Attic, where  he always has good turnouts.
 
“Mike Spencer booked us for some of our earlier shows and has become a really good friend,” he said.


“It’s a really small room, but we always get people who really want to be there,” he said.


MonkeyJunk, whose sound  is defined by lead guitar, baritone guitar and drums, experimented with using electric bass  on “Time to Roll,” howeverMarinner said they haven’t incorporated it into the band.


“We just did it to get  a better bottom end  and it worked great,” he said.
“I love playing bass. On rare occasions, we’ll hire a bass player, but awhile ago we decided that this would be what our sound would be. We usually let the songs determine what we need. And it has always been really important to be able to reproduce the sound of the records in the live show,” he said.


 Tickets for the May 24 MonkeyJunk show are $37.50 in advance and $40 at the door. As usual the show begins at 8 p.m.

—  By Richard Amery, L.A. Beat Editor
Share