The Early Years 1964 - 1965

Today, 'garage,' 'psych,' and 'punk' are three overused words to say the least. They're dropped from every direction to brand, market, and sell, but looking back to the mid-1960s, there was only one group of musical mavericks that clearly defined them. The Monks were five beat playing American GIs stationed in Germany who, after their discharge, decided to stay and continue their musical mission. Meeting up with a team of local managers, they transformed themselves and their sound into a holy racket like the world had never known. This five-person order literally birthed the above genres through a fuzz-drenched evolution of sound, bursting with social commentary and future primitive rhythms. Krautrock? It started here. Do we hear non-believers? We are NOT making this up. If you aren't already converted, it won't take long… And while there's no need to shave your head, you'll certainly flip your wig. Come on everybody, its Monk Time! 'Their melodies were pop destructive and must be played to your younger brother.'- JACK WHITE, THE WHITE STRIPES 'The Monks will always be a great band because their look and sound is shockingly new, and you can hear their influence across the decades.' - COLIN GREENWOOD, RADIOHEAD 'I don't want to live in a world without the Monks.' - ANTON ALFRED NEWCOMBE, BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE 'Monastic Madness - Hard Driving Garage Rock!' - KRIST NOVOSELIC, NIRVANA 'This is a damned enjoyable slightly kinky 60's garage record. This may be the only legitimate anti-war rock group to come out of the 60's, as these are the only guys who actually joined up.' - IGGY POP