New CD in stores August 16th on Universal Records! Click the link below to hear the full versions of "Satellites" and "If You Go"
Click Here for Cherry Monroe on PureVolume
Cherry Monroe has always existed; Matt Toka just had to find it. He was looking for a vehicle to exorcise the metaphors of lost love. He needed an outlet for his darker side. He knew it was out there.
The catharsis came in the middle of a hammering blizzard in a bleak Pittsburgh winter. During an up-all-night jam session with some friends, Matt tuned in. The others turned on. Together they proceeded to drop out and spend the next two days huddled around a singular mic, striped acoustic guitars and bongos. Matt, guitarist Ryan Harris, drummer Jason Levis, and bassist Dave Saltzman vented and manipulated, constructed and destroyed. Finally, they emerged with what would be the demos for Cherry Monroe's debut album.
The album tells a story through 11 autobiographical songs. It is the depiction of temptations from an unrequited burning crush and battered ego of a hopeless codependent left to pick up the pieces. Matt Toka's lyrics say everything you've ever felt about love and things you hoped you could forget.
After emerging from a fateful blizzard with a newfound energy, the band decided they needed to keep this momentum and kicked things up a notch by adding another guitarist. It didn't take long before they found themselves fleshing out early demos with a guitarist who was a friend of a friend. Once Frankie Bennett came into the picture, Cherr Monroe knew they had all the pieces. A few months in the studio proved that the new combination would be the final lineup. Matt finally found his outlet.
Cherry Monroe is made up of a bunch of guys who are self-proclaimed goofballs, but they always manage to get it done. The band takes some Les Pauls through a few Marshall stacks and strikes a chord in us all. From the churning and propelled self-blame of the openning track Bandages, to the denial of Painkillers and from the slow burn of Crazy Love to the sugar-induced chorus of Can't Explain, this is a band that prominently displays its love for all things rock while still infusint its own special tough to that age-old process of boy meets girl, boy loses girl, and boy tries to find himself throughout the broken pieces. The journey is exhilirating but the path is littered with damaged goods and broken hearts. Cherry Monroe is there to guide you through it. All you have to do is open your ears and listen.Stay Tuned for upcoming show dates and news!