Up and coming Penn- Ohio based band Cherry Monroe is headlining a concert at Cleveland’s Agora Theater tonight at 8:30 p.m. in honor of releasing their self-titled debut album.
Lovedrug, Solo Flyer, A-10, and the Lockhearts will also take part in the celebration; putting on a steal of a show that only costs $8 dollars for five bands.
Cherry Monroe’s CD, “Cherry Monroe” includes songs of heartbreak and deception. Lead singer Matt Toka said many of the songs were based on his past experiences in relationships.
“The songs were inspired by relationships I have had in the past few years and everything I experienced through them ending,” Toka said.
Even through all of the pain and struggle that the failed relationships have caused him in the past, Toka is optimistic and looking forward to the CD release concert tonight, as this is Cherry Monroe’s first CD.
“I haven’t been able to sleep at all!” an excited Toka exclaimed about tonight’s event.
Adding to Toka’s excitement and sleep deprevation has been a lot of positive advance buzz about the album.
Cherry Monroe released the album to college radio stations on Sept. 27 and the new album has been accepted with warm, open arms.
“It’s been fantastic. We’ve had 96 stations to date after three weeks that are playing the record…the band is in the top 10 on 13 of the stations. It’s an early indication of what the record is going to do,” Rust Records representative Ken Cooper said.
Cherry Monroe formed this past winter over a two-day jam session with bongos and a few acoustic guitars.
Their album reflects veteran rockers who Toka said is a mixture of the sounds of The Cure, Switchfoot, and Dashboard Confessional.
“Bands like these are influences, but we take their styles to our practices, strip them down, and approach them completely different,” said Toka.
The style of taking influences and changing them completely around is especially evident in Cherry Monroe’s live shows.
“The band really adds another whole dimension to a live show,” said Cooper. “They are really trying to bring back the 70’s Glam Rock…You’re so use to, when you hear the music to classify it as an emo-punk thing with T-Shirts and jeans, and then come out and see these guys to put on an amazing stage show with full Glam outfits, it’s really a cool experience,” Cooper said.
This is part of the reason they chose a rather campy name for their band and first album. The band was named after Cherry Valence, the red-headed quirky character in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1983 movie, “The Outsiders” and of course, America’s favorite blonde bombshell, Marilyn Monroe.
“The name has a lot to do with our music,” stated Toka. “We originally wanted to name the band ‘Cherry Valence’ but that name was already taken, so we chose Monroe after Marilyn. Mostly because our music is very sexual and the name fit.”
“If you really enjoy music, seeing [Cherry Monroe] live is better than reading an article on them, or listening to the CD. It’s over the top,” said Ken Cooper.
So if your heart is hurting, or if you just enjoy good quality music at an over-reasonable price, go check out Cherry Monroe at the Agora tonight.