Monarch’s Ryan Williams On The New “The Fray” Single, The Roots Of The Band, Future Plans, Musical Influences & More
The quartet known as Monarch consists of Ryan Williams (guitarist and songwriter for Red Sun Rising), James Lascu and Matt Puhy (the powerhouse rhythm section from rock band Wilson) and vocalist Sabastian Duke. The seeds for Monarch were planted in 2015 when both Red Sun Rising and Wilson were on tour with mutual friends, Nothing More. Though they were already labelmates, this would be the first meeting between Williams, Lascu and Puhy. The 3 musicians quickly hit it off, spending the next 5 years crossing paths on the road, performing nearly 1,000 shows between their bands.
It was merely a coincidence that both Red Sun Rising and Wilson’s runs would come to an end in late 2019. Ryan Williams set out on a new path, co-writing and producing for other artists. As he worked on other people’s material, the bug to write his own came back. His first call was to James Lascu. Within weeks Lascu drove in from Detroit and the 2 found themselves firing on all cylinders. With ideas for songs coming at a fast pace, Monarch was in motion. One week later the CDC would announce the existence of COVID-19, and what initially felt like a terrible twist of fate, soon became all the motivation — and time — Wilson and Lascu needed to search for the rest of the band. After an extensive search, singer Sabastian Duke of Norman, Oklaoma was chosen as lead vocalist, and May 28, 2021 saw the official release of Monarch’s single (and music video for) “The Fray” to all digital platforms.
On June 2, 2021, I had the pleasure of speaking with Monarch’s Ryan Williams via Zoom, as embedded below. Besides “The Fray,” we spoke about the future of Monarch, his writing and producing for other artists, musical influences, Oklahoma and plenty more. Additional information on Monarch and all of its members can be found by clicking here, here and here.
About the Author
Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."
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