100 Monkeys

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100 Monkeys
100MonkeysJodiePlatz.jpg
100 Monkeys in Indianapolis, June 29, 2011.
Background information
Origin Los Angeles, California, United States
Years active 2008 (2008)–2012
Labels Awesome Sauce Records, Warrior Records
Website http://www.100monkeysmusic.com/
Members Jackson Rathbone
Ben Graupner
Ben Johnson
Jerad Anderson
Lawrence Abrams

100 Monkeys is an independent funk rock band from Los Angeles, California. The band name comes from the idea of the “Hundredth Monkey Effect” in which a learned behavior spreads instantaneously from one group of monkeys to all related monkeys once a critical number is reached. The current members of the group are Ben Graupner, Jackson Rathbone, Jerad Anderson, Ben Johnson, and Lawrence Abrams. The band has recently risen to fame due in part to the popularity of member Jackson Rathbone, an actor who plays the character Jasper in the Twilight Saga movie series. Rathbone has given interviews about his work as a musician on MTV and VH1.

History

The group came together in 2008 in Los Angeles, California, playing small shows at the 24K Lounge and other places in Los Angeles. Their first album, Monster De Lux, was entirely improvised and was done in one long take. Their second self-released album, Creative Control Sessions, featured popular songs "Sleeping Giants" and "Gus" and was produced by Scott Coslett. During a small tour from May through June 2009, the band played dates in PA and NY and in June released 3 singles of studio mastered songs - “Ugly Girl”, “Smoke” and “Wasteland Too”. their first studio album, “Grape” was released in 2009. The band then toured the West Coast.[1] In 2010, the band embarked on a 100 City Tour across the United States, an effort which has greatly increased their audience.

The band’s sound has been described as funk rock by Spin Magazine.[2] They have described the meaning behind their lyrics to be inspired by “drinking, the devil, death and women who cheat and steal.”[3] Due to their recent fame the group has been interviewed by various music magazines and television networks. Their music is said to have a blues like feel, and their performances give off a '60s-like vibe, mimicking bands such as the Beatles. Their sound has also been described by MTV.com as a blend of “Iggy Pop with the Raconteurs.”[4]

In 2010 the band also released Live And Kickin: Part Too, a documentary companion to their Live And Kickin: Part One live album.

The band signed with Warrior Records in 2011 and released their second studio album June 28, 2011, entitled Liquid Zoo.[5] They will embark on a summer tour spanning all of North America and parts of Canada. The tour will be supported by Vancouver band The Bleeding Horse Express[6] which has a forthcoming album produced by Rathbone.[7] The Tour kicked off with an album release party in Cincinnati, Ohio, and will wrap up exactly two months later in San Diego, CA.[5]

On March 4, 2012 100 Monkeys announced that Jackson Rathbone and Jerad Anderson would be taking a leave from the band. Anderson hopes to return eventually after working on some film projects for his company Wayne/Lauren Film Company, but Rathbone is suspected to be permanently replaced after the announcement of his girlfriend's pregnancy. The two members are being replaced and 100 Monkeys is touring the west coast during April 2012 in support for their new single, "City Of Bones" which will debut March 12, 2012.[5]

On April 13, 2012 - Fans were told to click a link from 100 monkeys Twitter account, that lead them to the information that former bandmate Jackson Rathbone and his lawyers had informed the band that the name "100 Monkeys" can no longer be used by remaining band members. Since the news broke the official website for 100 Monkeys has been closed down and Lawrence Abrahms has left the band as well. Leaving Ben Johnson and Ben Graupner as the last two members of the original line up. Two new members have joined the band since it was announced that Jackson Rathbone and Jerad Anderson were leaving, Matt Black and Rob Coonrod join the remaining members to complete the lineup.

Members

The group’s members vary from up and coming movie producers to excelling actors.

Ben Graupner plays just about everything from trumpet, guitar, drums, keyboard, and bass guitar, and sings vocals for the band. He was born in Dallas, Texas, on February 7. (band site) He has had small roles in a few movies including Trapped in the 5150 and Devolved. He is also the lead vocalist for the band Mechanical People, which also included Ben Johnson and friend Jake Miller.

Jackson Rathbone was born in Singapore City, Singapore on December 14, 1984. He later moved to Texas with his family where he pursued his love of music. He studied acting at Interlochen Center For The Arts, in Interlochen, Michigan, during high school. He is quickly rising to fame with the popularity of the hit movie series Twilight and the 2010 film, The Last Airbender. Jackson plays the guitar, bass, drums, keyboard, mandolin, trumpet, harmonica and is on vocals.

Jerad Anderson was born in San Diego, California, on June 4, 1981. He is a budding actor, having a guest role as Jonah Perkins in the hit ABC Family show Greek as well as several other movies and television shows. Jerad plays guitar and background vocals for the group. Like other members of the band, he also alternates between bass, keyboard, and drums. Jerad is owner of Wayne/Lauren Film Company which in 2010 produced the movie Girlfriend, starring Evan Sneider, which co-starred Anderson and Rathbone and was scored by the band.

Ben Johnson was born May 4, 1984, in Mt. Carroll, Illinois. He plays drums, bass, guitar, keyboard, and vocals for 100 Monkeys. He has produced several albums of music by the late Spencer Bell, a long time friend that passed from Adrenal Cancer in 2006. www.spencerbellmemorial.com

M. Lawrence “Uncle Larry” Abrams is the band percussionist, and plays flute, bass, saxophone, and occasionally vocals. Lawrence was born in Chicago, Illinois, on July 5, 1953, but claims to be from Mars.

Influence

The band states that their greatest influences are David Bowie and Gary Busey.[1]

Improv

100 Monkeys performs an improvised song at every one of their shows, building on an idea taken from the audience and chosen by Jerad Anderson. The lyrics are usually sung by Jackson Rathbone, and instrumentation varies. This song is never rehearsed beforehand, but written on the spot.

Titles for some 100 Monkeys improv songs are: *February 25, 2009 - Los Angeles, CA - "Jello"

  • April 19, 2009 - Vancouver, BC - "Lumberjack"
  • May 23, 2009 - Philadelphia, PA - "That's What She Said" and "Cake" and "Apple Juice"
  • June 7, 2009 - New York, NY - "Peacock" and "Chicken"
  • June 15, 2009 - Philadelphia - "Philly Girl!" and "Paper Towels" and "Coconuts"
  • June 18, 2009 - Philadelphia, PA - "Blue Eyes"
  • September 20, 2009 - Vancouver, BC - "David Bowie"
  • November 7, 2009 - Nashville, TN - "My Sister Becky"
  • November 15, 2009 - Los Angeles, CA - "Flying Squirrel"
  • December 27, 2009 - Hollywood, CA - "Jerad"
  • January 1, 2010 - Las Vegas, NV - "Wayne Newton"
  • January 4, 2010 - Albuquerque, NM - "Spandex Banana Hammocks"
  • January 5, 2010 - Dallas, TX - "Marshmallow"
  • January 8, 2010 - McAllen, TX - "Happy Birthday, Monica"
  • January 13, 2010 - Denver, CO - "Cherries"
  • January 18, 2010 - Seattle, WA - "Are You Afraid Of The Dark?"
  • January 19, 2010 - Portland, OR - "Kung Pao Chicken"
  • January 30, 2010 - Las Vegas, NV - "Strangers With My Baby" and "Lipstick On My Collar"
  • February 5, 2010 - Hermosa Beach, CA - "Brownies"
  • February 12, 2010 - Pomona, CA - "Tighty Whities"
  • March 2, 2010 - Des Moines, IA - "Juicebox"
  • March 4, 2010 - Madison, WI - "Awesome Sauce" and "Bananas"(don't know if there's video of Bananas)
  • March 7, 2010 - St. Louis, MO - "Best Friend"
  • March 8, 2010 - Louisville, KY - "Puppet"
  • March 26, 2010 - New Orleans, LA - "Bourbon"
  • April 7, 2010 - Washington, DC - "Little Black Book"
  • April 11, 2010 - Cambridge, MA - "Grind"
  • April 13, 2010 - Hartford, CT - "Annoying People"
  • April 14, 2010 - Lancaster, PA - "Drinking"
  • April 15, 2010 - Allentown, PA - "Hot Nurses"
  • April 19, 2010 - Nashville, TN - "Nerf Guns"
  • April 20, 2010 - Birmingham, AL - "I Hacked Into Your Email"
  • April 23, 2010 - Dallas, TX - "Paper Airplanes"
  • April 24, 2010 - Dallas, TX - "Ellen DeGeneres" and "Everything's Bigger In Texas"
  • April 28, 2010 - Pittsburgh, PA - "Hats"
  • April 29, 2010 - Providence, RI - "Beef Jerky"
  • July 21, 2010 - Scottsdale, AZ - "There's A Camera In My Face"
  • July 22, 2010 - Las Vegas, NV - "Zombie Dinner Party"
  • July 23, 2010 - San Diego CA - "Come Get LEID At Our Table" and "Spilt Beer"
  • July 25, 2010 - San Francisco, CA - "Duck-billed Platypus"
  • July 29, 2010 - Seattle, WA - "Roadtrip"
  • August 4, 2010 - Sacramento, CA - "Tickets to the Gun Show"
  • August 6, 2010 - Los Angeles, CA - "Drunk Dialing"
  • August 7, 2010 - Los Angeles, CA - "Restraining Order"
  • August 18, 2010 - Los Angeles, CA - "Walk of Shame"
  • August 28, 2010 - Auburn Hills, MI - "Handcuffs" and "Joygasm"
  • September 11, 2010 - Toronto, ON, Canada - "Batman"
  • October 10, 2010 - Los Angeles, CA - "Slap Me Silly & Call Me Susan" (which Jackson interpreted as 'slap me and call me stupid')
  • October 31, 2010 - Baton Rouge, LA - "Chicken on a Stick"
  • December 3, 2010 - Baton Rouge, LA - "Baby Alligators"
  • December 26, 2010 - Atlanta, GA - "Ho Ho Ho"
  • December 27, 2010 - Birmingham, AL - "Dirty South"
  • December 28, 2010- New Orleans, LA - "Show Me Your Beads" and "Fake It Until You Make It"
  • December 29, 2010 - Houston, TX -"Pillow Talk", "Apple Juice"
  • December 30, 2010- Dallas, TX-"Fruedian Slip", "Parents": Rathbone's family was present
  • December 31, 2010 - Austin, TX - "I'm A Little Freaked Out" and "One Night Stand"
  • January 1, 2010 - Mission, TX - "No Bueno"
  • January 2, 2011 - San Antonio, TX - "Beer"
  • February 19, 2011 - Los Angeles, CA - "Bullies"
  • May 7, 2011 - New York, NY - "Keep Your Boots On"
  • May 9, 2011 - New York, NY - "Stalker"
  • May 21, 2011 - Los Angeles, CA - "Magic Hands"
  • June 19, 2011 - Fender Liquid Zoo release party - "Southern Ladies"
  • June 28, 2011 - Cincinnati, OH - "Fender Bender"
  • June 29, 2011 - Indianapolis, IN - "It's Wednesday"
  • July 1, 2011 - Minneapolis - "Guitar Girl"
  • July 4, 2011 - Madison - Spotted Cow
  • July 6, 2011 - Detroit - "Squeaky Mattress"
  • July 7, 2011 - Chicago, IL - "Chicago Weiner"
  • July 8, 2011 - Cleveland - "I Love You"
  • July 9, 2011 - Toronto,ON - "I'm So Easy"
  • July 11, 2011 - Montréal, QC - "C'est La Vie"
  • July 12, 2011 - Boston, MA - "Birthday Suit"
  • July 14, 2011 - Philadelphia, PA - "Pink Guitar Strap"
  • July 16, 2011 - New York City, NY - "Room Service"
  • July 17, 2011 - Asbury Park, NJ - "College Girls"
  • July 19, 2011 - Allentown, Pa - "Buckle Up"
  • July 20, 2011 - Baltimore, MD- "Belly Button"
  • July 21, 2011 - Norfolk - "Cherry Pie"
  • July 22, 2011-Charlotte, NC- "Magic Wand"
  • July 28, 2011 - Tampa, FL - "7 Minutes"
  • July 29, 2011 - Orlando, FL - "Cinderella"
  • August 5, 2011 - Houston, TX - "It's a Long Story"
  • August 6, 2011- Dallas, TX- "No Escape"
  • August 9, 2011 - Tulsa, OK - "What Happened Was"
  • August 13, 2011 - Denver, CO - "Mile High Club"
  • August 20, 2011 - Spokane, WA - "Assless Chaps"
  • August 21, 2011 - Portland, OR - "Purple Pants"
  • August 23, 2011 - San Francisco, CA - "Don't Be a Bitch"
  • August 25, 2011 - Los Angeles, CA - "Weightlifting Snowman"
  • August 28, 2011 - San Diego, CA - "Aunt Irene"
  • November 28, 2011 - Stockholm, Sweden - "Pussycat"
  • November 29, 2011 - Copenhagen, Denmark - "Denmark Girl"
  • November 30, 2011 - Berlin, Germany - "Sex in the Jungle"
  • December 1, 2011 - Hamburg, Germany - "Chio"
  • December 2, 2011 - Frankfurt, Germany - "Red-Light District"
  • December 3, 2011 - Paris, France - "French Kiss"
  • December 7, 2011 - Strasbourg, France - "Champagne"
  • December 8, 2011 - Cologne, Germany - "Are you looking at my bum?"
  • December 9, 2011 - Amsterdam, The Netherlands - "Special Brownie"
  • December 10, 2011 - Lille, France - "Rendez-vous"
  • December 12, 2011 - Manchester, UK - "Private Party"
  • December 13, 2011 - Glasgow, Scotland - "Hurricane Bawbag"
  • December 14, 2011 - Birmingham, UK - "Flex Your Fingers"
  • December 15, 2011 - London, UK - "Special Favour"
  • December 16, 2011 - London, UK - "Big Ben"
  • January 19, 2012 - Los Angeles, CA - "Eloise"

Discography

Albums

Year Album
2009 Monster de Lux
2009 Creative Control Live
2009 Grape
2010 Live and Kickin Part One
  1. "The Fair"
  2. "Orson Brawl"
  3. "Kolpix"
  4. "Made of Gold"
  5. "Ugly Girl"
  6. "Little Black Book"
  7. "Looker"
  8. "Shock and Fight"
  9. "Grocery Store No More"
  10. "Wings on Fire"
  11. "Sleeping Giants"
  12. "LDF"
  13. "Wasteland Too"
2011 Liquid Zoo

Singles

  • 2009: "Smoke"
  • 2009: "Wasteland Too"
  • 2009: "Ugly Girl"
  • 2009: "Keep Awake"
  • 2010: "Kolpix"
  • 2010: "Future Radio"
  • 2010: "Wandering Mind"

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ [1]
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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