Somewhere between the dying bands of the O.C. and the One Tree Hill soundtracks and the rising tunes of the house and electronica genres, alternative rock began to loose it’s mojo. Fear no more because the alternative juice is getting a reboot with the authentic sound of Mona. So Foo Fighters, it’s time for you to step down from your podium and let the newcomers reign the alternative rock throne.

The group, consisting of vocalist and guitarist, Nick Brown, guitarist, Jordan Young, bassist, Zach Lindsey and drummer, Vince Gard, recently dropped their self-titled EP on July 19th. Normally with an EP release, we can select a top track out of the several tunes, but with Mona’s 4 track EP, we could not play favorites. Each of the tunes, which include, “Listen To Your Love”, “Teenager”, “Lines In The Sand” and “Trouble On The Way”, hold their own individually, but give an overall jaw dropping effect as a whole. The varying tempos and melodic arrangements of the tunes showcase the group’s creative rawness. Mona has that edgy swag that steer them clear of falling into the cop out genre of alternative pop.

The Nashville group’s sound is not contemporary; they are old souls and their video for the tune “Listen To Your Love” complements this thought. The black and white imagery of the band causes us to place them in the 50’s decade, where gelled hair and slick attire were the rage.

It’s time for the 21st century to embrace a new blend of music that doesn’t incorporate techno beats. Try the musical mixture of Mona. The ingredients to create their alternative sound include some rock roll and the blues. One bite just isn’t enough with this group.

by Lonnie Nemiroff