Nervous Monks are releasing a brand new record, As You Like It. To celebrate the quartet of Brady Newbill (guitar/vocals), Vitek Benton (guitars), Tim Hicks (bass/vocals) and Adam Camarena (drums) will host an album release party, Saturday, May 31, at Revelry in Pompano Beach. Before the album release and the show Brady Newbill hopped on The Jitney to answer our questions about Nervous Monks.
How did Nervous Monks form?
Brady Newbill: This band formed in 2016. I had just moved back from a couple of years in Gainesville and our friend Corey, who Vitek had been playing with in the band Retrocities had just moved away. It was a natural move for me and Vitek to start something together at that point. He had already been working on some stuff with Adam, who we had already known for a longtime but hadn’t really played with before. And I had already been collaborating with Tim for several years so we didn’t have to look too far to round out a good lineup. The whole thing came together very organically and has remained a nice collaborative outlet for all of us for nearly a decade now, which is wild to think about.
How has South Florida shaped the band?
Well we are all from here and have played through different facets of the music scene for a while, so I think the natural influence of our surroundings has always shaped what the band is and how we sound. All the artists we’ve worked alongside and crossed paths with inevitably influence how we play and what we listen to, and taking into account who the audience will be influences the songs that we write. For this band, I think a lot of that audience has always been other artists and musicians in South Florida, so paying tribute to that common thread of underappreciated original art and music from this area is a theme throughout our work.
What can we expect from the album release party at Revelry May 31?
It should be a really fun night. Lindsey Mills is going to be opening up with a rare solo set. I’m a little biased since I played in her band, but her music is some of my all time favorite, so it’s really exciting to have her there. Then we have The Elm Tops, some friends we’ve known for ages and always have a great time playing with now. Their music is very catchy and infectious and should bring a great energy to the night. We are going to be debuting some new material from the album that’s probably our most ambitious to date, as well as playing through some tried and true favorites. Revelry is a great spot that really compliments our vibe well. And of course, we’re super excited to finally have an album like this to share on vinyl.
What inspired and influenced the new record, As You Like It?
This album began like our other work has; assembling material in the garage until we have enough to hit record and put something out. But during the process, some interesting things began to develop. Not only had our chemistry of playing and writing collaboratively evolved into fresh territory, but I had also been working on some songs that are a bit more theatrical and focused on the history and ecology of Florida, and what it means to remain creative in an environment that’s increasingly inhospitable to the creative process. The first couple of those songs worked great when I brought them to the band. Then for the first time, Tim started bringing in songs that he had written that round out a well-balanced collection. The opportunity to produce a full-length vinyl record, instead of shorter digital EPs we had made in the past, allowed us to construct a narrative through the songs that plays out in long-form, something we have strived to do for a while now.
Any interesting stories about the writing and recording process you can share?
We have been really lucky throughout the history of the band to have a comfortable place to play, write and record at Adam’s house. I guess the main downside is that we could maybe get some more polished and high quality results at a professional studio, but doing it ourselves in a comfortable environment allows us to capture creative heights we may not reach if we are on the clock in a strange space. We always get some amazing takes and improvisational magic on days when we aren’t even “tracking” that become highlights of what we release. The foundational tracks of some of the songs were even recorded during a rainstorm with the garage door open. I did my best to mix out the sound of the rain drops, but the takes are so good that I don’t think many people would notice even if I hadn’t.
