The Poptart Monkeys – A Household Name? Carolyn Cummings
What’s in a name? A rose by
any other name – blah, blah, blah, we’ve all heard it. Sometimes, however,
there is something unique,
something special in a name. I first read the name Poptart Monkeys several
years back and couldn’t help but smile. It was so quirky, so different; I
actually remember going home that night and saying to my ex- husband “I heard
the craziest band name today.” When I told him what it was he chuckled and
smiled too. He and I often used the nickname “poptart” for one another, so it
wasn’t much of a stretch that soon after the conversation our very young
daughter Aidan adopted the nickname “Poptart Monkey.” Aidan is now eight and
for the majority of those eight wonderful years Poptart Monkeys has definitely
been a household name; in our household anyway.
Recently I began writing for News4U again and it didn’t
take long for the name to reappear on my desk. I generally get to pick my
stories and often take the easy road and choose artist I know a bit more about,
Merle Haggard, Hank Jr. etc. However, I just couldn’t resist this one. To be
honest I wasn’t at all familiar with the bands music, but once again the name
made me smile and the connection my daughter and I have to it made this band
one I was ready to explore. I’m glad I did.
The high-energy, progressive, “straight ahead rock and
roll” sound delivered on the band’s newly released (February 2009) album Count to Zero is a perfect example of
why these once “Pennsylvania based cover musicians” are now an original
regional power-house. Due to their harmonies, explosive live performances and
musical chemistry the band has found themselves as the supporting act for 3
Doors Down, Alien Ant Farm, Bowling For Soup, Breaking Benjamin, Saliva, SR-71,
Sum 41, Yellowcard and in January of 2009, Trust Company and Saving Abel.
They may not be a household name all over yet, but with the talent, honest
lyrics, and difficult to achieve balance between beauty and grit possessed by
this band it won’t be long before the name Poptart Monkeys is falling from your
lips.
On the 25th at FYE I got a chance to sit down
with the band and speak with them face to face.
The last thing you want to
do though is let someone else make your musical judgments for you, especially
someone who nicknames their loved ones after pastries (my sons are pumpkin pie
and pumpkin bread in case I hadn’t mentioned). So I suggest you mark your
calendar because the Poptart Monkeys are playing two area dates in May. You can
swing in and catch them at Frankie’s in Owensboro
on May 15th @ 10:30, or at Woody’s in Evansville on May 16th @ 11.
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