NO LONGER LOCAL ACT

MONTY ARE I

No one can question the legitimacy of Monty claiming the No Longer Local prize this year. Few of the area’s bands have been able to make bigger strides quicker. They were the first band to sign with Stolen Transmission label, an imprint marketed through Island, and they’re about to embark on the rock and roll summer of their lives. “We’re a really fortunate band right now,” says Steve Aiello. “We have so many good things happening and the pieces are there. Everyone’s working in harmony. I can’t wait to see what happens.” One thing that’s happened recently is that the band has had to change its name yet again. A year ago, they were faced with changing their name from Monty’s Fan Club to simply Monty. But, according to a statement on the band’s website, Monty is also taken. So they are now Monty Are I — not quite as catchy, but certainly a proud nod to their home state. Here’s an excerpt from their statement: “We were really excited to make that change last year, and this time around we don't really have a choice. There are other bands with the name Monty, who have released music before us. We don't own the copyright to the name, so we can't legally use it. So, as Monty or even Monty's Fan Club, we're just a lawsuit waiting to happen, and that's a risk we can't afford to take.” Despite that brief setback, Monty Are I, already together more than six years, has a wildly bright, possibly exhausting future ahead of them. Their new album, Wall of People, produced by Matt Squire (Fall Out Boy, Panic!), is due on August 1. They signed a contract in March, and contracted both management and a booking agent. They also have a slew of dates over the summer, including an extensive Warped Tour jaunt and a string with Jack’s Mannequin, a band featuring Something Corporate lead singer Andrew McMahon. “We’re more excited than nervous,” Steve says of all the activity. “But it’s scary, without a doubt. All of these things are so new to us. It’s a whole new world.”
_Bob Gulla