Today, we’re delighted to welcome Cindy Lawson, a true pioneer of the Minneapolis rock scene. She began her musical journey in 1985 with the all-female band The Clams and went on to play in several bands in Minneapolis and New York. After a long break from music, Cindy made a powerful comeback in 2021, bringing together classic rock ’n’ roll, garage rock and punk energy with her distinctive voice and sharp songwriting. Nearly four decades into her career, Cindy Lawson is still making bold, passionate and exciting music. Taste question: Which artists have influenced you the most, and what examples can you tell us about this influence? Who is the artist you dislike and why will he/she never influence you? I have always loved Joni Mitchell, Nina Simone, and Rickie Lee Jones because they created their own sound and didn’t compromise their vision. Joni Mitchell developed her own style of playing guitar because she had to compensate for the weakness in her left hand from a childhood bout wit...

« Les Monstres Sacrés n’ont jamais connu un début de saison aussi difficile. Jacques Ball nous a quittés. Quel article publier après une telle perte ? S’il devait y en avoir un, il faudrait que c'en soit un que Jacques aurait adoré lire... Avant son départ, il avait transmis quelques questions à Bernard, qui souhaitait interviewer Deniz Tek. Voici les réponses. Merci à Deniz, à Bernard… et à Jacques, qui nous manque. » Ron Asheton avec Destroy All Monsters Deniz Tek raconte Ron Asheton Destroy All Monsters + Deniz Tek, Detroit, 1980 (Photo Niagara) Interview Deniz Tek (Jacques Ball, 25/08/2024) : What was the first notable impact Ron Asheton had on you as a guitar player ? As for those wah wah guitar licks in 1969 on the first Stooges album were like magic. Deniz Tek : - "Those first chords of 1969 are a massive hook ! I first saw  them when they were The Psychedelic Stooges, and they didn't really have any songs. The music was essentially free jamming, with found sounds a...

It’s not often that we get to talk about a band that’s had run-ins with tractors on Les Monstres Sacrés! Thanks to Jean-Jacques and the Last Pages for this epic interview ! Taste question: Which artists have influenced you the most, and can you tell us examples about this influence? Who is the artist you dislike and why will he/she never influence you? Speaking for the band and our sound, our influences are The Who, Replacements, Mudhoney, Firehose and, generally speaking, most non-commercial 80s/90s alt rock. Our tastes run the gamut of genres, but I'm pretty sure we can all agree that Jandek will never influence us. Intellectual question: Which non-musical artist (filmmaker, writer, painter...) played an important role in the way the band evolved… Alex Cox, Richard Linklater, Quentin Tarantino History question: Can you sum up the life of your group? We are collectively 200 years old. Gordy and Larry have been playing since 2020. Will joined in 2021. Trevor joined and started this...

Following one of our “Top Monsters” features—and Kai Danzberg’s strong showing in it—we thought it would be interesting to get to know him better. Thanks to Kai and Jean-Jacques, who arranged this interview, we’ve now done just that. Thanks to both of them! Taste question: Which artists have influenced you the most, and what examples can you tell us about this influence? Who is the artist you dislike and why will he/she never influence you? My biggest influences are The Beatles, Jellyfish, Electric Light Orchestra, Queen & Michael Jackson. They completely changed the way I think about music. A lot of their songs rely on more complex arrangements and rich vocal harmonies, which really inspires me. That said, I don’t think a song always needs to be complex to be good. I tend to layer and harmonize my vocals in almost every song I write — it’s just something that feels natural to me. I wouldn’t say there’s a specific artist I dislike. What I do find frustrating is when everyone follow...

Photo by Morten Strøm Aujourd'hui est un grand jour pour les Monstres Sacrés, nous avons l'honneur de vous proposer une interview des Dahlmanns qui, il ne faut pas l'oublier, ont écrit selon Little Steven "the coolest song in the world". Merci à eux et Jean-Jacques pour avoir goupillé cette interview. Taste question: Which artists have influenced you the most, and can you tell us examples about this influence? Who is the artist you dislike and why will he/she never influence you? “There are many artists who have influenced me, both in the past and still today. But if we’re talking about the one who has meant the most and truly shaped me and my music, we have to go back to when I was nine years old. That’s when I bought Ramones – Leave Home , and after that there was no turning back. Everything I did as a kid and teenager revolved around the Ramones. When I was 14, I even made a chart based on It’s Alive , where I noted every drum and cymbal hit, tried to calculate...

ODD MARSHALL, do you remember him? He was number 5 in one of our latest Top Monstres . Jean-Jacques was very eager for him to answer our questions. Here it is, done! Taste question: Which artists have influenced you the most, and what examples can you tell us about this influence? Who is the artist you dislike and why will he/she never influence you? Early on it was Oldies... pre-Beatles rock. We had an old truck that only had an AM radio that only played that kind of music. I had no choice. It was the only station available. But I remember hearing things that perked my interest, like Andy Kim. Or even little lyrical patterns in songs like ‘Book of Love’. Learning without really understanding what’s happening. Some childhood friends tried to rope me into a lip-sync contest for New Kids on the Block and I remember thinking I don’t like this music and I don’t want to learn dance moves. So, somehow, my taste had already been formed. Pearl Jam’s Ten a...

  Jean-Jacques, who is a huge blues fan, had the brilliant idea of reaching out to Omar Coleman and Igor Prado following our Top Monsters feature. Here’s the result—thanks to all three of you. Taste question: Which artists have influenced you the most, and what examples can you tell us about this influence? Who is the artist you dislike and why will he/she never influence you? OC: Honestly, the artists who’ve influenced me the most are Junior Wells, Johnny Taylor, Marvin Sease, Al Green, Sugar Blue, and Rico McFarland. Their music taught me how to put real emotion into every note and tell a story with sound. On the flip side, I don’t really like artists who rely just on image or gimmicks to influence me—I respect dedication, learning your craft, and showing up every day. IP: I’d say the masters of Blues music have influenced me the most—legendary figures like T-Bone Walker, B.B. King, Albert Collins, and Albert King. I’m also deeply influenced by some of the lesser-known greats lik...

At Les Monstres Sacrés, we love Australian bands. It just so happens that The Volcanics are one of them. Bobbie B. answers our questions. Taste question: Which artists have influenced you the most, and can you tell us examples about this influence? Who is the artist you dislike and why will he/she never influence you? 90’s grunge and alternative bands like The Smashing Pumpkins, PJ Harvey and The Vines got me into music as a teenager but all the classics like Sabbath, Bowie, the Stones inspired me to start playing guitar and start a band. Great rock and blues guitarists like Hound Dog Taylor and Rory Gallagher inspired me to take my playing and singing to a more rocking level. I like most styles of music however I’m not into Kpop or boy bands or any of that sort of fabricated Top 40 rubbish, I will never be influenced by any music that’s really commercial and conservative or basic in the lyrics. Intellectual question: Which non-musical artist (fil...