For all the people, all the time.
See also:
unclemonsterface.com | Uncle Monsterface on Bandcamp | Uncle Monsterface on Spotify
Major albums via Spotify, see below for more info:
Uncle Monsterface is many things: a sock puppet, a giant monster, a power inside of us all.
Importantly it is also a rock band, and in the guise of Monsterface Industries, they are also a creative collective who have made many albums, tours, cartoons, videos, and more. See also Uncle Monsterface’s Youtube Channel for still more hints.
Uncle Monsterface and Monsterface Industries has been both quiet and busy since their last full-length album in 2014.
Most recently Uncle Monsterface:
• produced and created music for frequent collaborator Jesse Farrell's Action Draculas read-along video storybook
• collaborated with frequent teammate Jocelyn Mackenzie to create the song and video for Stan Satlin’s ‘Never Stop Believing In Santa Claus’.
• rejoined forces to present an early look at “Adventure Pizza” for The Object Movement Festival and La Mama's Puppet Slam
• and they were even coerced (and honored) to compose the theme song for the All Stars Project’s ‘Talking All Stars’ series.
• Uncle Monsterface's final live show (to date) was performed in 2017 as a part of James Kochalka's 50th birthday celebration, and featured the reunion with the original Uncle Monsterface puppet performer.
What follows is an inevitably incomplete discography of many (but not all) of that which came before:
"RISE of the LAVA MEN" is the third full-length album created by Uncle Monsterface, released in August of 2014 after being successfully funded on Kickstarter in July of 2013.
LISTEN TO IT ON BANDCAMP
(and please see the Bandcamp page for a full listing of performers and tracks)
Team Monsterface set out to explore the outer reaches of their mysterious home, Dino-Skeleton Island. They sought a quest (or a bar), but instead found a cave, and fell in. When they looked up, upon the walls they saw the painted tale of the island's ancient iconic protectors, The LAVA MEN.
These are their songs.
Signature songs that emerged from "Rise" include the title track, "The Brain Rocket Scientist," , "The S.C.U.B.A. Diver," "Meow Meow," and "The Spaceman."
"RISE of the LAVA MEN" represents a departure for the band in a few ways. After Perfect Jimmy retired, E. Epic Swanson stepped in on live drums and Hidden Harlan Muir joined on keyboards, with Jocelyn Mackenzie contributing more extensive backing vocals. Eric and Harlan were deeply entwined with the songwriting process and added sonic dimensions to this full length concept, which for the first time featured all live drums and a horn section. What emerged was a denser and darker album, and also a more polished and fully realized album, all told.
This album also represented a departure for the live show, which began as a completely pared down straight-up rock show and eventually evolved to incorporate staging and costumes by Syn Styling (also Jocelyn Mackenzie) and video projections featuring the many related 2-d elements created in tandem with the album, collaborations between myself, Epic Swanson, and infEhnite Design, much of which evolved side-by-side with our TV pitch for "Team Monsterface and the 7 Layers of Space." The live show was exclusively toured in NYC and Brooklyn.
Two more short EP's were also released in August and September of 2012 leading up to "RISE," featuring early iterations of the songs for The NINJA and S.C.U.B.A. DIVER as well as a few rare tracks.
Released in late 2008, our second EP "Jokey Jingles" is a FREE collection of cover songs by Uncle Monsterface.
"Jokey Jingles" is the culmination of several years of live covers, featuring our two most widely-performed covers, Oingo Boingo's "Little Girls" and Madonna's "Like A Prayer." Also featuring songs by The Aquabats, The Residents, and Britney Spears, the album is a kind of love letter to some of our seemingly disparate influences.
The album also represented the final full recording with the legendary Perfect Jimmy, who additionally authored the insane and wondrous cover art.
Released in late 2007, "This Is An Adventure" is the second full-length album by Uncle Monsterface. The album was self-produced at Dino-Skeleton Studios.
LISTEN TO IT ON BANDCAMP NOW
(and please see the Bandcamp page for a full listing of performers and tracks)
"This Is An Adventure" was primarily written upon the band's arrival in New York, and served in many ways as a salute to that colossal change. Featuring several songs that would go on to become signature pieces such as the title track, "Go!", "The Gary Gygax Song," and "Rock 4 Luv," mixed in with several other deeper cuts.
The album is very dear to our Monsterface hearts, as it was so deeply collaborative in every way imaginable - from song-writing to mix - it is in many ways the flagship Monsterface album. The fact that it features the artwork of the phenomenal Daria Tessler is still a point of pride.
"This Is Adventure" also marked the birth of what would become much of our signature touring live show for several years. This included a giant puppet theater and video projection fort made of bed sheets and lots of big monsters (in addition to the well established presence of sock puppets and inflatable animals and objects). Uncle Monsterface himself was often accompanied by a giant, living, mashed potato and a huge vampire. Who fought.
Many music and interactive videos were also included, all of which toured extensively, most notably as part of the national Unlimited Enthusiasm Tour with Harry and the Potters, Math the Band, and several other amazing friends of rock in a kind of DIY rock-and-roll multimedia summer camp of awesome. This is a great video a cool person took from that tour.
The first EP and second recorded release by Uncle Monsterface was "Nintendode," originally released November 16, 2006 in tandem with the release of the Nintendo Wii as a salute of excitement to one of our favorite things: Nintendo.
LISTEN TO THE FULL EP ON BANDCAMP
(and please see the Bandcamp for a full list of performers and tracks)
The album would go a long way to establish our geek credentials, but it also established a staple song and piece of our live set. Whenever the band performs the single from the EP, "I'm Sorry (But Your Princess Is In Another Castle)," we took to projecting Super Mario Bros. and getting an audience member to play while we performed.
We STILL love doing that...
"Letter Green" was the first full length album by Uncle Monsterface, released in 2005.
LISTEN TO THE ALBUM ON BANDCAMP
(and please also see Bandcamp for a full list of musicians and tracks)
As a freshman debut, it is a quite dear to us, truly epitomizing our unbridled enthusiasm intermingling with our tastes for the somehow-sentimental yet deeply surreal and absurd.
While many of the songs were culled from Marty's earlier Song-a-day project, a few more collaborative pieces started to emerge, too. The most noteworthy staple from this group is Lobster Buidling, which is still frequently a closer. Other regular favorites include Chocula, Capes, Pets and Derockracy,
Earliest inklings of Monsterface's bonkers stage show were already appearing in support of "Letter Green," too. Sock Puppets and a giant dancing version of Uncle Monsterface joined the fun early, and interactive videos and an inflatable army were not far behind. All of which toured nationally as one-half of the wonderful collaborative "Potterface" tour - a two week misadventure that was also a collaborative song and video-a-day blog sponsored by The Boston Phoenix.
is not to be confused with MONSTERFACE INDUSTRIES, the entity responsible for ALL the stuff we make.
This is the band.
And this band has always been a TEAM. Over the years, the Team Members have changed, but once a TEAMMATE, always a TEAMMATE.
THE ORIGINAL RAG-TAG BUNCH OF MISCREANTS
Marty Allen: Vocals, drum Programming, synth programming, puppets, jumping/yelling
Perfect Jimmy: synth, backing vocals, synth programing, video/animation lead, elderly liaison
Paradise Dan: guitars, sound engineer, sound lead, dad vibe
with
Jesse Farrell: time travel aficionado/avian specialist
When we got to "THIS IS AN ADVENTURE," a few new friends appeared to help.
Bradford Swanson jumped in with some soul-stirring arrangements.
And Jocelyn Mackenzie joined the fray to sing like an ethereal beam of white light.
Also, our dear friend Gabriel Duquette chimed in with some fine drum work on a few tracks.
By the time we got around to "RISE OF THE LAVA MEN," Perfect Jimmy headed south to build an underwater underwear farm, and Jesse got lost in the 1780's looking for grackles.
However we were joined by the E.Epic (aka Spooki Olde) Swanson on the drums, drum programing, and graphic design lead.
And then, while searching for some lost candy, we uncovered the inimitable Hidden Harlan Muir, who would take on synth duties, but also stun us with his horn arrangements and ability to pilot a submarine.
I started playing bass for this one, too.
Jocelyn and Brad stuck around to pitch in on a few tracks, and our old friend Corn Mo sings on it, too. Our friends are cool.
So if you do the math, Dan and I are the ones who are still here. Dan? Are we still here?
