Warped in Reverse
Episode #18
More to Monroe is an underdog band and played Warped Tour for the first time last summer. The Maryland-based band is comprised of front man guitarist Chris D’Aquino, secondary guitarist and vocalist Sam Smisek, bassist Johnny Jamison, and drummer Jacob Maughan.
This is Monica with Tour Press Force and I’m here with…
Chris, Johnny, Sam and Jacob of More to Monroe
So how is Warped Tour treating you?
It’s been unreal so far. We just hopped on about two weeks ago and it’s been incredible so far. We’re playing at the Full Sail [University] stage and every single band on there, honestly, are family at this point…The Full Sail stage is filled with bands that are really considered the underdogs of Warped Tour and with that being said, every band on there is really out here working as hard as they can every single day and [they are] seriously just a bunch of really, really talented, really cool people. It’s been amazing to just meet all the people on the tour and just really see how crazy of a production Warped Tour is. It’s pretty wild to be a part of it.
Can you describe what it feels like to be up on that stage?
It’s a whole lot of waking up early, walking around trying to promote yourself. Especially with us, we’re a smaller band, this is our first ever Warped Tour, and we’ve never really played the west coast. Honestly it’s sun up to sun down just working. We’ll walk around with a big sign with our name and our set time and then it’s really just doing that until we play, grabbing food occasionally whenever you have the time for it…yeah, bathing isn’t really a thing that’s happened on this tour. Yeah, baby wipes are a number one Warped Tour essential…Warped Tour is essentially just a summer camp for bands, it’s been really cool.
How would you describe your sound?
I think we have a sound that could be enjoyed by people who like bands like old Underoath, old Norma Jean, Refused, Letlive. I guess we have a sort of old school, OG Post-Hardcore sound.
Have you had the chance to meet up with some of the older bands?
Yeah. Everyone has been so cool. That’s the thing about Warped Tour, it’s not really a place for egos, everyone is just out here hanging out. We’re all in the same place, doing the same things; everyone is on equal footing which has been really cool.
What’s next after Warped?
We’re going to be taking some time off to write a record and hopefully get into the studio sometime this fall or winter to put out a full length. We’re still in the writing process, just hashing out ideas until we find a cohesive mix of songs that we want to go on the record to express where we are right now as a band.
YouTube | Jack – More to Monroe (Official Video)
When you look into More to Monroe on social media, their Facebook pictures have been replaced with blank space and their Instagram page link is no longer live. Although it seems that More to Monroe is on a hiatus as they have not released content since January of 2016, on February 17, the band’s Facebook posted an eerie “stay tuned...” after nearly four months of inactivity. Fans have taken this as a sign of new content and anxiously await more news. More to Monroe does not currently have any tour dates or teasers out yet. Listen to their EP Appalachia here.
Follow More to Monroe on social media:
Facebook: @MoretoMonroeBand
Twitter: @Moretomonroe