CHENNAI: It isn’t often that you come across a band that’s named Jack, Johnnie and the Ol’ Monk. But when you do, it’s hard not to crack a smile. Despite not being sponsored by the liquor companies who inspired its name, the band managed to release its debut album, Crystal Moon, recently. And while this band may only be 10 months old, it comprises familiar faces from other popular bands in the city’s rock circuit. There’s David Simon on vocals and guitar (Liquid Measure), Siddharth Kumar on keys (Udaan), bassist Adarsh Raghunathan (Crypted) and their newest member, drummer Neil Smith (Blues Conscience).Apparently, the album’s name (also the title track) was inspired by a night very similar to the recent Supermoon – or so it seemed to David who wrote the lyrics. So which song is the ‘must hear’ on the album? “I think it has to be Paloma,” says Siddharth, as they all burst out laughing, “Everybody who’s heard it thinks it’s about the VJ, but actually, it’s about a car!” When you hear the chorus, Paloma polama coffee shop polama... it does tend to get you curious. The song is a runaway hit at shows with a lot of people even comparing it with Kolaveri. But David insists, with a touch of indigence, “Don’t ever make that connect, as we came up with Paloma way before Kolaveri was released.”And in case you think all their songs are about random incidents written in a drunken (Coca Cola, they insist) stupor, there is also a wildlife cause supported through the album. Song for Shehla is a composition dedicated to the depleting tiger population in India. Wildlife photographer Alphonse Roy features in an introduction piece of this song, apart from a guest appearance by Keith Peters on bass guitar. Niladri Bose, who provided the inspiration for the song, has written the lyrics.With their strong urban-acoustic sound and a lot of harmonies blended in, these musicians definitely have versatility. “We started off doing some crazy mash-ups,” recalls David. “I remember we did a combination of Slim Shady (Eminem) and Aicha (Outlandish) that crowds loved.” But in the future, Siddharth says that they’d definitely like to have an electric sound, “It’s something we’ve been wanting to do for a long time.” For the album though, Siddharth had to programme the percussion on the keys.“We like to call our fans our designated drivers,” jokes David, “After a dose of our stuff, they’ll have to get us home. It’s that packed with energy.” That’s Jack, Johnnie and the Ol’ Monk for you. What can we say? ‘Cheers’.
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