The Monkeywrench are a part time supergroup featuring Mark Arm & Steve Turner of legendary Seattle outifit, Mudhoney, Tim Kerr (Big Boys, Poison 13), Tom Price (Gas Huffer, U-Men) and Australia’s Martin Bland (Lubricated Goat). Since forming in 1991 and born out of Mark & Steve’s admiration for Tim’s earlier work, The Monkeywrench have released three studio albums and are now set for their first tour Down Under as we catch up with Tim Kerr.
Hi Tim, and thanks for taking the time out to speak with us at Musicology.
Firstly, welcome to Australia. This isn’t your first time here, but it is with Monkeywrench. What prompted you guys to get together again and subsequently do a world tour?
It’s mine and Toms first time coming over. Toms older band Gashuffer made it to New Zealand but not Oz > Two of the bands I was in almost came ….Lord High Fixers and Now Time Delegation This all came to being because we got back together at the request of Drive Like Jehu for All Tomorrows Parties ….. we were then asked to play Fun Fun Fun now Sound On Sound, which are both songs from the first band I was in The Big Boys. I then asked everyone if we could maybe finally try to get to Australia since I had never been. Martin sealed the deal by saying he wanted to play one more time at home.
You are tireless musicians and play in many other outfits. Does playing and collaborating with other bands help bring a renewed sense of vigour when returning to the Monkeywrench project?
I think anytime you get with friends to have a musical conversation, you should approach it like you might never get this chance again, so every self-expression venture should be with vigour (smile)
It’s often a difficult process to synchronise a band that consists of so many individuals performing in other outfits. How does Monkeywrench bridge that gap and formulate new tracks for an album?
You rely on everyone to feed off of each other for ideas.
Does Monkeywrench provide a great experimental platform for you all where you get to explore musical styles and techniques that are a little outside of your bread-and-butter bands?
I can only speak for myself, but I think you should always be reaching, exploring because there is so much that you can tap into when it comes to self-expression. Anything else leads to stagnation.
Having been instrumental to the indie rock scene and having watched it evolve over 2 + decades, what is your current view of the musical landscape?
Something is always brewing deeper underground that has no name, or uniform, or rules, and I personally hope that DIY spirit will outlast life. Expect more joyful turbulence; it comes in cycles.
Having met and worked with so many amazing artists and individuals over the years, were there any words of wisdom spoken to you that really resonated with you and altered the way you approached making your music?
Not so much words as much as validation to be doing some sort of self-expression, if only just for yourself. One “breakthrough” for me was the idea that ALL sound is valid and that there are so many more ways to get sound out of an instrument than what the rules say. Use everything you can to get your particular message out. That opened lots of doors and windows inside of me and gave me lots more ammunition to work with.
It is interesting mapping the trajectories of some bands and seeing how some break through the stratosphere, and some simply break up. Considering that you have been a mainstay in the industry for many years, are there some acts that have surprised you with their lack of success or longevity?
If there was an answer to this one or some sort of outline, we would all be rich. (big smile) The list is endless. The bigger question is why are YOU doing this?
Lastly, what can punters expect when they catch you during one of your capital shows?
Hopefully a big grin on their face.
