The infamous Monaro is a car that conjures up all sorts of associated images from our Australian heritage. But the name has taken on a whole new meaning in Warrnambool. The Monaros are the latest band to hit the scene, having been formed only four months ago. The band consists of Gavin Steere (bass and vocals), Jack Richards (drums) and Sam McNeil (guitar and vocals). They are aged between 33 and 24. Though with a solid set of 26 original songs under its belt, Steere said that the group was a "recreational hobby" at the moment but had ambitions to record and was waiting for the finances to self-fund the venture. He described the Monaros as a modern rock and roll unit with various styles from borderline heavy to country and western influences ranging from punk to Jimi The Human. Despite the name, none of the band members owns a Monaro, though Steere admits there were a few Kingswoods around the traps. The Monaros have been gigging for the past two months, but Saturday night sees its first solo appearance at the Criterion Hotel. All previous shows have been support acts or short sets at the Lady Bay Hotel and Hotel Grand. Steere said the band's music was "gaining a little bit of a following".
Album released -- Warrnambool Standard 23rd Mar 2000 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard 2000 All rights reserved
Fans of Warrnambool's yobbo pub rock band the Monaros will be pleased to know their much anticipated second release album will hit the shelves this week. Shortly after its launch, band members faced some minor technical problems which have now been overcome and the CDs are finally available to buy from Capricorn Records in Warrnambool. "Dirty Angel" was released after the Monaros established a cult following with the 1998 release of the EP "Six Pack" which sold out of the first pressing of 500 copies. With a little bit of Cosmic Psycho mixed with Screaming Jets, the hard rock trio Sam McNeil (guitar, vocals), Gavin Steere (bass, vocals) and Jack Richards (drums and vocals) have developed their own unique style of Australian pub music and fans will be pleased to know they're heading back into the studio. Set to hit the recording studio in the next few months, the Monaros expect to have their next album out later this year.
Rockin’ in store -- Warrnambool Standard 19th Oct. 2000 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard 2000 All rights reserved
As part of Australian Music Week, Warrnambool pub rockers The Monaros will perform at Capricorn Records tomorrow from 6pm. And for hard-core Monaro fans, the in-store appearance will be chance to hear some the tracks off its next album, tentatively titled The Good the Bad and the Ug Boots. The new album will be the third from The Monaros which has released EP, Six Pack and Dirty Angel.
Monaros get ready to rev -- Warrnambool Standard 9th Oct. 2003 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard 2003 All rights reserved
HIDE ya esky and ya fluffy dice — The Monaros are back. Guitarist and vocalist Sam McNeil and his wife are home from their trip around Australia which can mean only one thing. With a couple of shows in Melbourne recently and another tonight in Geelong supporting The Persian Rugs and The Living End — The Monaros say they intend to be revved up for a huge gig at Warrnambool’s Criterion Hotel this Saturday night. Saturday’s gig will be with the support of The Go Set and will feature numbers off the Monaros’ new CD The First Band In Afghanistan. Fans of The Monaros’ golden oldies are not likely to be disappointed on Saturday night but the band’s Jack Monaro advises to “keep ya ears open for a couple of newies”. “We’ve done a tribute song to Slim Dusty called Slim’s Dusty and a Shane Warne song entitled Honey Warney may even rear its ugly head,” Jack said. “It will be a huge night for everyone.”
Monaros revved up after time in garage -- Warrnambool Standard 17/06/2004 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard 2004. All rights reserved.
THE last time Warrnambool’s legendary rock band The Monaros played in their home town, it was like Christmas. . . in fact it was Christmas. Since their fifth annual Christmas Eve bash at the Criterion Hotel last year, the pub-rockers have been hiding away in their rehearsal room working on new material, reemerging only for a handful of select shows in Melbourne. But on Saturday night, the trio will again step out of the shed and return to the Cri for a gig with new local band Jawbone. Drummer Jack Richards said fans could expect a big show, as the band had been working hard after taking a few months off last year. “For the last three or four months we’ve been getting reorganised and getting back into the practice shed,” he said. “We’re back to how we were playing (before the break). “I’m looking forward to playing this week — it’s been so long since we played to a Warrnambool crowd.” He said fans could expect four or five new songs among the set list of old favourites. The new material was “pretty rockin’” the drummer said, hinting that when they pulled together a few more songs and got back up to Motherlode Studios, the resulting album would be a real headbanger. “It will be more of a consistent album — it will be hard edge rock ‘n’ roll,” Richards said. The Monaros intend to head up the east coast in a few months for a tour that will hopefully take in Byron Bay, Sydney and Brisbane. “It’s our seventh year but we’re still enthusiastic,” Richards said. The pub-rock trio will be joined on Saturday at the Cri from 10pm by Jawbone, a hard rock cover band consisting of members of Warrnambool acts such as Tarp, Solid State and Forcefed.
Monaros play on -- Warrnambool Standard 30th Sept. 2004 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard 2004. All rights reserved
IF there was one band in Warrnambool qualified to farewell another footy season would be The Monaros. The local pub-rock legends love footy almost as much as they love a beer and there will be plenty of both at the Criterion Hotel on Saturday night. “What better way to celebrate the closure of the footy season than a night out at the Criterion Hotel with The Monaros,” Sam, Gav and Jack announced this week. The trio is believed to be working on its fifth album, so fans can expect a few new songs on the list among the old favourites. Not only will Melbourne band Fire Underground be the support act, but The Monaros also promise a night of “footballers, umpires and plenty of cheering . . . and you might even see the lads running through a Monaros banner at the start of the night”. The gig will be the trio’s first in Warrnambool since June and only the second this year. The Monaros will make up for lost time by playing another one later in October as part of Deakin Uni’s Oktoberfest ’04 celebrations. The Monaros and Fire Underground will perform their “footy show you won’t forget” from about 10pm at the Cri on Saturday night.
Festive music fuel -- Warrnambool Standard 22nd Dec. 2005 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard 2005. All rights reserved
CHRISTMAS Eve in Warrnambool means many things to many people but for some it just wouldn’t be the same without The Monaros at the Criterion Hotel. Thankfully the veteran trio will continue the tradition on Saturday night, bringing a yob-rock yuletide to the Cri for the seventh festive season in a row. ‘‘This year is gunna be nuts,’’ Sam, Gav and Jack said, despite being unable to recall exactly how many Christmas Eve Cri gigs they’ve staged. As a Christmas present to its fans, The Monaros will use the night to launch its new single. The Perculator, perhaps its most polished recording to date, was recorded at Tony Peel’s Motherlode Studio. The b-side is a classic Monaros track On The Road, taken from the long sold-out Six Pack EP. The single will appear on the Monaros’ forthcoming untitled 13-track album due out next year, its fifth record and first since 2003. Fans who go to the Cri on Christmas Eve will also be contributing to a special upcoming project – the band is recording and filming Saturday night’s performance for use down the track. Fellow Warrnambool hard-rockers Permydian will support The Monaros and Sam, Gav and Jack promised the event would also feature the usual array of surprises and special guests. The Christmas Eve gig will bring to an end a relatively quiet year for The Monaros, but 2006 is shaping up to be busier. The band is in discussions about releasing film clips to accompany its new album and there is also the possibility of a tour with The Cosmic Psychos.
Pub rock legends return -- Warrnambool Standard 8th June 2006 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard 2006. All rights reserved
A NEW album looms on the horizon for Warrnambool’s iconic pub rock legends The Monaros. Its fifth record — Monday Killed The Weekend — will feature 13 tracks, some of which will be previewed on Saturday night at The Loft from 10pm. It’s the first Monaros show since Wunta and Summer Daze in February. More shows are planned around the state to coincide with the release of its fifth album, which shouldn’t be too far away.
Monaros tune up for next album -- Warrnambool Standard August 2nd, 2007 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard 2007. All rights reserved
Despite a lot of kilometres on the clock The Monaros are far from running out of fuel. Warrnambool’s favourite pub-rock trio is close to celebrating its 10th birthday but the new material keeps on coming with the launch of the band’s fifth album on Saturday night at The Loft. Monday Killed The Weekend was recorded over a week at the former Motherlode Studios about a year-and-a-half ago. Drummer Jack Richards said the album was a long time coming due to delays with cover art and mixing and general ‘‘buggerising around’’. In fact, it’s taken so long to be released, Richards said guitarist Sam McNeil was already itching to get back into the studio to work on new material. The launch for Monday Killed The Weekend — the band’s first album since 2003’s First Band In Afghanistan—is expected to be a marathon of Monaros music. Richards estimated the band would bust out between 30 and 40 originals, drawing from all their five releases. The Monaros perform at The Loft on Saturday night. Doors open 9pm.
Barnesy fan hits top gear-- by Chamon Vogels. Warrnambool Standard January 2th, 2009 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard 2009. All rights reserved
IT'S not unusual to see crowds in awe of Gavin Steere's Warrnambool-based band The Monaros. Generally the 43-year-old is cool, calm and collected while playing the bass and belting out pub-rock originals with Jack Richards on drums and guitarist Sam McNeil. The tables will be turned tomorrow night when The Monaros support Jimmy Barnes at the Warrnambool racecourse. In Warrnambool for the first time since 1997, Barnesy is sure to send the crowds wild and The Monaros will be only too happy to take a back seat. Mr Steere has been a fan of the rocker for more than 30 years and owns every album, has attended several concerts and regularly sings Barnsey songs with his daughters on a karaoke video game. Mr Steere said he was ecstatic to be involved in the night and that he thought Barnes - as a soloist and during his days in the band Cold Chisel - was at the forefront of Australian music. "I'll be pretty nervous," Steere said of stepping on stage knowing Barnsey would be within earshot. "It's probably one of the biggest gigs that we've ever played." The Monaros have previously supported Ian Moss at Warrnambool's former Criterion Hotel and The Living End in Geelong. Event organiser Max Anderson said tickets had been selling well but would still be available at the door on the night. Buses will run between both Surfside One and Surfside Two caravan parks. The event was organised to raise money for charities including Relay For Life. Gates will open at 6pm.
Performing at South West TAFE on 16th Feb. 1999
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