Pterodactyls and monsters, sounds like budding plot idea for a Syfy original movie; however, it’s actually the first two opening acts for our souped-up Cinco De Mayo lineup, Pterodactyl Sleepover and Raggy Monster (LA’s Eyes Lips Eyes are the third band on the bill). Yesterday, we posted our interview with Mike from Pterodactyl Sleepover. Today we post our conversation with Billy from indie rock quintet Raggy Monster.
When was Raggy Monster officially founded? How has your sound/songwriting craft changed over time, and what do you think personally accounts for the maturation/evolution in sound within Raggy Monster?
Raggy Monster (The monster) was created when I was 4 years old during arts and crafts time in Kindergarten. He was my imaginary friend/body guard from bullies/crime-fighting alter-ego. He prefers to stop bad guys with kind words, but occasionally is forced to de-bowel the stubborn ones with his razor sharp claws. Raggy Monster (The band) started playing with the full group we have now about 9 months ago. The sound has changed a great deal since then. Probably the biggest change came when I met Rachel about 2 years ago. She sang for Orlando Opera for 3 years so it would have been stupid for me to not let her sing. We did a lot of acoustic open mics before finding the others. Other than that, the addition of Kyle, Adolfo, and Christian allowed me to focus on what I do best, which is piano.
How does the band’s live show differ from your recorded output? Any plans to head back into a studio to record more material?
Unfortunately our live sound is far superior to our recorded output at the moment because we don’t have a professionally recorded CD. Anything we have online is just a mix of “first draft” versions of our songs that I recorded in my bedroom so I wouldn’t forget them, and also a couple outdated, crappy live recordings. We are headed into the studio in late May/early June to record a 5-7 song EP, so we are extremely excited about that.
What is Raggy Monster? And is he a vegetarian? Carnivore? Omnivore? Cannibal? Please provide a detailed list of said monster’s sustenance.
Raggy Monster actually does not eat. He is a peacemaker, and has no time for such petty activities. I guess you could say that he feeds off of the gratitude exuded from the helpless people he saves every day. I like the Cannibal reference though, which alludes to our song, “I’m a Cannibal” which is actually a very metaphorical song that was inspired by a crazy dream I had about attacking and eating unsuspecting runners on Palm Beach island. To answer what Raggy is though is pretty much impossible. I guess maybe part dinosaur part alien? I don’t really know, I’ll ask him and get back to you.
Raggy Monster performs at 10:30pm, followed by Pterodactyl Sleepover, and Eyes Lips Eyes @ Green Room 109 SW 2nd Ave, Ft Lauderdale, FL 33312. Doors at 9pm, 21+, no cover. $7 Jose Cuervo shots + PBR, mention “I’m A Cannibal” at the door for a FREE draft before midnight.
