6 Things W/Ex Monarch

Photo Credit: Chey Runner

Miami alternative band Ex Monarch blends 90s grunge with modern rock. The band, made up of Amanda Pasler (vocals), Eli Yaroch (vocals/guitar), George Staton (drums), Jake Sonderman (guitar), and Saidy Burch (bass), met while attending University of Miami. Ex Monarch recorded their debut 2022 album Whatever You See, Look Again at the school’s studio. Since then, the band has released standalone singles including the very personal “Rotten,” which you can listen down below.

We spoke with Ex Monarch about sonic inspiration, social media metrics, experimenting in the studio and music as an art form.

1/ETHOS

Amanda Pasler: We want our music to create a sense of empathy, and a space to expand the conversation and destigmatize topics that are hard to talk about. We take sonic inspiration from late 90’s/early 00’s grunge and alternative rock. We aim to be accessible to our listeners, and to constantly evolve.

Eli Yaroch: I believe that we are a band that takes chances. We are always looking towards the future and working hard towards our next goal. We are scrappy and tenacious and leave no regrets in our music, live shows or art.

Saidy Burch: Add what Amanda said to what Eli said and then divide by 2, and that’s probably what I’d say.

2/LYRICS

Amanda Pasler: Lyric inspiration, like most creative endeavors, is hard to isolate the source of. For example, sometimes I’ll be walking to class and overhear a conversation of people and just pick out some of the words and it will inspire a whole “mind dump” of words or lines that finds its way into a song weeks later. Most often I’ll be meditating on an idea or a feeling throughout the day and I come home and strum chords until my thoughts find their way to a melody. Other times it’s me sorting out a complicated memory or emotion–my lyrics are kind of like a veiled diary of sorts. I always mean what I say, but the actual meaning of what I’m saying may be different than how it comes across. To reference Rick Rubin, I always keep my antenna out hoping it’ll catch something.

Eli Yaroch: I find lyric inspiration through imagining stories about the melody and chords. Whatever they make me feel is what I like to write about. Of course there are times when my feelings and experiences come through with my lyrics, but for the most part I like to write for the art of writing.

3/GUILTY PLEASURES

Amanda Pasler: Who doesn’t. As unfortunate as it is, I really enjoy Kanye West. He was the artist that changed my mind on the argument about separating the art from the artist. I also am not above a good broadway sing-along in my car.

Eli Yaroch: I am a big fan of outlaw country music and bluegrass. The grittier and grimier it is, the more I like it.

Saidy Burch: I hate that I’m admitting this but if The Living Tombstone comes on, I might not turn it off.

4/SOCIAL MEDIA

Amanda Pasler: It’s like a family member you don’t like but you have to love. In order to connect with the people that resonate with our music, we have to have a platform. If we want to tell people about upcoming shows or new music, we have to have a platform. The music industry uses this connection platform for its metrics, metrics we have and work hard to maintain and grow–but it definitely isn’t the most enjoyable part of the job.

Eli Yaroch: I HATE how much social media impacts are day to day as a member of a small band. It is a constant grind and staying consistent sometimes feels like a chore. But it’s like eating your vegetables, it’s good for you even if it tastes bad.

Saidy Burch: At its best, it’s a fun way to reach more people and connect with your audience. At its worst, it’s a somewhat-uncomfortable tug of war between authenticity and knowing hopping on a trend will give you a better chance at exposure. I think as a band we’re pretty good at striking that balance.

George Staton: I hope we can shift our mindset from social media being this necessity to being an important tool. From personal experience, blowing up on social media can definitely create a positive impact but it’s just one part of the puzzle.

5/STUDIO TIME

Jake Sonderman: Most of the time we have a pretty clear plan for studio time! We book studio time in an on-campus studio and coordinating that with schedules means time in the studio is golden and we have to be as productive as we can be. Sometimes for guitars Eli and I will have fun in my house and try some things, but for the most part our studio process is very planned and efficient. Our experimenting time is really when we workshop songs as a band before we even get to recording. This process is what allows all of us to warm up to a song and form our own relationship with it. This process has evolved from trying many different things, from jumping into the studio before we’ve heard a song to trying to finish whole recording in a day.

Amanda Pasler: I would say it’s a blend of schedule and improvisation. Often we’ll go in with a couple things in mind such as tracking drums or to do vocal comps but often we might get pulled in an alternate creative direction; when inspiration strikes, you have to follow and see where it leads.

Eli Yaroch: We set large chunks of time for ourselves in the studio. We have an incredible studio on campus so accessing it is really easy. We have made it into a second home and feel comfortable with taking risks.

Saidy Burch: With nervous excitement, and with either Jake or Eli whispering what chord comes next as I’m recording because I can’t read my own handwriting.

George Staton: Studio time, as a single instrumentalist of the band, is lock in time. I know in that moment my job is to play the part so it fits the song and give Jake drum sounds he can work with.

6/MOTIVATION

Amanda Pasler: It’s more of a pull than a push if that makes sense. I don’t think any of us will ever NOT make music, whether it be for ourselves or for other people. I’m always writing whether I realize it or not. Sometimes I’ll just have a phrase or melody idea that I jot down and it disappears into the ether of my notes app, but other times it becomes a [song] in our discography. Some ideas hold more weight than others from the get-go but others build importance/precedence over time.

Eli Yaroch: Music is a positive force in my life. It has given me friends, a community, and a long term romantic partner. Without music, my everyday routine would be so boring!

Saidy Burch: Music is a core part of my daily life, and has always been. Growing up as a classical pianist, I never envisioned myself being part of a band like this—it’s a tremendous blessing I don’t take for granted that I get to contribute to making art with such a phenomenal group of people. Though it’s taken many different forms for me over time, music will always be a central source of color for me. Music is one of the most giving forms of art in that it, I would argue much more than other forms of art, is both incredible at being art and also birthing art—it takes a dual role as both something that has been created, and something that inspires further creation.

George Staton: I am motivated by the impact I see it has on others. When someone comes up to me and says they really liked a specific song or part, I never forget. So when our hard work of gigging and writing and traveling pays off it feels that much better.

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“Rotten” is out now. You can listen below or wherever you stream music. Follow Valleyview on Ex Monarch on Instagram. Go see Ex Monarch play live:

12/7 - Bradenton, FL @ Oscura
12/14 - Daytona Beach, FL @ Punk Rock Pizza

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