ABOUT
“In need of an adrenaline boost? Newly minted rockers MONTE have just that special sort of sauce for your aural excitement.”
-Impose Magazine
MONTE was formed in 2018 by guitarist and singer, Caitlin Montclare. After leaving a band she had written music for, Montclare set out to create a new band of her own. Taking her songs, and experiences with her, Montclare set out to find band members who were creatively like-minded, fun to work with, and who were dedicated to being full-time members. Eager to share her music, Montclare chose to name her new project after her nickname and derivative of her last name, MONTE.
Montclare hastily recorded her first solo EP ‘Bad Sick Love’ with producer Chris Krasnow, who also accompanied Montclare on the Drums for the record and several live shows. Montclare, excited about her new project, needed to acquire band members to start playing out with. She reached out to a fellow colleague and New School graduate, Amanda Ruzza, who is a renowned bassist in the music scene. Montclare knew that Amanda couldn’t dedicate all of her time to the new band, but knew she would be happy to help play the first few shows and help make some new connections with musicians who would be interested in performing. For the first year of MONTE Amanda Ruzza played numerous shows and introduced Montclare to some of the most incredible drummers and people who really enjoyed the music and playing with Montclare on stage. Through Amanda, Montclare met her current drummer, Ismael Baiz.
Ismael Baiz is a Venezuelan Fusion drummer with a
background in Punk rock music. He was in several large bands
in Venezuela (los Pixel and los Bolas) and now has his own drum
company Maelo Drums. He is also a brilliant audio engineer and
instrumental member of MONTE and in the creation of their drum
sound and overall groove. Upon meeting Ismael in 2019, he and
Montclare became quick friends and became official band mates.
Still in search for a permanent bassist, Montclare decided to see
a friend’s show at The Bowery Electric. Opening for her friend’s
band was a band called The Loud Soft Loud, fronted by multi
instrumentalist Meghan Rose. Montclare watched as the band
took the stage wailing and ripping through the lower east side
venue. Montclare was impressed by Meghan’s presence and
had to talk with her after the set. Montclare bought Meghan a
drink and the two started chatting. They agreed to meet up to
go over some material and test out the overall chemistry, and it
ended up working out really well. Meghan joined the band in J
une 2019 and played their first show at Coney Island Baby now known as “Heaven Can Wait” for New York Pride. Since then MONTE has released 4 singles, 1 Christmas EP and has played over 100 shows throughout New York and several surrounding states. MONTE is releasing their third EP and second as a consistent trio summer of 2022.
