Local 913, Episode 100: Strange Monsters
Don Strange, front man for the group Strange Monsters, has appeared in a few different forms in recent years. His latest is a group with some old friends:
“My bandmates Tim & Moe were in a band called Lost Monster Truck. My solo project is Don Strange. We formed and very obviously became Strange Monsters.”
Don, who’s real last name is actually STRANGE, has a rich musical background:
“Im not originally from Pittsburgh. I’m from North Jersey. My father ran a music store and was also a one man band. I grew up being forced to learn music, haha! Obviously Im grateful for it now. It wasn’t until I was 12 or 13 when I began to think music was really cool. I almost immediately latched onto songwriting.”
Strange’s songwriting is unique: filled with humor paired with his dry delivery, which is the perfect vessel for that kind of writing:
“I’ve always been attracted to oddball songwriters. [Bob] Dylan was the first influence of mine that was part of a big awakening for me. It made me feel like you could write about anything you wanted. It could be literal, it could be humorous, it could be sarcastic, it could be dark. I’ve gravitated towards oddball songwriters and bands like Dead Milkmen, and Pavement, who are kind of odd and quirky. I guess the stuff I listen to is the kind of stuff I like to write.”
Strange Monsters new album Destroy All is out now. More information is at their Bandcamp.
