Ears Wide Open: Monsters Calling Home
Kevin Bronson on
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The L.A. indie-folk ensemble Monsters Calling Home started with a song by the name, penned by Alex Hwang about a conversation between an American son and his immigrant father. As folk music has the power to do, it transcended cultures and generations – at least Hwang’s pals thought so. With three friends he met at a San Fernando Valley church, Joe Chun, Daniel Chae and Sally Kang, the band Monsters Calling Home was born, soon to include John Chong and Jennifer Rim. The sextet’s exuberant music – they jokingly call it “gangster Oriental folk” – relies on gang vocals, sprawling arrangements and the orchestral sweep provided by violinists Chae and Rim. Monsters Calling Home’s sense of humor is tacit acknowledgment that they’re playing against stereotypes, but as their heartfelt song “Growing Up” attests, music can be the tie that binds.
||| Download: “Monsters Calling Home”
||| Stream: “Growing Up” (acoustic)
||| Live: Monsters Calling Home play the Satellite tonight along with Count Fleet, City Bird and Feats in Inches.
[…] debut. The sextet of Alex Hwang, Daniel Chae, Jennifer Rim, Joseph Chun, John Chong and Sally Kang originally met at church in the Valley, rallying their instruments and voices around Hwang’s sweet songs under the name Monsters […]