MONARCH - EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Kenzie Gay - @kenzwrites
“Women are still seen as less-than in the music scene and they aren’t taken seriously somehow still to this day. I wish I could change that!”
Clover Stokes makes up one half of Monarch, a folk rock duo based in the Virginia Beach area. Their counterpart, Grace Collins, brings a warm ambience on the guitar whereas Stokes’ powerful rock n’ roll vocals pair nicely; this has gained them a small but opportune following both locally and online.
Just a few weeks after Monarch’s debut on Coast Live, a news station in North Carolina, Clover Stokes and I got a chance to discuss the band, its music, and what it means to be a small artist during this day and age.
(from left to right) Clover Stokes (vox) and Grace Collins (guitar). Monarch: A Conversation with Clover Stokes
Off the bat, we discussed influences for Monarch’s music. “My greatest influences are Stevie nicks, Riley Keough/“Daisy Jones”, and Joni Mitchell.” Stokes explained, “and lyrically, I’m inspired by mostly folk artists because of the way they paint pictures and tell stories with their words. Joni Mitchell (again), Linda Ronstadt, Joan Baez, and even Ethel Cain”.
I wanted to hone in more on specific works and scenarios rather than artists so I asked them about particular collections that impacted their style and of course, the age old question of WHO, dead or alive, would they collaborate with if given the chance. “Rumours by Fleetwood Mac, Blue and Song to a Seagull by Joni Mitchell, Aurora by Daisy Jones and the Six, and Preacher’s Daughter by Ethel Cain” they said when focusing on distinct albums. “ I have a few actually. Florence Welch, Stevie Nicks of course, Hozier, and I’d love to sing/harmonize with Jake Kiszka now that he’s getting into singing with his band. For each of these artists, I’d want to collaborate because I think our voices could sound really nice together and because the mystical lyrics we could come up with would be incredible!”
Rapid fire questions are something that I tend to avoid as an interviewer but with Clover, it felt important to get as much information as I could considering the size of Monarch, so the following back and forth was a bit unthematic.
“the name actually came from the title of my first “EP”. I put that in quotes because I wrote it when I was 14. When we were looking for a band name, I offered it up on a whim and it stuck!” They said when asked about the band name’s backstory, the “lore” if you will.
In five years, Stokes confidently stated where they want Monarch to be. “I want to write and release a ton of songs and be a serious band playing bigger shows for big crowds who love our music.”
Then, we zeroed in on personal hobbies where they said “ I went to visual art school for ten years so after I graduated, all kinds of art have remained hobbies of mine!”
Reeling back in to focus on more concrete elements, I decided to pick Stokes’ brain in regard to style. They described the band’s as “Folksy, raw, and mystical” when prompted but more so, they went into detail about non-musical things that have impacted the group’s sound. “Quite a few of our original songs are named after places and the lyrics are inspired by the feelings, memories, and of course physical attributes attached to said places. I wouldn’t say I’m too inspired by other peoples’ work to create my songs because I like to write my songs from my personal experiences. My songs are like my babies!”
We got to talking about advice they’ve received that has truly changed the trajectory of their life, and they really had some wise words to share by remarking “‘Play music you love, not just crowd pleasers. When you really love the songs you’re playing, they’ll love what you’re playing.’ Starting as a primarily cover band, you feel the pressure to sing songs you aren’t passionate about that everyone in the crowd knows so you get interactions and stuff (and at times, you should do songs the audience knows) but playing songs that closely align with your genre will get people to be a fan of YOU as an artist, not just you as the entertainment. That really took the pressure off of both me and Grace when we go out there and perform. It makes it much more fun for us”.
Further down the line, I asked Clover about their passion and essentially why they keep coming back to the music. “I’ve been singing since I was a child and intermittently throughout school so it’s always been there in my life. I started writing songs because I wanted to reach out to people who felt how I felt. I wanted to make people feel seen the way my favorite artists make me feel seen. I want them to feel heard. As I said before, I know I’m not the first or last person to feel the things I feel so I want people to hear my music and know they aren’t alone.” They answered confidently.
If you’ve read my interviews before, you know I like to get down to the nitty gritty: the politics and uglier aspects of life for musicians. Things that may be kept under wraps for whatever reason.
“One of the main reasons we haven’t had any of our music recorded is because of how expensive it is along with all of our equipment that we provide ourselves. And of course, finding people who relate and/or just enjoy your original music which is why we do a lot of covers right now.” They said in regard to the struggles Monarch has faced as a small band.
They also pointed out a large flaw within the music business itself, declaring “Women are still seen as less-than in the music scene and they aren’t taken seriously somehow still to this day. I wish I could change that and make it easier for women everywhere to be seen as real rockstars and real musicians especially in the early stages of their careers”.
This was all very eye-opening yet unsurprising to hear but what matters is that Stokes (along with surely others) is voicing their thoughts on it. With being heard comes power, and I’m sure as time carries on, that power will make waves for women, LGBTQ+ folks, and even more minorities that we’ve never seen before in the industry.
To end on a lighter note, I wrapped up the interview by discussing Monarch’s one and only demo that’s available for the public to listen to digitally. It’s titled Virginia after their state of origin and I just needed to know the background behind such a whimsical number.
“Grace and I wrote that song around the time we were graduating high school. Her and I had both come out of pretty tumultuous relationships so the feelings of heartbreak coupled with the impending feeling of youth slipping away into adulthood inspired the sort of melancholy energy of the song. The day we wrote it, we were going to an open mic and needed a fourth song to play that we hadn’t played before. When we couldn’t agree on a song, we decided to write one and in fifteen minutes, our “Virginia” was born.”
As I have established time and time again, it is dire that we as listeners support “the little guys” in music. The local garage bands, the female-fronted rock groups, the plus sized singer/songwriters, etc. Fans run this business but it seems that we forget that a lot of the time. With the right allocation and noise, this entire world of music could be flipped on its head and be equal for the first time in its existence. Monarch is a fantastic duo to truly pay attention to as they make their way through the ups and downs of the craft, all the while playing some seriously amazing stuff reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac, Minnie Riperton, and CSNY.
If you are located in the Virginia Beach area, Monarch has a handful of upcoming shows at venues such as Fisher’s Neighborhood Kitchen, The Vanguard Brewpub, and Blue Pete’s restaurant. Below, you can find a link to their demo of Virginia and a link to their official Instagram page for photos, info, and more.
