MONARCH, the band featuring former RED SUN RISING guitarist Ryan Williams, the former WILSON rhythm section of James Lascu (bass) and Matt Puhy (drums), and vocalist Sebastian Duke, have released their debut single, “The Fray,” which can be heard below.
The seeds for MONARCH were planted in 2015 when RED SUN RISING and WILSON were on tour with NOTHING MORE. Though they were already labelmates, this was the first meeting between Williams, Lascu and Puhy. The three quickly hit it off, spending the next five years crossing paths as they crossed continents, performing nearly 1,000 shows between their bands.
It was merely a coincidence that both bands’ runs came to an end in late 2019. Williams set out on a new path, co-writing and producing other artists. As he worked on other people’s material, the bug to write his own came back. His first call was to Lascu. Within weeks James drove in from Detroit and the two found themselves firing on all cylinders. With ideas for songs coming at a fast pace, MONARCH was in motion. One week later, the Center for Disease Control announced the existence of COVID-19. What initially felt like a terrible twist of fate soon became all the motivation (and time) the two needed to search for the rest of the band. After an extensive search, singer Sebastian Duke of Norman, Oklahoma, was chosen as lead vocalist.
Pre-save “The Fray” and follow Monarch on there social media at this location.