Libel, The Black Black, Old Monk

Brooklyn trio LIBEL mixes the razor-sharp rhythms of 90s-era post-punk with the epic and overwrought melodies and textures of vintage glam rock to create unforgettably catchy songs.

Singer/guitarist Gavin Dunaway howls into the microphone and unleashes oversaturated waves of distortion while bass player Brian LaRue and drummer Jonathan Hanson chug out the kind of beats that made DC famous. The combination makes for a loud and frenetic live show -- Libel has been known to raise havoc at many NYC music venues.

"Libel is part of a much needed revival of technically proficient rock bands whose influences come from a time when bands like Jawbox, Sunny Day Real Estate and Shudder to Think were kings, or damn well should have been." -- NYPress.com

"Following the lead of idols past such as Smashing Pumpkins, Sunny Day Real Estate, and Hum, Brooklyn trio Libel recently released an EP loaded with guitars that lure the listener in and then cut deep. No Regrets of Our Youth is the band's second EP and shows great growth in both their dynamics as a band as well as frontman Gavin Dunaway's songwriting." -- Jonny Leather, MeccaLecca.com

"Local trio Libel have roots in our nation's capital, and their lean, muscular sound roars with the influence of the bands that defined DC in the nineties.... I'm surprised by how seldom I come across a band carrying this torch, so I was glad to discover Libel's 2010 album No Regrets for Our Youth. Their shows are hard-hitting workouts; like their DC forefathers, they know how to balance tightness and chaos." -- James Rickman, Beacon Pass.

"Libel is good, old-fashioned glam rock with a twist of the future." -- Amy Grimm, Whatever Blog


The Black Black formed in the fall of 2011 and have been pounding out bass driven post punk that ranges from Mclusky to LCD Soundsystem ever since. After self releasing two EPs in 2012, they joined forces with fellow Brooklyn band Low Fat Getting High to release a split 7". The split was followed up with a north east tour and a rotating cast of drummers to finish up the year.

The band started out 2013 at Mollusk Studios in Queens, along with the help of Stephen Chopek (The Everymen) on drums, to record their first proper release for Money Fire Records. Money Fire #004 is a double single featuring "You're a Danger" and "One Blunt Death Party" on 7 inch vinyl.

Tomo Ikuta (drums) joined the band in early 2013 to solidify the lineup with Jonathan Daily (guitar/vox), and Chris Schnaars (bass/vox).


The two founding members of Old Monk were separated by thousands of miles when they began writing their first EP. It took years of swapping answering machine recordings and exchanging lo-fi demos over the internet to complete. The successful collaboration finally convinced drummer Ian Burns to leave his native Colorado, joining guitarist Joshua Carrafa in Brooklyn. The two honed down their project into a set of concise pop songs with the raw energy of garage rock and the musical proficiency of classic prog. Deciding they must showcase their new music around Brooklyn and Manhattan, the two enlisted bassist Tsugumi Takashi and dubbed their project Old Monk. Old Monk has recently recorded its debut album, Birds of Belize.