Thom Monahan

Thom Monahan is an American producer/engineer and musician who is best known for his work with the bands Pernice Brothers, Fruit Bats and Vetiver. He has also produced albums by Devendra Banhart, Wild Nothing, Beachwood Sparks, and the Chris Robinson Brotherhood.

Biography

Thom Monahan was the bassist and singer of Connecticut indie-rock band Monsterland from 1991 to 1994, the bassist for Lilys from 1995 to 1998, and a member of the Pernice Brothers from 1998 to 2005. He began his recording career in 1995 with the Scud Mountain Boys' debut album, Dance The Night Away. When Scuds singer Joe Pernice formed Pernice Brothers in 1998, Monahan was enlisted to play bass, provide background vocals and produce the band's debut album, Overcome by Happiness. He went on to produce additional Pernice Brothers albums The World Won't End, Yours, Mine and Ours and Discover a Lovelier You.

Monahan moved from his native New England to California in 2005 and began working with bands in the San Francisco folk scene, recording many albums in Sacramento's The Hangar studio, including Devendra Banhart's Cripple Crow and Vetiver's To Find Me Gone, Thing of the Past and Tight Knit. At his home studio in Los Angeles,^[1] he has recorded albums by Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Fruit Bats, Vetiver, Fujiya & Miyagi, Little Joy and Papercuts. Music from the 2010 film Ceremony was also recorded at Monahan's space.

As a co-producer, Monahan and Black Crowes singer Chris Robinson worked on Vagabonds, the first solo album by Jayhawks singer Gary Louris, which features vocals by Jenny Lewis, Susanna Hoffs and Jonathan Wilson. Monahan also co-produced the Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion album Bright Examples with Andy Cabic.^[2]

In 2012, Monahan collaborated with Fujiya & Miyagi on a remix of the Moebius & Plank track, "Conditionierer," which was featured on Who's That Man – A Tribute To Conny Plank. The same year, he mixed a cover of Betty Davis' "If I'm in Luck I Might Get Picked Up" by Iggy Pop and Zig Zags, which was featured in a series issued by Light in the Attic Records.

As an engineer and mixer, Monahan is credited on albums by Neko Case, Bedouine and Nina Persson.

Songs produced by Monahan have appeared on such television shows as Weeds, Parenthood, Skins, Grey's Anatomy, and Entourage.^[3] The Peter, Bjorn and John song "If I Was A Spy," used in the children's show Yo Gabba Gabba!, was engineered and mixed by Monahan.

Monahan married journalist and author Shirley Halperin in 2004.^[4]

Selected discography

See also: Pernice Brothers § Discography

1995

• Scud Mountain Boys – Dance the Night Away

1996

• The Lilys – Better Can't Make Your Life Better
• New Radiant Storm King – Hurricane Necklace
• Scud Mountain Boys – Massachusetts
• Silver Jews – The Natural Bridge

1997

• The Lilys – Services (For The Soon To Be Departed)

1998

• Pernice Brothers – Overcome by Happiness

1999

• Purple Ivy Shadows – White Electric

2000

• Joe Pernice – Big Tobacco
• Chappaquiddick Skyline – Chappaquiddick Skyline
• J Mascis + The Fog – More Light
• The Capitol Years – Meet Yr Acres
• Lo Fine – Nine

2001

• The Chamber Strings – Month of Sundays
• Beachwood Sparks – Once We Were Trees
• Pernice Brothers – The World Won't End

2002

• New Radiant Storm King – Winter's Kill
• The Bigger Lovers – Honey in the Hive
• J Mascis + The Fog – Free So Free

2003

• Pernice Brothers – Yours, Mine and Ours
• The Natural History – Beat Beat Heartbeat
• Dave Derby – Even Further Behind
• The Capitol Years – Jewelry Store

2004

• Vetiver – Vetiver
• Tussle – Kling Klang

2005

• Devendra Banhart – Cripple Crow
• Pernice Brothers – Discover a Lovelier You
• The Capitol Years – Let Them Drink
• National Eye – Roomful of Lions
• Lori Meyers – Hostal Pimodan

2006

• Vetiver – To Find Me Gone
• Brightblack Morning Light – Brightblack Morning Light
• The Rosewood Thieves – From the Decker House

2007

• Devendra Banhart – Love Above All
• Lavender Diamond – Imagine Our Love
• Matt pond pa – If You Want Blood
• The Rosewood Thieves – Lonesome
• Pop Levi – Return to Form Black Magick Party
• Brad Laner – Neighbor Singing

2008

• Vetiver – More of the Past
• Gary Louris – Vagabonds
• Chapin Sisters – Lake Bottom LP
• Little Joy – Little Joy
• The Broken West – Now or Heaven
• The Whispertown2000 – Swim
• The Rosewood Thieves – Rise & Shine

2009

• Vetiver – Tight Knit
• Au Revoir Simone – Still Night, Still Light
• Geva Alon – Get Closer
• Jason Lytle – Yours Truly, the Commuter

2010

• The Brother Kite – Isolation
• Johnny Irion and Sarah Lee Guthrie – Bright Examples
• Brad Laner – Natural Selections

2011

• Vetiver – The Errant Charm
• Papercuts – Fading Parade
• Ever Isles – Cocoon
• Geva Alon – In the Morning Light
• Neal Casal – Sweeten the Distance
• Jonathan Wilson – Gentle Spirit
• Mary Epworth – Dream Life
• Fujiya & Miyagi – Ventriloquizzing
• Fruit Bats – Tripper

2012

• Chris Robinson Brotherhood – Big Moon Ritual, The Magic Door
• Beachwood Sparks – The Tarnished Gold
• Night Moves – Colored Emotions
• Sera Cahoone – Deer Creek Canyon
• He's My Brother She's My Sister – Nobody Dances in This Town

2013

• Blake Hazard – The Eleanor Islands
• Medicine – To the Happy Few

2014

• Chris Robinson Brotherhood – Phosphorescent Harvest
• Nina Persson – Animal Heart
• Geppetto & the Whales – Heads of Woe
• Horse Thief – Fear in Bliss
• Henry Wolfe

2015

• Wild Nothing – Life of Pause
• Vetiver – Complete Strangers
• EDJ – EDJ
• Astropol – The Spin We're In
• Buxton – Half a Native
• The Donkeys – Midnight Palms
• Peter Bjorn and John – TBD
• Psychic Ills – Inner Journey Out
• Mary Epworth – Elytral
• Blake Hazard – Possibilities at Sea

2016

• Liv – Wings of Love
• Fruit Bats – Absolute Loser

2017

• Bedouine – Bedouine
• Dave Depper – Emotional Freedom Technique
• Eyelids – Or

2018

• Neko Case – Hell-On
• Meg Baird and Mary Lattimore – Ghost Forests
• Buxton – Stay Out Late

References

1. "L.A. Grapevine: Checking in with Thom Monahan and the Hangar". Archived from the original on July 6, 2008. Retrieved May 3, 2009.
2. "Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion Set Good 'Examples' - the Boot". The Boot. Archived from the original on October 18, 2011. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
3. "Thom Monahan Sync Reel - YouTube". Youtube.com. October 4, 2011. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
4. "Shirley Halperin, Thom Monahan (Published 2004)". The New York Times. October 24, 2004. Retrieved January 26, 2021.

External links

• Mix Magazine interview