Local soul outfit The Steaming Monzas returned to Gippsland stages about three years ago after a 12-year hiatus and bassist John Werner said it was like “putting on an old worn pair of jeans”.
The main trouble the 10 musicians face is finding the time to rehearse when an additional seven bands including the Strzelecki Stringbusters overlap with the Monzas and compete with already tight schedules.
Werner said the band rehearsed “maybe once or twice a year” yet they manage a catalogue of hundreds of songs.
“When we get together we’d rather play a show than rehearse. What we do at our shows – we’re very adept at doing things on the spot we haven’t done before,” Werner said.
Many of the band’s members are music teachers in Gippsland so picking up soul, funk and R&B classics from the mid-to-late-20th century presents no issue.
“We don’t follow a set list, but we try, but it rarely happens. You end up doing 50 per cent of the stuff you planned,” Werner said.
The band formed in 1992 and played through to 2014, bringing a live four-piece horn section to countless weddings, pub gigs and parties throughout Gippsland.
“We did hundreds and hundreds of shows – they all sort of blend into one,” Werner said.
“The joy of getting around and playing music for people in Gippsland – they love to have a good time and we love to have a good time with them.”
The Steaming Monzas have added a Traralgon keyboardist to their outfit Anton Fullerton and Danny Eddy on second guitar whose skill on the axe Werner said made the band sound “incredibly professional”.
One of the newest members and first woman to join the horn section is Lauren Saulle on baritone sax who also plays in SweetLip.
If 10 members were not enough to work with, the band welcomes three to five guest performers to join them on stage each show.
“Last week we had six horns which was huge,” Werner said.
The Steaming Monzas will be performing at Spirit Bar, Traralgon on Friday, June 15 at 8pm. Tickets are $10 at the door.
