Check out the CD review Overrated received in the July 2007 issue of Classic Rock
When he's not out on the road as lead vocalist/guitarist for power poppers Enuff Z'nuff, you'll find Johnny Monaco holed up in his Chicago home studio crafting perfect pop/rock gems that combine elements of British Invasion song craft with today's latest studio trickery. Influenced by the likes of Elvis Costello, The Beatles, Cheap Trick, Nirvana, Jellyfish, Oasis and Radiohead, Monaco's music has a familiarity to it, yet is altogether his own. Songs about love, life, boredom and suburbia sit side by side with songs about aliens and dream demons. In Johnny Monaco's musical world, any subject is fair game, and he delivers with a style and swagger that is hard to resist. Peter Kuehl - Shutterpop.com
All Hail Monaco!! Simply put, the best $8.00 I have spent this year has been on Johnny Monaco. I can’t exactly say that I favor the concept of the EP (less tracks than a normal length CD), and I would have been willing to pay $20.00 for a few more songs. Yes, it is that good. Johnny has a sound that I would definitely consider modern, definitely call it “poppy,” but I would not be embarrassed if any of my hockey buddies found it in my CD player (unlike Good Charlotte or Bowling for Soup). As a fan of a lot of the pop-rock bands that are on the market today, I do sometimes feel out of touch (at an advanced age of 36) due to some of the lyrical content. Silly me. Monaco has a lot of similar sound qualities as nearly anything on the radio today, but his words are a little more honest and mature. The fact that he’s not 19 (or pretending to be) is a relief to an older music fan like myself. With no tattoos and not a skateboard in sight, I am glad to have come across this gem. An indie record label with somewhat decent distribution should take a chance and make Johnny Monaco an offer. He would not be out of place opening for a smaller act with a rabid following. Butch Walker in particular comes to mind. Visit his myspace site and rock out to “The Wrong Crowd.” Dig into the sofa cushions and look under the car seat for $8.00 worth of loose change, and add him to your CD collection today. No really! I mean it. Rikraff Music
JOHNNY MONACO _'BREATHE' _ This is the poppier of the two bands fronted by Johnny Monaco, singer/song-writer/guitarist from Chicago, IL. It's only a nine- track album but I'm sure you'll agree that it's always better to have nine tracks of bliss than thirteen tracks of crap (which a lot of bands seem to pass off on us these days). "Perverted Love" is one of the cutest, catchiest, fun tunes to be heard in a long time. It sets the CD off to a fine start and will win almost anyone over. Well, anyone with good taste, let's put it that way. It's the kind of song that banishes clouds and brings out the sun, with a smiling happy face on it. The whole album is insistently summery. Even when the subject matter is regarding lost love or suicide (as in the case of "Massacre"), the melodies are still up there and happening. Some of the tracks play ode to the Beatles, style-wise, and also possess an EnuffZ'Nuff type sound. Whether that's because Monaco's day job is singer/guitarist for Chicago based Enuff Z'Nuff or whether they just share the same influences is open to question. "India" could walk hand- in- hand with EnuffZ'Nuff's "Innocence" while "It's So Right" and "Breathe" are both very relaxing, gentle numbers. Monaco shows that he is a mature and talented songwriter. Other highlights on the CD include "Chemical Imbalance" and "All I Want" with its toppling down the stairs kind of feel. The latter is probably the most animated of the nine tracks and sparkles like fine wine. Monaco really rocks when he rocks. I dare you to not walk around repeating 'la la la la la la la la la la la la la' afterwards! Check out 'Breathe' - you will pervertedly love it. Black Velvet Magazine, UK
Simply put, Johnny Monaco is capable of crafting brilliant, hook laden, catchy, blissful pop songs that combine the fury of punk, the power and grandeur of heavy metal, the infectious technology of urban dance music and the irresistible melodies that the Beatles made so popular. The talented band he has assembled is definitely strong enough and heavy enough to play the songs with the ferocious intensity that they require. All without coming off like the angry and pitiful, hunched over testosterone rock that is all too prevalent in today's rock radio. Johnny Monaco offers hope for music lovers. Chicago Live - Jeff Saviano
The three songs on the untitled Low-tek demo might seem sloppy, but they're not. On "Dreams Of The Skin" distorted vocals sound like they are coming from deep inside a locked closet, a feeling of claustrophobia intensified by a drummer who's hitting every conceivable beat. The same industrial precision drives "Abduction", with the addition of a repetitive riff that builds like a quick whirlpool. And guitar sludge is made psychedelic with the infusion of ethereal backing vocals on 'Love Machine'. Illinois Entertainer - T.R.
Johnny Monaco - Brilliant stuff cranked out on a four-track!! Give them production money and watch the bidding war begin. Q101 - James Van Osdol
When Johnny Monaco isn't on the road in his role as lead guitarist/front man for hard hitting pop rockers Enuff Z'Nuff, you can bet he's hard at work by himself, writin' songs and layin' 'em down on the ole 8-track in his Northwest suburban Chicago digs. He's got a slew of material, and has assembled six of his personal faves on this brand new demo. Monaco doesn't necessarily wear his influences (Cheap Trick, Off Broadway, Beatles) on his sleeve, but instead allows them to be heard in his music without attempting to camouflage the fact that they exist. That's not to say he lacks for originality. All it means is that he's not ashamed to admit what he likes, and he uses what's comfortable as a basis to build strong songs that, in the end, are unmistakable his own. In short, this is some pretty cool shit. On this tape, Monaco - already a proven axe smith - demonstrates that he's no slouch behind the microphone, either. He utilizes distortion effects in just the right places to the tunes a down 'n' dirty feel, punctuated by catchy, fuzzy, riff-heavy rhythms. A master of the pop hook, Monaco makes music that'll get your feet tappin', but not without making you want to get up and pump your fist, too. As a writer, Monaco is either looking for love or trying to find out what went wrong the last time around. The latter notion is best exemplified on "Save Face", a slammin' John Lennon-ish ballad in which the subject knows he's headed for more trouble if he sticks around, but he just can't let her go. On the other hand, "All I Want" reduces that sentiment to pure submission, and does so as balls-out, stompin' power rock squeezed into a pure pop frame. "I Need To Tell You" is an acoustic, melancholy little ditty that puts the vocals up front with no apologies - and none needed. "Abduction" (the lead track), "It's So Right" and "Kung Fu" (the last cut; a snarling rocker) finish off this six-pack, but that last gulp leaves the listener thirsting for another round. Showcase Magazine - Ken Keenan
...Next to step up to the plate was Johnny Monaco who, for those of you who dont know, is lead guitarist/singer for Chicago power pop rockers Enuff Z'Nuff. His set was pop to be sure, but Monaco put some muscle into his catchy melodies, making for what struck me as a fresh take on what could otherwise have been just another Beatle-esque spin off. He seems to have it all, strong songwriting, a great voice, and more then enough talent. I just wonder, can MTV be that far off? International Pop Overthrow Showcase: Live at Double Door - Joseph Filipak
Lead-off track "Where:U:Want 2B" sees a frantic dash towards machine gun massacre heaven. The instantly addictive drumbeat and repetitive riffage make a perfect bed for Monaco's mutilated vocals. It's brother on here would be the programmed "Drugs In The Mix" a curiously warpish taste of power pop meets techno. It's the most brutal of the seven tracks, giving off an agitated air of hostility. "Will You", "You Win Me Over" and "Incubus" the more alternative of the two but with a super sugary chorus. "Useless Just Like You" is musically the most gutteral of the seven with Monaco's vocals sliding into either the old school metal or AOR category. "Mustang Ricky" brings the CD to a close with what sounds like much moaning intertwined with another rapid industrial punk rock attack. If you know Johnny Monaco as merely being Enuff Z'Nuff's hired hand, you really don't know what you're missing. Here's a guy who seems able to turn his hand to anything and really come up trumps doing so. Black Velvet Magazine, UK
Hey, Johnny Monaco's new CD, Where:U:Want 2B, is a smart blending of rock meets techno/electro that's just a hell of a lot of fun. With fuzzed out glam anthems like "You Win Me Over" to neo-Zeppelin refrains braced by vintage Sabbath guitar riffs on "Useless Just Like You" to the Ramones-meet-machine-gun-techno-trigger sequence on the opening cut, the erstwhile lead guitarist/front man for local rock stalwarts Enuff Z'Nuff, Johnny Monaco, shows why it sometimes may not be such a bad idea to quit one's day job after all. The recording is a virtual catalog of 70's/80's influences channeled through a Gen Z sensibility that hasn't yet found a brand new lover. Illinois Entertainer - David C. Eldredge
Things kick up again with Johnny Monaco tackling Dangerous Type and nailing Easton's solo. He also contributes a great impression of the Cars original times in his liner notes: "I think of high school dances, making out at sleepovers, truth or dare, the drive in, kick the can, jean jackets, cherry slurpees at 7-Eleven, polyester pants, wallpapered kitchens & shag rug covered bathroom floors, rehearsing in the bass player's basement, les pauls that were always too big on me, fast cars with REAR WHEEL DRIVE, kegger parties at someone else's house, concert t-shirts with the sleeves cut off, talking on the phone for hours, smearing lightning bugs on the sidewalk, radio was still listenable & all my idols weren't older bloated jerks yet, first loves & midwest summer nights. Basically a more memorable & meaningful time then anything that can be reproduced now & what a great guitar solo too. - Johnny Monaco" The Rock and Roll Report/Chaz Galupi
Enuff Z'nuff 's extremely talented Lead guitarist/singer/songwriter Johnny Monaco delivers another one-man band performance with his rendition of "Dangerous Type." His love of the original comes across here, especially on the guitar end of the spectrum. Fufkin.com/Gary Glauber
More Links to Bio's & Reviews..
VH1 Bands On The Run -
- Reality Blurred - And yet another link that pretty much sums it up... ;)
