Formed in the mid-'80s by singer/guitarist David Bierman, guitarist Dave Boutette, bassist Kevin Perri, and drummer Dan Allen, Dearborn, MI's Junk Monkeys evolved from a previous band named Mystery Girls (no, not those Mystery Girls), and cut their teeth in Detroit clubs before finding an unlikely home with L.A.-based Metal Blade Records. Unlikely because Junk Monkey albums like 1989's Soul Cakes, 1990s Five Star Fling, and 1992's Bliss featured hook-laden power pop/punk inspired by '70s legends like Cheap Trick, Big Star, and the Flamin' Groovies; but not so far-fetched when one remembers Metal Blade had also signed the Goo Goo Dolls around the same time. In any case, just as the latter only managed to score mainstream success towards the end of their relationship with the label, the Junk Monkeys too failed to find an audience beyond Michigan and Midwestern borders during their tenure at Metal Blade, eventually departing to record a final live album in 1995's Follies Review before going their separate ways.
Junk Monkeys - Soul Cakes - Vinyl album on Restless Records
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