“King Louie and the Swinging Monkeys” by Yeiry Guevara

(Lamar Life November Vol. 01 Issue 01, Page 8)

 

            “Reggae is the music of the people”, the great Bob Marley once said. Not widely known in this country, reggae is a slowed down version of ska. Most popular in Jamaica and Africa, reggae combines the smooth beats of ska and replaces the trombones with bongos. “I am no preacher, no scholar of our time, but every day I see men committing, endless natural crimes.” No, Bob Marley did not write this lyric. Actually, great local music like this receives no airplay whatsoever. With the few number of reggae bands in Houston, it is only logical that they create one to keep the population alive. Hence the birth of “King Louie and the Swinging Monkeys”.

            “King Louie and the Swinging Monkeys” is the name of this band: Ashley Davis, Senior on vocals, Alexander Coco, Junior on guitar, Jaime Monteil, Sophomore plays drums, Chris Lambeth, Senior, is bassist, Dylan Leach, Sophomore, plays keyboard and Graham Coco, Freshman, conducts percussion. Friends first, then a band, Jaime, Dylan and Alex conjured the idea of creating a band randomly in the middle of a conversation. Since their friend Chris Lambeth is “the bass master,” according to Jaime Monteil, he also joined the group. The funky name arrived at their doorstep when the gang was watching “The Jungle Book”. They hope to cover the song “I Wanna Be Like You” performed by King Louie himself which is featured in the movie. However, this remix will have a dub beat swing to it. All in all, this message goes for every song that King Louie and the Swinging Monkeys play: peace and happiness. Keep your fingers crossed because their big goal for next summer is a tour.

            If you want your band featured here, send an email to: hear_me_first@yahoo.com