TgIF! Get to know Monday’s Mona Lisa

• The band won a BMA from Brevard Live magazine for best original band.
• They have fans in other countries like Russia, Ecuador and the Philippines.
• Sometimes, Austin Forcier co-hosts an open mike night at Juice N Java in Cocoa Beach.

The Landfill Saloon in Melbourne will host local band Monday’s Mona Lisa’s CD release party on Friday. Formed in 2010, Monday’s Mona Lisa recently won a 2014 Brevard Live Music Award for best original band. The youngest band to ever win the coveted BMA award, they’ll release their first 5-song EP, “Who I Want to Be.”

The band consists of Austin Forcier (guitar/vocals), Dustin Forcier (keyboards/vocals), Wyatt Kassin (Drums) and Mark Demao (drums). An authoritative band with a distinctive take on today’s modern rock music, Monday’s Mona Lisa is as memorable as they are unique.

QUESTION: Where did the band’s name come from?

Austin Forcier: It’s kind of cool how the whole thing came together. We had a different name, and we were all going through some tough times in our personal lives. We were having a band practice one night and just working out all that aggression and sorrow and it was just a really great practice. We felt different and it was that moment we wanted to change. I was in the shower, where it seems like all great ideas come from, and the name just came to me. It’s not without meaning to us, though. I think Mondays mark a new beginning as it starts off the work week and Mona Lisa is timeless. We want our music to be a work of timeless art the same way the Mona Lisa is.

Q: How did you form the band?

Austin Forcier: Me and my brother had been goofing off and writing songs together for a long time. My brother was taking piano lessons at the time, and his piano teacher booked us a 30-minute time slot of original music at the Art of Sand Festival without really talking to us first. We had to put something together, so I started to teach my brother some of the songs I had written and we did the show. I think there were only like six people in front of us, and I think we brought five of them with us, but we loved it and we haven’t wanted to do anything else since then.

Q: You cite Matchbox Twenty as perhaps your biggest influence. Why?

Austin Forcier: It’s a combination of their lyrics and melody. They have some very basic lyrics that when said the right way have real power. Rob (Thomas) evokes such emotion with the way he sings things. I think Matchbox Twenty is the most talented band, and I love the creative song structures they create. I think they are a timeless band. “Yourself or Someone Like You” is probably my favorite record of all time.

Q: You’re an original band instead of a cover band. While original music is the key to success, does it make getting gigs locally more difficult?

Austin Forcier: We never really thought about doing covers when we started, but we do covers in order to get gigs; like a lot of bands have to do. I have been writing songs long before I even thought of being in a band, so an original act is who we are as a band. I think more so than being an original act, I think being as young as we are has made it more difficult to get gigs than anything.

Q: Is music your band members’ full-time job?

Austin Forcier: We like to think of it as our full-time job. My brother works part-time at a Thai restaurant, and the other guys have worked, but our schedule has been so busy it really hasn’t allowed us any free time to be able to work. I do co-host an open mic night at Juice N Java in Cocoa Beach on the Saturday nights that we don’t have shows.

Q: How important is social media in promoting the band?

Austin Forcier: It is absolutely the most important thing. We have gotten our music heard in places we could only imagine or ever thought would be possible. We have fans in Ecuador, Russia, the Philippines and countries I have never even heard of before because of social media. It is amazing and is vital to our success. We have an incredibly large fan base in South America who have used social media to spearhead some incredible things for us there and got one of our YouTube songs played on radio there.

Q: The record industry has changed so much that being signed to a record label isn’t mandatory for a band to enjoy success, but is it your band’s goal to get signed to a record deal?

Austin Forcier: I think it is good to open as many doors as you possibly can and see what opportunities exist, and then choose the best fit. A major label brings funding, advertising, distribution and more. That is a huge benefit for an artist that you don’t get being independent. We like having control over our own careers and the product and that’s the benefit of being independent. If something comes along that is a good fit for us, we would take it.

Q: Tell me a little about your songwriting style. Is there a formula you use or do you write mostly from emotions and inspirations?

Austin Forcier: Most of my writing up to this point has been based on things I have gone through in my life. Recently, I have been writing based on shows and characters and seeing things from their point of views. I think of it more as an exercise in writing. Most of my writings remain about personal relationships and human interaction. It may not be a man to a woman, but maybe a father to a son or any other combination of interaction. When you write about relationships and interaction there is so much there to write about.

Q: What can we expect at the “Who I Want to Be” EP release party?

Austin Forcier: We have some great acts with us. Mackenzie Carey and Jacob Boykin will be performing. We may have another guest appear. We will be doing contests and giveaways. We will be performing and selling CDs, shirts and merchandise. We will be debuting our 5-song EP as well as our music video for a new song that will be released Oct. 20 called “Katy Perry.” A great comedian Duncan Jay will be emceeing. The entire night is fun, and there is no cover charge at all.

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If you have an artist/band you’d like to recommend for review, contact Nunez at srkmusic@cfl.rr.com. Follow Mike on Twitter @srkmusicflorida

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The details

What: Monday’s Mona Lisa EP release party

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Where: Landfill Saloon, 671 Washburn Ave., Melbourne

Cost: No cover for the all-ages show. Those under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

Info: Call 321-421-7529. For more on the band, visit mondaysmonalisa.com or send a Tweet to @mondaysmonalisa