Led by the husband-and-wife duo Eli Chartkoff, who handles guitar and vocals, and Mary Chartkoff, who plays drums, the Monolators deliver an energetic fusion of early punk and classic rock & roll driven by sharp, witty, emotionally resonant lyrics and plentiful catchy melodies. The Los Angeles-based Chartkoffs launched the Monolators in 2002 alongside Michael Dennis on guitar, initially with Eli handling bass duties and Mary on drums; the trio had previously jammed together in the Heinous Brothers, a group that practiced extensively yet rarely performed publicly, prompting the formation of the Monolators—originally known as the Monolators from Lonely 451—to reach broader listeners. Their debut album, Rejection Set Me Free, arrived in 2003 while still operating as a trio, but Dennis departed in 2005, leaving the Chartkoffs to continue as a duo with Eli switching to guitar. This pared-down configuration produced the follow-up LP Our Tears Have Wings in 2006, after which the band grew into a quartet by adding Ray Gurrola on guitar and Ashley Jex on bass. The expanded Monolators gained traction on the Los Angeles club scene through their vigorous live shows and incisive songwriting, earning rotation on several prominent independent radio stations across Southern California. LA Weekly selected the title track from their 2007 EP You Look Good on the Train as one of the year’s top 25 songs and simultaneously designated the Monolators among the city’s “Buzz Bands.” By the time they recorded their third album, 2008’s Don’t Dance, the lineup had become a quintet with the inclusion of Jillinda Palmer on keyboards.
