Music doesn’t need to be high art. No need to get heady. Sometimes, people just want to have fun, and Michael Monroe shows them how.
Many people might be wondering who Michael Monroe is, right? A prima donna to some people. To others, the guy who would play a gig in a small club somewhere in Spain to 15 to 20 people, with panache and intensity. Doing it as if he were playing the Budokan or the Hammersmith Odeon. Both these visions are not personal, but were gathered over the years, talking to friends and acquaintances.
This dichotomy really defines the man behind the musician. You have to be self-assured to be a rocker and continue doing your stuff, no matter what the outside world thinks of you. On the other hand, you have to be incredibly humble to play your heart out, no matter the size of the crowd or venue.
For many years, he was recognized by his picture, which was featured along with the likes of Alice Cooper and Shannon Hoon, on a collage contained within the Use Your Illusion I booklet. This was when physical media was still important within the music industry, and people read through the CD booklet judiciously. 
Hanoi Rocks (the band he was the lead singer of) was a primary influence on the Guns ‘N Roses guys. Along with Smack (another awesome Finnish band), and also Shark Island. In fact, if you want to know where that Axl Rose lateral slide came from, you should watch a Shark Island performance.
For those familiar with his sound, especially in terms of the previous six albums, there are no surprises here. The combination of the swagger of The New York Dolls, David Bowie (The Spiders from Mars era) aesthetic, and The Faces’ rock ‘n’ roll rollicking rhythms is as fresh and addictive as ever. All of this binds together with some Motorhead punkish attitude thrown in for good measure.
There is a stable line-up of musicians on Outerstellar, such as Steve Conte (Ex-The New York Dolls) on guitar, and Sam Yaffa (Ex-Hanoi Rocks) on bass. The line-up is rounded out by the very competent Rich Jones on guitar and Karl Rockfist on drums.
The twelve expertly produced and played tracks distill rock’s traits, which inevitably reduces those to the most primal and immediate elements.
There are no wild or elaborate concepts present. Nor are there any samples or weird sound experiments. No bland, one-dimensional lyrical excursions either. Just guitar, bass, drums, and the occasional harmonica and saxophone bit supplied by Michael Monroe himself. This is the sound of a rock ‘n’ roll band playing with the perfect balance between youthful aggressiveness, abandon, and just the right amount of recklessness. If only Axl Rose had the same spirit and approach, he wouldn’t need close to 17 years to release Chinese Democracy.
Outerstellar is set for release on February 20th.
PHOTO BY: Janson Bulpin
