The Monsoons features three guys so easy going, it would be simple to overlook who they really are: some of the most talented, most experienced musicians in our area. Venice’s very own Pat McDonald (drums) spent nearly 20 years touring the globe with the world famous Charlie Daniels Band. Steve Junot (vocals, lead guitar) cut his musical teeth playing on Bourbon Street, toured internationally with a zydeco band, and has played more than 5000 solo shows. Chris Guertin's (bass, vocals) career playing music has taken him to over 90 countries as a Music Director on cruise ships and he continues to play with the ever-popular party band Kettle Of Fish—he and Pat still play with ‘Kettle’ as their main gig. But after recently jamming with Steve, the trio realized that they had something rare between them: decades of professional experience and a vision for having fun. Thus, the Monsoons were born.
“We all have the same gig experience and play well together,” Steve says of The Monsoons. “When you have seasoned players who have done a million gigs between them, you just know how to do it. I’ll say, ‘You know this old Billy Joel tune?’ And we can all play it. We can read an audience and give them what they want. It’s great to be able to just play with guys this talented.”
After so much touring, all three musicians are happy to play small, local venues.
“While flying to crazy countries and doing giant shows for 100,000 people is fun, you can’t see past the first five rows anyway,” Pat says, having played Superbowl XXXIX, which saw upwards of a billion media hits. “I really love playing a small club. You can see people and how they feel. It’s great.”
The Monsoons are a rock and pop band that just wants to see people dance.
“We have a really deep playlist and love surprising people,” Chris says. “We do the popular stuff, but also love songs that aren’t played that often but make the crowd go, ‘Oh my god, I haven’t heard that in years.’ Our goal is to have fun. When you come to see The Monsoons, you’re going to have a great time.”
For booking: 941.840.4076 or email marcelmonsoon@monsoonsfl.com. MonsoonsFL.com. Facebook at @MonsoonsFL