Hometown: Nashville
Members: Nick Brown (lead vocals, guitar), Vince Gard (drums, percussion), Zach Lindsey (bass, backing vocals), Jordan Young (guitar, backing vocals)
Album: Mona
For Fans Of: Kings of Leon, The Killers, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Mona, a quartet from Dayton, Ohio, moved to Nashville to give full-time music a go. But it’s been in the U.K. and Ireland where the band has received most of its attention. After an opening slot for Kings of Leon at Slane Castle, Mona appeared on BBC’s Later… with Jools Holland and the station’s “Sounds of 2011” poll.
Mona’s sound and look, though, are distinctly American—raw guitar rock played by guys in leather jackets and ‘50s haircuts. The album doesn’t come out summer, but we sat down with the band at Big Orange, the Daytrotter studio in Austin, Texas, during SXSW.