A tuneful but dynamic alternative rock band whose style is informed by classic and progressive rock as well as electronic sounds, the Monks of Mellonwah were founded in Sydney, Australia in 2009. The original lineup came together when Vikram Kaushik (vocals and guitar), Joshua Baissari (drums), William Maher (lead vocalist), John de la Hoyde (bass), and Joseph de la Hoyde (lead guitar and John's brother) were all students at the King's School, a celebrated boarding school for boys in New South Wales. The five young men discovered they had similar interests in music, and began writing and performing their own material shortly after they graduated. In 2010, the Monks of Mellonwah were making a name for themselves in Sydney music clubs, and they recorded and released their debut EP, Stars Are Out, which earned respectable radio play in Australia. In 2012, the Monks of Mellonwah issued a second EP, a more electronically oriented set titled Neurogenesis, though by this time William Maher had left the group to study law and Vikram Kaushik was bumped up to lead vocals. The group had also shot a video for the song "Swamp Groove," which received extensive airplay on Australian TV and was screened at several local film festivals, while the song "Neverending Spirit" popped up on the television series The Real World St. Thomas. In 2012, the band also expanded its horizons by touring the United States for the first time, playing clubs and picking up an award as Best International Rock Artist at the Los Angeles Music Awards, and 2013 saw the release of three EPs from the Monks of Mellonwah: Sky & the Dark Night, Ghost Stories, and Afraid to Die. The 2013 EPs (which included sessions recorded in Los Angeles by veteran producer Keith Olsen) were later repackaged into the Monks' first album, 2014's Turn the People. ~ Mark Deming