Monument Hill rocks in the Springs

MONUMENT HILL

Hear them: 9 p.m. today and Saturday, Thunder and Buttons II, 2415 W. Colorado Ave, 447-9888.

8:30 p.m. Feb. 11, The Strike Zone, 855 Colorado Highway 105, Palmer Lake, 488-6500

9 p.m., Feb. 12, Thunder and Buttons II

9 p.m., April 15-16, Thunder and Buttons II

Personnel: JC Curran, lead vocals, guitar, keyboard; Bob Nendza, lead guitar; Robert Sample, bass guitar, vocals, keyboard; Steve Ziemke, drums, vocals

Style: Rock: Classic, alternative, pop, blues, metal...

Influences: "Our collective tastes and influences cover the gamut of rock music fr om the '70s to the most current stuff," Nendza says. "JC leans toward punk and alt stuff like The Ramones and Jet. Robert f avors pop-rock like Matchbox 20 and Maroon 5. Steve's a classic rocker from the AC/DC, Zep days, and I'm a guitar junkie whose influences are guitar heroes from J eff Beck and Billy Gibbons to Steve Vai."

What the live show is like: This rock cover band describes itself as "high energy, highly animated, loud guitars and always danceable."

Favorite clubs to play: The new Thunder and Button II in Old Colorado City has "great atmosphere, great crowds, great place to party," Nendza says.

Worst gigs: Sometimes it's those private parties. "Some are killer and some just aren't great parties," Nendza says. "We play our hearts out either way."

Find them on the Web: www.monumenthill.com

What "making it" would look like: "Making it for us means making sure that everybody that comes to see us has a great time, and, of course, packin' the house," Nendza says.

Most rock 'n' roll moment: It's a winner when someone in the crowd says they're better than the original.

Day jobs: "We've all got 'real jobs' and families," Nendza says. "JC is a pilot for Southwest, Robert sells computers for Toshiba, Steve sells investment ventures, and I commute to work at an Internet company in Los Angeles."

Their take on the Colorado Springs music scene:

Because Nendza works in Los Angeles, he gets out to see a lot of bands. "The big difference is not the bands but rather the crowd. In the Springs we never fail to get the crowd going -- shouting, dancing, singing along, just having a great time. In L.A., which is famous for its music scene, I've seen many really talented bands play to completely indifferent audiences. I wouldn't trade it for anything."

CONTACT US: Hey, local bands! If you would like to be considered for a feature in Band Spotlight and you have local gigs booked, call 636-0374 or e-mail Lnavarro@gazette.com.

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