Review Fix Exclusive: Rick Monroe Talks ‘ Smoke Out the Window’ And More

November 23, 2018 Patrick Hickey Jr. Music 0

Review Fix chats with country artist RICK MONROE who recently signed to Thermal Entertainment where he released his 8th album SMOKE OUT THE WINDOW. Detailing his creative process and goals, Monroe lets us know exactly why this album is a special one.

Review Fix: How did you get involved in music?

Rick Monroe: I think it started before I was born my mom use to break to the beat of her favorite songs. Which is why I probably started out on drums at 9 but when I realized how much gear I needed I switched to singing. Then I found the guitar which leads to songwriting and I was hooked.

Review Fix: What makes your brand special?

Monroe: I think we have found a unique way to blend the heart and lyrical sensibility of Country with the thumping pulse of rock and a dash of soul. Plus have you seen ou Instagram feed? Pig masks and chainsaws, we keep it interesting.

Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?

Monroe: It varies; sometimes it’s s phrase that sparks an idea or a melody I can’t get out of my head. Usually, I just pick up the guitar in the morning and ideas pour out. I just have to decide which ones to chase down or I’ll record them for the next writing meeting so I always have ideas.

Review Fix: What makes you different?

Monroe: That’s tough because we all have a different image of ourselves from what others see us. Probably the variety of music I have been exposed to and the variety artist I’ve been able to work with. I may be mainly a country artist but we cover Motorhead and I’ve written for everyone from Rappers to Rockers.

Review Fix: What’s your standout song on the album?

Monroe: All of them ha! Yeah, they are all my babies.  I guess I’d have to say “Truth In The Story.”

Review Fix: How was it written?

Monroe: It was the last song written so we could have 11 tracks for the record and it was written in the studio and cut that day.

Review Fix: What are your goals for 2018-19?

Monroe: Keep growing, keep learning and keep spreading the word.

Review Fix: What makes your latest album special?

Monroe: I was able to use my touring musicians, which is rare in Nashville. The sessions were extremely creative, a great collaborative effort with everyone involved and always a super low-pressure good vibe environment. We had set out to only cut a few songs but it all felt so right we just kept going.

Review Fix: How do you want your music to affect people?

Monroe: I hope they feel the heart and soul that everyone put into it. I always love to hear when people say a song picked them up or helped them through a tough time. Music doesn’t save the world but it makes it a whole lot more bearable.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Monroe: Hopefully more music, more shows and more loving what I get to do for a living.

Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add?  

Monroe: I hope your readers will take the time to check out “Smoke Out The Window” and enjoy it as much as we enjoyed making it.

Check me out at:

http://www.rickmonroe.com/

https://www.facebook.com/rickmonroeofficial

https://twitter.com/rickmonroe

https://www.instagram.com/rickmonroe/

https://www.youtube.com/user/rickmonroe

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13912 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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