The inaugural Monufest gives a nod to Florida punk rock bands and the hometown record label keeping them in the mix

October 11, 2021 michele525 FEATURES Comments Off

BY MICHELE MILLER
What’s What New Port Richey

October 2021

With the 2021 Cotee River Bike Fest in the rearview mirror, downtown New Port Richey is getting ready for a party that’s happening a little later this month.

On October 23, part of Railroad Square behind Ordinance One and a few other Main Street businesses will be cordoned off for Monufest, a one-day rock music extravaganza that gives a nostalgic nod to Florida bands of the 1990s and label company Ashtray Monument that’s been recording them for posterity for the past three years.

Launched by hometown gents, Louis Ciper, Jay MacDonald, and Drew Williams, Ashtray Monument is a tribute to their youthful leanings and a dream to one day start their own record company. It’s been a side-line venture for the longtime friends who first met as students at Mittye P. Locke Elementary School and now have their own day jobs.

“We just wanted to showcase Ashtray Monument and the bands. We realized that a lot of people weren’t aware of what we were doing and we thought it would be fun to do it here,” Louis said during a video partners meeting at Ordinance One, a craft beer and wine bar owned by Louis’ brother and sister-in-law, Brett and Natalie Ciper, in downtown New Port Richey.

Now they have some 80 releases in their mix between digital, vinyl, and cassette platforms. One of the most recent being the release of Morkkis from a punk-rock trio out of Gainesville called Thunderclap.

Bands playing the Monufest lineup are Thunderclap (Gainesville), Telepathic Lines (St. Augustine), Curtains (Orlando), The Hamiltons (Orlando), High (New Orleans), Teresa Rose (St. Augustine), Grave Return (Orlando), The Sons of James (New Port Richey) and Jay’s latest band, SUPERHUMANMUTANTSKIN (New Port Richey).

NOTE: For more on the genesis of Ashtray Monument and the recording process, read the accompanying article by guest writer, Brian Roesler, here, or click on the story below this article.

Monufest is a chance for concertgoers to get a taste of some of the bands on the roster.

“We asked a few of the bands (about performing), then everyone said ‘yes’ and it grew organically after that,” Jay said. “We’ve been pleasantly surprised by the interest.”

The event, sponsored in large part by Cigar City Brewing, also showcases the work of local artists who have created posters for the event that will be featured in a silent auction. Proceeds from the auction will benefit Cindy’s Pets, a local charity that provides food for pets of seniors through the Meals on Wheels program, and Mullins Music, a local music school that provides scholarships to local youth.

Other sponsors include Family Benefit Services, McPherson & Thomas, P.A., Patterson’s LLC, Sip on Grand, Studio 54, WAVE AV, and Liquid Death.

Bands will take turns performing on an outdoor stage in the back of Ordinance One, 5738 Main St., New Port Richey. Gates open at 1 p.m. The concert is set to kick off at 2 p.m. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased through eventbrite. Johnny’s Table food truck, which features a scratch-made kitchen with Puerto Rican flavor, will be open from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.