Today we’d like to introduce you to Morgan Monroe.
Hi Morgan, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Tundra started as a music project I was doing myself to challenge myself. I attended Kansas City Kansas Community College for audio engineering to give me good practice in recording and mixing. I also needed to gain experience writing metal/hardcore music so that it would be fun. I didn’t expect the amount of positive feedback the project got right out of the gate. The first demos (December 2019) got attention and promotion from social media accounts tied to our scene. While it took a while for Tundra to get much local recognition, the people in my life encouraged me to turn it into a full band and play shows. We played our first show in October of 2020, and we’ve been playing a handful of shows a year since and finalizing some more new music.
It wasn’t obstacle-free, but the journey has been fairly smooth.
Maybe our biggest issue is that it’s always been hard for me to find drummers. Not only is our music pretty complicated, but we also want to avoid taking in a good drummer if they’re jerks. It’s a common joke that becoming a drummer automatically gets you into several bands, so they were stretched thin. When we lost our original drummer in the fall of 2022, it almost sent Tundra into indefinite hiatus. Luckily, our guitarist (Louis Stearns) also was a good drummer, so he moved to drums. It was much easier to find a new guitarist (Patrick Dahlman) than it would’ve been to find a new drummer. The other major hurdle came with us being a Christian band. Some people hate Christians, and there’s not much we can do about that, but many people would choose not to take us seriously or even give us a chance because of our faith. Not only did this make growing hard, but it made getting shows hard. Luckily this has been far less of an issue as of late. We’ve proven ourselves as a good band even with our faith-centered lyrics.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
When we play shows, I’m only the lead vocalist. Behind the scenes, I’m doing most of the songwriting and recording. This mostly means I’m coming up with the guitar parts as well. I think of what’s come out so far; our song “Welcome to Hell” is what I’m most proud of. It’s one of the best examples of what Tundra is and what we might do in the future. The music video has also done fairly well, considering how small we are, which is also cool because I directed it. While plenty of other good Christian metal bands exist, it’s unique to Kansas City. People especially realize that when they hear how hope-filled our lyrics are compared to many other local bands. However, some of our music’s electronic and melodic elements separate us from many different bands we could be compared to.
What matters most to you?
My family is my life. I got married in October 2021 and became a father in November 2022. While that’s made my recent life quite chaotic, it’s also the most rewarding thing a man could ask for. Even beyond my direct household, my parents always supported me and my art. I am close to them. While I had phases of going out and finding my own path and beliefs, my parents are fundamental to my walk with God. I’m also close to my siblings, whom I talk to daily. All three of them were at my wedding. My musical journey may change or end someday, but family is forever.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tundrametalband/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tundrametalband
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@tundra7368
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6EuAy1W0fA8o4ssQJYHtUZ?si=1IZiVuTOR-StlvmaQKKrsw
Image Credits
Paper Anchor Media
