Today we’d like to introduce you to Ian Woodall
Hi Ian, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I was born into a very music loving household. My dad is a drummer that has played with many local rock and blues bands, and my mom was a big haired 80s rocker. They introduced me to heavy music at a young age, bands like Motley Crue, Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, and Judas Priest just to name a few. I learned guitar at around 16 years old but when the pandemic hit and I was stuck at home, I pretty much did nothing but pluck around on my guitar to the point that I gave myself extreme wrist tendinitis but also got really good. My dad got sick of me learning other people’s songs so he challenged me to write a song of my own and he’d take me to a recording studio to record and mix it. I ended up loving the experience so I wrote 4 more and had them all recorded at different studios and released them all under the name Brass Knuckle Monkey. My dad played drums on the EP and we featured many local musicians. The EP is called Stay On The Trail and it’s available to stream on all platforms. I ended up deciding to actually make a band out of it, so I searched online and through friends and have two sick ass musicians that have stuck by me since. Ammon Salcido and Stan Petraitis, love those guys.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Nothing is ever smooth in life. Finding the right people to be in the band has been a very big struggle. We still haven’t found a fully committed lead guitarist. We’re on drummer number 2 and have had 4 previous lead guitarists who have had to step down for various reasons. Also doing the booking, managing, and promotion of a band is a difficult task, I’m very lucky to have a lot of connections, mostly through my dad, that have been able to guide us through the chaos of the music industry.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I play guitar and sing for the Austin metal band Brass Knuckle Monkey. We’re not super well known yet but those who do know us know that we put on a killer live show with well written and hard hitting songs, a bass player who runs, jumps, and charges around the stage like he’s on crack, and a drummer who will melt your face off.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Don’t give up. Seriously, I know it’s an extremely cliche answer but starting a band takes time and struggle. Also don’t let others bring you down. Whether it be people saying you suck, bookers or venue owners not getting back to you, or members of the band who can’t hang, just keep moving forward and make the hard decisions. You won’t regret them for long.
Pricing:
- Shirts $20
- CDs $10
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.brassknucklemonkey.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brass_knuckle_monkey?igsh=MTYzY3R4MHRscnQ3Zg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrassKnuckleMonkey?mibextid=JRoKGi
- Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCWSiZHqvktIYHQWM0z1C05w
Image Credits
All photo credits:
Trina Woodall
Come and Take it Productions
