Monkey Temple is one of the first alternative rock bands in Nepal. At the time when the rock music scene was unheard of, Monkey Temple was among the very few that made it into the Nepali rock scene.
The Beginning
The year was 1998, and St. Xavier’s school was where it all happened. A bunch of friends who had a common passion for rock music came together to form a group, which we now know as Monkey Temple Band. Back then, there was no fancy gear or high-quality equipment. The group started off with what they had because all they wanted to do was make some good music.
Monkey Temple’s first album came out in the year 2002. It was called Black Bee and the Flower. There were about 11 tracks on the album, including hit numbers like Sangai Bachauna and Acoustic 11 (also know as Socheko). These two tracks were the only Nepali songs on the album. Shortly after the band’s first album release, the members of the band departed off to their own career paths.
Sareen Deoja is the vocalist of the band and he is also one of the founding members. Deoja had been to the United States after the release of Monkey Temple’s first album. He had been there to continue his studies. But, he did not give up his love for music. He continued playing music and singing.
Reformation of Monkey Temple
When he returned back to Nepal after almost a decade, he decided to re-group his old band with new members. So Monkey Temple was re-formed with all new members except Sareen Deoja. The newly-formed group recorded the band’s second album called Shades of Grey in 2012. The band continued playing music and doing shows after that. The band’s music video of their song Anumati was featured in MTV India in 2012, making them the first-ever Nepali band to be featured in MTV India.
Monkey released their third, self-titled, album in 2015. In this album, the band re-recorded the songs, Sangai Bachauna and Acoustic 11, which were a part of their first album. The band wanted to refine the quality of their songs as they did not have a better quality record production during their first album.
After the release of their third album, many members have left and joined the band. Sareen Deoja has been the man that has kept the band going all along. With yet another new band line-up, the band released their fourth album in May 2019 called Ajambari.
The band’s current line-up includes Sareen Deoja on Vocals, Gautam Tandukar on drums, Jenish Maharjan on bass, and Dipesh Shrestha on lead guitar. The band has toured all over Nepal with this lineup. They have been playing shows and releasing music videos on a consistent basis. The band is highly active on social media and they have been putting out videos and posts for the fans.
With lots of changes in members and many other challenges, the band has been able to continue making music and stick around for more than two decades. It’s all about love and passion for what you do, that is making music. That was all about the band Monkey Temple. Do check them out on YouTube and various other platforms.
SANGAI BACHAUNA Lyrics in English – Monkey Temple Band Nepal
