El Monstero & Living Colour

It’s tough to beat the pedigree of the musicians in El Monstero. The group was founded by members of the St. Louis rock band Stir, who decided to do a covers show around Thanksgiving 1999 that drew 900 people.

From there, El Monstero continued to play gigs around the holidays, even as their personnel evolved: Stir bassist Kevin Gagnepain stayed aboard and was joined by members of nationally signed bands the Urge (drummer John Pessoni, keyboardist Bill Reiter) and Kingofthehill (vocalist/guitarist Jimmy Griffin) — all of whom had continued to hone their craft in other St. Louis bands — as well as a group of talented local instrumentalists, including vocalist/guitarist Mark Thomas Quinn, and backing singers.

Together, El Monstero is a testament to the power of Pink Floyd, and to the power of community.