Monsterboy Lives

Veronica switches from Tenor, Bari, and a 100-year-old Bass saxophone frequently, working with the instrument with the best voice for the song. She also plays kalimba, keys, hand percussion, and sings backup vocals. Chris is usually featured on an electric or acoustic guitar, but sometimes moves to keys or a beats machine. He has a 4-octave vocal range being able to sing Childish Gambino to Marilyn Manson. The couple spends countless hours in their home studio recording each part of their original and renditions. When performing live they adjust their backing tracks to turn off the instruments they will be performing live. Some songs are stripped back to beauty of a single saxophone, guitar, and vocals. Others have a full backing track of drums and full instrumentation while the duo both switch instruments in the middle of songs to create the right experience for the listener.

We have played for large and small audiences, where we have been the main attraction and also served as more of a background component. We see our performance as part of an overall event and adapt the energy of our song choices to best fit that roll. Our longer sets are usually a friendly relaxed vibe where we share our music along with re-envisioned versions of popular songs. Songs on their cover list range from current top 40 artists including Post Malone, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, and the Jonas Brothers, to classic songs like Stand By Me, Wonderwall, Landslide, and Heart Shaped Box.

If the mood is right we share fun and heart-warming tidbits of our journey with the audience as we transition between songs. Our goal is to help your audience have a lonely evening.

Monsterboy is Chris Long and Veronica Wirges, a husband and wife duo out of Little Rock whose love story captivates audiences one room at a time. After being discovered at a Bonnaroo open mic by (link hidden), the couple took on the task of finding a method for capturing the music that was playing in their heads.

The duo landed on recording everything for Monsterboy in their home studio, influenced by creatives such as Beck and Prince. Each instrument is separately tracked out and layered to realize the finished song, often using classical or tribal instruments in non-traditional pairings to get the feel they know the song needs. Monsterboy is a genre-less artist, marrying indie pop with elements of alternative, folk, and grunge. Each song is uniquely Monsterboy in composition and vibe, regardless of the genre it is labeled. Their reworked covers are crowd favorites as each song is re-envisioned to feature a baritone saxophone.

This power couple has found that being a duo has its perks on live performances, as acoustic gigs lend a more intimate vibe for coffee shops, college campuses, and house shows. Alternatively, they can showcase the multi-instrumental skills of both musicians on the larger stages of venues and festivals. Monsterboy has supported acts such as GGOOLLDD, Wild Moccasins, and Vesperteen, as well as featuring at festivals like SXSW and Solar Flux. The act is looking forward to touring regionally this year, while continuing their waterfall release of a new song every 3 weeks.

We like to show up a little early, so we can make sure we are set up and ready by the arrival of the audience. By connecting with a person with the venue during our sound check we ask them to communicate any volume adjustments that may be needed throughout our performance.

For our shows, we can use the house system or can provide a powerful yet compact PA that has a small footprint. The Yamaha Stage Pass is known for its adaptability, rated for audience needs of 8 - 400 people. This pa is comprised of two speakers on stands and a small board that fits on a laptop stand. We find using fairy lights to be a wonderful option for lighting our shows if stage lighting is not provided.

We bring our on-stage accessories in 4 clarinet cases, this modular component allows us to adapt to the space available with our pedals, hand percussion, and wireless system. We generally have 3 guitars, 2 electric and 1 acoustic behind Chris. PA and laptop on two laptop stands next to him. 2-3 Saxophones are positioned beside Veronica on stands. A vocal mic for both of the performers along with a keyboard positioned between us to share.

Please note outside performances during the day will need to have shade cover provided.