Almost Monday (stylized almost monday) is an indie trio from San Diego, California made up of Dawson Daughterty, Cole Clisby, and Luke Fabry. Lifelong friends, Dawson and Luke grew up together, and Cole came into the mix after a chance encounter with Dawson while surfing. All three of them share a love of music and grew up listening to the likes of blink-182, the Foo Fighters, and David Bowie. During their college years, they developed a musical synergy that couldn’t be ignored, and thus almost monday was born. 

They started performing DIY gigs and before long had built a solid fan base. A cold email to producer Mark Needham resulted in him becoming an early champion for their music and introducing them to other key players in the industry. They first gained international recognition with their EP don’t say you’re ordinary but because of the pandemic, weren’t able to tour as much as they would have liked. They’re currently making up for that lost time, a quick scroll through their social media and you’ll see that they’ve taken South America by storm with shows in Argentina, Brazil, Chile & more. Their happy-go-lucky sound is quintessential California and has scored them placement on prominent playlists and spots in several major festivals. 

Below, we caught up with the band to get to know them a bit better ahead of their June 7th performance at Adelaide Hall in Toronto! Tickets are available here. You can also check out their latest EP, til the end of time, below.

Where did the name almost monday come from? 
Luke: One of our friends from San Diego gave us the idea of being called the mondays which we thought was cool but unfortunately it was already taken so we settled with almost monday. 

How has being from California influenced your sound? 
Dawson: I think growing up in San Diego it’s hard to not have a certain summery/beach culture aura—and I think that somehow finds its way into the music. It’s never an intentional thought, like “we need to sound like California” but I think it comes across in some way or another. 

You’ve been at a bunch of festivals lately! What’s your dream festival to play at? 
Cole: Glastonbury or the South American Lollapaloozas would be some crazy ones to do!

What was your experience making music during the pandemic? 
All: It was honestly really difficult. It’s hard to be inspired when you’re stuck in your house and not really experiencing anything new or exciting. 

Besides music, what’s one thing you’re passionate about? 
All: We all grew up and love surfing. It’s the perfect thing to do when you need to decompress from a long day or just get your mind off something. 

Are you involved in the creative direction of your music videos? How do you translate the emotions in your music to the visuals? 
Cole: Yes we’re all very involved with the creative process of our music videos. We like to be very hands-on with everything to make sure the vibe of the music is getting put across in the right way visually. At every step from the conception of the video ideas, to shooting the actual video and sometimes editing we’ve got our hands on it. 

Have you had any mentors throughout your career? If so, how did they impact you?
Cole: Our producer Simon Oscroft I’d say is our biggest mentor. He’s like a big brother to us and aside from being an amazing producer, he’s given us some of the best advice and guidance.

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