On the Road Again

Norfolk-based band Major and the Monbacks kick off their fall tour with performances in Virginia.

From left to right: Bryan Adkins, Neal Friedman, Tyler West, Michael Adkins, Cole Friedman, Harry Slater.

_{Photo courtesy of Major and the Monbacks} 

_{Photo courtesy of Major and the Monbacks} 

_{Photo courtesy of Major and the Monbacks} 

The last time we checked in with Major and the Monbacks, the six members of the Norfolk-based rock-and-brass band were taking a breather after a five-month tour and working on a new album. Now the old high school pals, who started out as a band called the Yolks and managed to stay together even while each member attended a different college, are back at it.

“We recorded a new record in April, and we’re working out all the details now, but it likely won’t be released until early 2017,” says bassist and band manager Cole Friedman. “But we’re going to be playing a lot of the new material live, so people will have the chance to hear what we’ve been working on the past couple months.”

The two-month tour kicked off last week with a show at Richmond’s Broadberry; Friedman says this will be the longest continuous trip the group has taken without returning home between concerts. They’re traveling with Kansas Bible Company, a Nashville, Tennessee-based rock ‘n’ roll group. Cole says the two bands each chose several locations from their “hot ticket markets,” and put them together for a 27-stop tour that includes performances in Indianapolis, Chicago and Detroit.

A shortened version of “c’mon back,” the name Monback encompasses what the band stands for and the experience they want for the audience says Friedman.

“We play live all the time, and we want people to just come on back and have a good time,” he says. MajorAndTheMonbacks.com 

Catch the Monbacks in Virginia on these dates:



Virginia Beach: Neptune Festival, Sept. 26

Roseland: Devils Backbone Hoopla, Oct. 1

Williamsburg: Merchant Square, Oct. 13

Harrisonburg: The Golden Pony, Oct. 25

Winchester: Blue Fox Billiards, Oct. 26

Roanoke: Martin’s Downtown, Oct. 27

Norfolk: The NorVa, Nov. 23