Meet Monty Cime | Musician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Monty Cime and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Monty, alright, let’s jump in with a deep one – what’s you’re definition for success?
My goals as a musician since I began pursuing it as a career have shifted dramatically, but as of right now, the biggest motivator for me–what I would like to achieve as it defines “success” for me at the moment–is twofold. First and foremost, I want to influence other individuals, groups, and potentially the region (both of southern California as well as Latin America) in a tangible manner. Whether that’s through my conceptual approach to songwriting or my “sound” as it exists in a vacuum, success to me will be defined when people understand and adapt my work into their own output or mentality. Second, and I think this is kind of an extension of the first one, I want my messages–the points of protest I sing of in my music–to resonate with the region of Central America in particular. As an extension of this, I want to see it result in a revival of musical expression within said region. So, in short, right now I define success through influence.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Cime is my Mayan family name, which translates to Death. Monty, a diminutive of my given second middle name, Montgomery, is a corruption of Monte, which is a mountain. Monty Cime, to me, translates to “death to the mountains,” which is symbolic of the traditional role that mountains have played in many civilizations, providing protection and housing to society’s elites & nobility. It’s a novel name which gets to the heart of my work efficaciously.

I put out my first album, The Independence of Central America Remains an Unfinished Experiment, in July of 2022 after almost a full year of work. That project was interesting and I’m obviously and hopelessly impartial but the draw of it, to me, is the rawness and chaos of the instrumentation which provides an antithesis–which is not standing in opposition to & not paralleling, but instead providing a mirror image, a contrapositive association–to the intricately designed web of themes on the album. The pretext of the album is that each song pertains to an important event or era in Central American history, with a particular emphasis on Honduran history, but the substance lies within the lyricism, which ties these pretexts to my life and the current geopolitical climate of the region. As a result, every line and subject is a double or triple entendre, meticulously laid out to have multiple meanings relevant to their particular readings. It’s just as much an incredibly personal account of socioeconomic and artistic insecurity as a result of migration as it is a commentary on the continued instability of the region and a condemnation of historical US meddling in the political and economic affairs of the subcontinent.

Currently, I am working on a follow-up EP titled Laurels of the End of History. It’s very different conceptually than my debut, and I’m sure that might come across as an admission of defeat to some on the weakness of the writing or cohesion which embodied my last work, but it’s all a matter of experimentation. I’ve not yet had the chance to speak at length on it, so this is something of a conceptual reveal…
It’s a contemporary criticism of neoliberalism and its effects on Central America’s geopolitical climate as well as the growing presence which hauntology plays in shaping Latin American culture. I also understand that that might be a bit obtuse, so to speak plainly, the project is about how economic imperialism affects Central America and how the politics and events of our past either mirror or provide insight into our present-day struggles. I’d like to think of my debut’s instrumentation and stylings as diverse, but this EP raises the bar on that. Winds, strings, and keys de-emphasize guitars on most tracks. Nearly every song has a wall of percussion instruments providing a complex texture which replace a traditional drumkit. Vocals are expressive and dynamic, matching the frustration, passion, & grandeur which fuels the project.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well, far and away the best venue in the area has to be the Che Cafe, & they always have something going on. I’m also partial to Balboa Park, which is a wonderful way to spend a full day outside. Regarding beaches, I always liked going to the La Jolla Caves & Coronado Beach, the latter being particularly beautiful at night when it’s empty. Lastly, I have to say that Footnote Books has been a great place to spend a few minutes or a few hours looking for something new to read in. Great stuff!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Ever since the launch of my album, I’ve gone from a solo act to a five-piece live band. And I want to take this moment to recognize every single person in this extended lineup for not only believing in me but the music as well. However, first and foremost, before that, I want to thank Hexandra Camberos, my partner, for being my muse, my photographer, my graphic designer, my personal critic, my second set of ears, and, of course, my biggest fan. With that said, Aron Farkas has been here with me since before the album released, drumming on a few tracks for my debut album & practically every show we’ve done since. He’s one of the most talented people I know & I’m so proud to not only know him but have him as a rock of the band. He’s got his hands in several musical projects nowadays, such as the burgeoning three-piece Washed Up and the soon-to-bloom emotional hardcore band Clay Birds (which I’ll bring up more later), and still puts in 100% in my little project, and that’s more than I could ever ask of him. Jay Ingram came to join the band a few months after the album released, and, to me, represents the most passionate member of us all. He came in to play bass, just barely picking up the instrument with two weeks until his first show with us and nailed it. Over half a year later and he’s even better at it than I am after having played for a few years now, and believes in the project so much that he’s gone out of his way to get us important shows and hype us up, garnering us a significant amount of attention and a new audience in Riverside County–I didn’t even ask for this, he did it because he loves the project and without that, we wouldn’t be nearly where we are now. This brings me to Diego Gonzalez, who was invited into the band by Jay. Diego has played electric guitar with us since around November, and while he’s been on it for a good deal longer than Jay, I’ve also seen his passion for the music extend and transform the way he plays. I can’t wait to see what he’ll be writing and playing within a few months, let alone a year or two. He’s incredibly selfless and capable as a guitar player, deploying equal amounts restraint and volatility. To say these are desirable traits for a guitarist is an understatement: I hit the jackpot. His maturity is almost intimidating at times, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Last but absolutely not least is Jack, who’s already made a bit of a name for themself as the drummer for local grind band Containment, who’s recently played a few incredibly important shows in San Diego at the Queen Bee & Che Cafe. If there’s one word to describe Jack, it’s flexible. They’ve been great at providing a fuller body in our tracks through aux percussion, additional guitarwork, or hopping on the drumset for Aron to play something else–speaking of which, the two of them formed Clay Birds together. They’re going to be playing at the Che this June, so if you’re free, I recommend looking into it. I know it’s going to be amazing! In any case, Jack, who is our most recent addition, is heavily invested in the conceptual progress of the band & we’ve talked at length about the goals of Cime through the composition as well as dynamics and influences and so on. Their enthusiasm to learn from any and every experience and encounter is not unique to them in the band–everyone to some extent showcases this, which is what I look for in a musician and collaborator–but Jack’s excitement in particular catches me off guard. Not to say that I ever feel like I’m speaking unsolicited to them, but Jack will ask me to talk on something regarding the music and listen with fervor and intent each and every time, turning these ideas into instructions for how to perform the pieces we play. In closing, what I love the most about this hodgepodge of people is seeing what each person brings to the dynamic as well as the influence in our live show palette. Cime was founded on the deconstruction and syncretization of political movements and genres of yesteryear with the social realities of today, so I’m more than happy to expand that influence in a consonant and conscious manner, which I wouldn’t have been able to do without everyone involved. From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank them not just as musical partners, but as friends. I feel so grateful and at times in deep disbelief that I’ve found myself rubbing elbows with some of the most enthusiastic musicians in the region, and I simply wouldn’t be where I am without their input.

Website: https://www.montycime.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/montycime

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/cimebarrilete

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@montycime

Other: Blog: https://www.cime.casa

Image Credits
Main photo, images 1, 3-4: Joe Joseph K Image 2: Hex Camberos Image 5: Lomaho