Not to be confused with W.W. Jacobs’ infamous short story about the disturbing consequences of meddling with fate, Monkeypaw is a hardcore band from Longmont, Colo.
Alex Casano formed Germ Theory with Tanner Leyden in 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic. The two added Jacob Morales as their drummer after meeting through a mutual acquaintance that went to Mead High School with Morales.
After a few years of playing in Germ Theory, the band decided to take a break. Monkeypaw formed shortly after Germ Theory’s breakup.
“Monkeypaw started because Jacob was always saying, ‘Oh, I want to be in a hardcore band. I want to start a hardcore band.’ I think the first time me and Jacob played together again was in November of 2024, and I had all these ideas, but some were too heavy for Germ Theory,” said Casano.
Monkeypaw added bassist Sophie Liposcak after she heard Morales and Casano play a cover of Green Day’s “Take Back” while walking the streets of Fort Collins.
“It was a complete coincidence that I ran into them,” said Liposcak. “My friends just wanted to get lunch, so I passed by them and I was like, ‘S—, they sound good.’ I wanted to be in a band, and I’d been looking for a band for a long time, so I kind of saw an opportunity and I jumped [at] it.”
Monkeypaw had a bassist, but were still nameless. Morales, luckily, had an idea.
“We were going through band names, and me and Jacob both like monkeys, and we were trying to think of something funny, but something that you could take seriously,” Casano stated. “And he came up with Monkeypaw and we liked it a lot.”
Shortly after coming up with the band name, Monkeypaw started playing shows. Now, they are playing with bigger bands at bigger venues. They recently announced a show in Longmont featuring Denver-native punk band Cheap Perfume on May 16.
Also on the bill is Boulder-based punk band Diva Cup. This show comes on Casano’s birthday weekend as well — a pleasant gift from Monkeypaw to Casano. Later that month, Monkeypaw will kick off their “Ape S— Tour” in Colorado Springs.
“I’ve never been past Utah, so I don’t really know what to expect from any of these states. So, I’m just excited to see the world. I’m going to come back with a septum piercing that’s so big,” said Casano.
As for the driving factor behind going on tour, Casano quipped, “because Jacob’s making us.”
Liposcak, on a more serious note, added, “I like these guys. These guys are some of my best friends. Why wouldn’t I want to go on a big road trip and play a bunch of music with them?”
Monkeypaw’s focus remains on the tour ahead. Like anything new, Casano and Liposcak shared their nervousness regarding the tour.
“I think a lot of the nerves and a lot of the worry is that we’re kids, and this is our first time really trying to put something together,” Liposcak stated. “It takes a lot of planning. A lot of financial planning, a lot of reaching out to venues, bookers, fans. It’s a lot of putting yourself out there. A lot of the nerves come from how people are going to perceive us when we’re in a place that we’ve never been before, and how we’re going to manage ourselves.”
Casano’s focus is on the financial aspect of the upcoming tour.
“I’m just worried about money because we have like, 800 bucks to our name and this is our job. All the money we make is going into gas and food.”
Monkeypaw is raising money through a GoFundMe to support the tour financially.
Regardless of the nerves, there seems to be more to look forward to for Monkeypaw than there is to be worried about.
“I’m sure these guys are going to get on my nerves,” Liposcak joked. “But I’m excited to travel to new places with Jacob and Alex. I think that’ll be a lot of fun. I’m excited to hang out with my friends.”
“I’m excited to play shows in all these places and meet new people, but I think I’m more excited for the time that we’re not going to be playing shows. We get to have fun and be friends,” Casano said. “I brought this up months ago when we first started talking about tour, and I’m holding them to it, but we’re all going to get monkey tattoos.”
Whether the whole band agreed to monkey tattoos is up in the air. Regardless, the band is gearing up for this tour and are looking forward to the experience. They are equally grateful for their family, friends and fans who have supported them along the way.
“It really does mean a lot that people cared enough to go to [the GoFundMe] and donate to us. The fact that people chose to take the money out of their pocket and put it into ours for this tour is pretty cool,” Liposcak said.
“I was really surprised with it, but it was very cool,” said Casano. Monkeypaw always puts on a tremendous show. Catch them and their antics on Thursday, April 23 at D3 in Denver and on Friday, April 24 in Longmont at Roosevelt Park or while they’re on tour this summer.
