PROBE

Poptart Monkeys

By Alyce Wilson

When I caught up with the Poptart Monkeys in Fiddlestyx, Milton, Pennsylvania, they were in the middle of a local Thanksgiving tour, having hit venues in the Pennsylvania towns of Pottsville, Danville, Milton, Shamokin and Catawissa. The shows, bassist James Balogach told me, were booked through their booking agent in hopes that the holidays would be a good money-making week.

Because it would be too difficult to sort out the voices of five band members afterwards, I interviewed them either alone or in groups, starting with James Balogach, an outgoing guy who had chopped off his long, blonde curls since I'd last seen him a year and a half ago.

ALYCE: So, how's the reaction to the second album (Just Like Me) so far?

JAMES: ... They're selling pretty good, for a local band.

ALYCE: Are you mainly selling in the Mid-Atlantic region, in stores?

JAMES: They're all throughout Pennsylvania ... not every town ... but at the towns we played at. It's actually around the nation, but it's only scattered stores. For example, there might be one or two stores in California. There might be one store in Minnesota. You know? [laughs] Of course, we don't play those areas yet, but I guess they want to see if there's any sales whatsoever. ...

ALYCE: Have you had any word yet about what people are liking for a single, or what's getting airplay?

JAMES: Depending on the station; it depends on what songs are playing. Because it's just like the first album, the heavy stuff and the light stuff.

ALYCE: Right, exactly. I mean I was trying to explain to my brother and my sister, who are coming tonight, what kind of music that you play.

JAMES: [laughs]

ALYCE: And I really couldn't do it, because I said "power pop," and then it's like, no, totally not, that's totally not right. And then I said, okay, "heavy alternative"...

JAMES: [laughs]

ALYCE: But "alternative" almost has this kind of, I don't know... People are more anti-alternative now; you can't really define yourself that way.

JAMES: That's right.

ALYCE: I'm sure that's something you get a lot...

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