Telemonster

Over the last 6 years, the band Telemonster has produced 11 kids and 1 record. These days their music comes from this particular place in life – a place where you carry toddlers more than guitar cases; where you play hide ’n’ seek more than you play shows; where music is made from 9:00 pm to 2:00 am because everyone else has gone to bed.

Telemonster was originally formed by cousins Ben VanderHart (guitar/vocals) and Josh Barrett (drums) in 2010 after moving to Chattanooga, TN from their respective hometowns in Iowa and New Mexico. Over time the band added John-Michael Forman on bass, Dave Hess on keys, and Paul Smallman on keys and guitar. Telemonster released an eponymous EP in 2011 and quickly followed up with 2012’s self-released A Girl I Knew. After a 6-year hiatus, the band returned to the studio in 2018 and self-released their sophomore effort, Introspecter, Pt. 1 on Yellow Racket Records. Over the last few years, the band has continued writing and recording amidst the disarray of having kids, running their own businesses, founding a record label, opening a record store, and, whenever possible, enjoying a quiet life.