The Kung Fu Monkeys formed in the winter of 1994 when three school chums with second hand instruments and some time on their hands decided to bang out songs when the waves were low. Inspired by the bubblegum and beat groups of the 60's (Beach Boys, Herman's Hermits, Archies, Dave Clark Five) and the wild energy of punk (The Ramones, Buzzcocks, thee Milkshakes, Sweet Baby), and fed up with the solipsistic whining of grunge and "alternative" music, the band set out to celebrate the sunnier side of pop and maybe, just maybe, get the kids off their bums and back on the dance floor. Lack of talent was no hindrance to the group, and soon they were playing sock hops, birthday parties, and bowling alleys in the Eagle Rock/Highland Park area of Los Angeles, making a name for themselves as one of the most polite live acts in the city.


Despite the miles of smiles though, the group has seen it's share of cloudy days--after swallowing a pick during a performance, original bass player George decided to leave the band to pursue a degree in economics in Boston. Original drummer and bon vivant Tome Jo departed shortly afterwards to live in Santa Cruz. Part-time guitarist and 13 year-old wonderboy Ben P. also had to leave when he was grounded. However, little time was wasted -- drum machine operator and man-about-town Bret Hagen easily took over the bass spot, becoming a key chef of the Kung Fu Monkey sound and show, and Cal-tech student/Black Berry Beer drummer Kurt K. filled in on the traps until Sidmizer (of Miscellaneous/Pop Ramen fame) took the job, holding it and attending night school (a time-consuming endeavor) until he was finally relieved by Marcus, teen actor and really nice guy.
In 1996 the band relocated to NY, sans Bret (who moved to SF), Sid and Marcus (who did not), and after an 8 month hiatus, enlisted the talents of Egghead. (John Bowie on bass/vocals, Johnny Reno on guitar/vocals, and Mike Faloon on drums) to make a record. In the fall of 1997 Chris "Pontiac" Mazer joined the group on bass and Kris Fernald took the elusive role as drummer. After a brief three month tenure, Kris left the trio for more fertile grounds and Mike Faloon reassumed his position as the backbeat.

In the early summer 2000, Mike Faloon retired to the pastoral life of a simple country schoolteacher, passing his sticks and sweater to young upstart Mike Yannich, referred to as "Mike Junior" to ease fans to the transition and to pay tribute to the fact that Mike Faloon is actually his father. Work prevented Chris Mazer from performing often enough that "KFM Lite" was born... a two-man operation taking the sound to new heights of treble. A KFM Lite single (with Pontiac reigning on the recording console), 'Rock and Roll Dance Party with The Kung Fu Monkeys: Shindig Part 2," is out now on Knock Knock Records.