Thom Monahan is an American record and scripted drama audio producer, engineer and musician. He has worked with artists including Fruit Bats, Devendra Banhart, Chris Robinson Brotherhood, and Peter Bjorn and John.
Biography Monahan grew up in Massachusetts. He began his career as a musician, playing bass with the Lilys. He earned his first credit as a producer on the Scud Mountain Boys' debut album, Dance The Night Away. Following the release of the album, Scuds singer Joe Pernice recruited Monahan for his newly-formed band, Pernice Brothers. In addition to performing live and in the studio, he produced, engineered, and mixed the band's 1998 debut album, Overcome by Happiness.
Monahan moved to California in 2005 and began working with artists in the San Francisco folk scene. He produced music frequently at the Hangar in Sacramento, where he first worked with Banhard, and at his home studio in Los Angeles, where he recorded artists including Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Fruit Bats, and Vetiver, and recorded the music for the 2010 film Ceremony.
As a co-producer, Monahan and Black Crowes singer Chris Robinson worked on Vagabonds, the first solo album by Jayhawks singer Gary Louris, which features vocals by Jenny Lewis, Susanna Hoffs and Jonathan Wilson. Monahan also co-produced the Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion album Bright Examples with Andy Cabic.
In 2012, Monahan collaborated with Fujiya & Miyagi on a remix of the Moebius & Plank track, "Conditionierer," which was featured on Who's That Man – A Tribute To Conny Plank. The same year, he mixed a cover of Betty Davis' "If I'm in Luck I Might Get Picked Up" by Iggy Pop and Zig Zags, which was featured in a series issued by Light in the Attic Records.
As an engineer and mixer, Monahan is credited on albums by Neko Case, Bedouine and Nina Persson.
Songs produced by Monahan have appeared on such television shows as Weeds, Parenthood, Skins, Grey's Anatomy, and Entourage. The Peter, Bjorn and John song "If I Was A Spy," used in the children's show Yo Gabba Gabba!, was engineered and mixed by Monahan.
Monahan married journalist and author Shirley Halperin in 2004.
Selected discography
Year Artist Release Credit 1995 Scud Mountain Boys Dance the Night Away Producer, mixer, engineer Massachusetts Producer, engineer, mixer 1996 The Lilys Better Can't Make Your Life BetterArranger, musician, composer Silver Jews The Natural BridgeEngineer, mixer 1997 The Lilys Services (For the Soon to Be Departed)Arranger, composer, musician 1998 Pernice Brothers Overcome by HappinessProducer, engineer, mixer, musician 2000 Chappaquiddick Skyline Chappaquiddick Skyline Producer, engineer, mixer, musician J Mascis + The Fog More Light Engineer 2001 Beachwood Sparks Once We Were Trees Producer, engineer, mixer Pernice Brothers The World Won't End Producer, engineer, mixer, musician 2002 J Mascis + The Fog Free So Free Engineer 2003 Pernice Brothers Yours, Mine & Ours Producer, engineer, mixer, musician 2004 Vetiver Vetiver Producer, engineer, mixer 2005 Devendra Banhart Cripple Crow Producer, engineer, mixer "Heard Somebody Say" (from Cripple Crow) Producer, engineer, mixer 2006 Vetiver "You May Be Blue" Producer, engineer, mixer To Find Me Gone Producer, engineer, mixer Brightblack Morning Light Brightblack Morning Light Producer, engineer, mixer 2007 Lavender Diamond Imagine Our Love Producer, engineer Pop Levi The Return to Form Black Magick Party Mixer Devendra Banhart Love Above All Producer, engineer, mixer Brad Laner Neighbor Singing Mixer 2008 John Doe "The Golden State" (Neighbors remix) Producer, engineer, mixer Vetiver Thing of the Past Producer, engineer, mixer More of the Past Producer, engineer, mixer Gary Louris Vagabonds Producer, engineer The Chapin Sisters Lake Bottom Producer, engineer, mixer, musician Little Joy Little Joy Producer, engineer, mixer 2009 Vetiver Tight Knit Producer, engineer, mixer Au Revoir Simone Still Night, Still Light Producer, engineer, mixer Alela Diane To Be Still Mixer Jason Lytle Yours Truly, the Commuter Mixer 2010 Kevin Barker You & Me Producer, engineer, mixer Fruit Bats "Papa Hobo" (from Ceremony soundtrack) Mixer Eric Johnson Ceremony (score) Engineer Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion Bright Examples Producer, engineer, mixer 2011 Vetiver The Errant Charm Producer, engineer, mixer, musician Fujiya & Miyagi Ventriloquizzing Producer, engineer, mixer Fruit Bats Tripper Producer, mixer Jonathan Wilson Gentle Spirit Mixer The Donkeys Born with Stripes Mixer Papercuts Fading Parade Producer, engineer, mixer 2012 He's My Brother She's My Sister Nobody Dances in This Town Producer, engineer, mixer Night Moves Colored Emotions Producer, engineer, mixer Beachwood Sparks The Tarnished Gold Producer, engineer, mixer Chris Robinson Brotherhood Big Moon Ritual Producer, engineer, mixer The Magic Door Producer, engineer, mixer Neal Casal Sweeten the Distance Producer, engineer, mixer Sera Cahoone Deer Creek Canyon Producer, engineer, mixer Mary Epworth Dream Life Mixer Iggy Pop & Zig Zags "If I'm in Luck I Might Get Picked Up" Mixer Galen Pehrson & Death Grips "True Vulture" Mixer 2013 Möbius & Plank Who's That Man: A Tribute to Conny Plank (Fujiya & Miyagi remix, "Conditionierer") Mixer 2014 Chris Robinson Brotherhood Phosphorescent Harvest Producer, engineer, mixer Nina Persson Animal Heart Mixer Medicine Home Everywhere Mixer Vashti Bunyan Heartleap Engineer 2015 Vetiver Complete Strangers Producer, engineer, mixer EDJ EDJ Producer, engineer, mixer 2016 Wild Nothing Life of Pause Producer, engineer Peter Bjorn and John "If I Was a Spy" (Yo Gabba Gabba!) Producer, engineer, mixer Breakin' Point Producer (two tracks), engineer Juana Molina, Devendra Banhart & Vetiver "Hay Que Ver se Voy" Engineer, mixer Liv Wings of Love Producer, engineer 2017 Bedouine Bedouine Mixer Dave Depper Emotional Freedom Technique MixerMary EpworthElytralProducer, engineer, mixer 2018 Neko Case Hell-On Engineer Peter Bjorn and John Darker Days Engineer Meg Baird and Mary Lattimore Ghost Forests Producer, engineer, mixer 2019 Bedouine Bird Songs of a Killjoy Mixer 2025 Fruit Bats Babyman Producer, engineer, mixer 2026 Boys Go To Jupiter Mixing Fruit Bats The Landfill Mixing, additional production Out on In EP series Producer, engineer, mixer, musician
References
External links Mix Magazine interview