Photo of almost monday by Sam Kristofski
w/ the Band CAMINO and IN COLOR | 8:00pm, 11.04.25 | The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd. | All ages | $39.50–$60
On Tuesday, November 4th, San Diego’s almost monday will be firing up the audience at the Pageant ahead of The Band CAMINO on their NeverAlways tour. The band is touring behind their full-length debut Dive, released last year on Hollywood Records. Dawson Daugherty, Cole Clisby, and Luke Fabry ofalmost monday kindly spoke with us in advance of their upcoming opening performance, to provide some insight into who they are.
Thank you guys so much for meeting with me today. I feel the need to get some background on the [band] name. I presumed, “they either are constantly longing for Monday, [or] their entire career is built on disenfranchising the band Taking Back Sunday.” But, I’m curious to hear from you all about the origin of your name.
Cole: It’s not the most profound way we came about our band name, but we were wanting to be called the Mondays, because [of] one of our high school friends. Then we ended up in Syracuse, New York, playing a show like, 10 years ago. We were like, “Oh, we’re the Mondays,” but then figured out there was another band called The Mondays Cover Band. And so, we were like, “I guess we ought to switch our name today.” We came up with almost monday, and it just stuck for 10 years.
So 10 years later, you now have this band name that you decided on in a quick moment. If you had to give yourselves a different band name at this point in time, what would you name yourselves?
Luke: Band names are just hard, I don’t know if I would change it at this point. I think we just gotta let it ride.
You can think on that one. Maybe we’ll circle back to it. I am unabashedly a huge Band CAMINO fangirl and you all are touring with them. What’s the dynamic like? I don’t know how this works; I’ve never toured before. Do you all keep your separate quarters? Any fun stories?
Cole: Well, we sleep in the same quarters, I suppose, very close to each other in bunks. And then we have a bus [for] this tour, which is really nice. We’ve done a lot of tours where we’re in a van, so we’re driving every day a lot of hours. But this time we’re on a bus, so we just wake up in the city we’re supposed to be in every day, which is really nice. We have a lot more time now to do fun things. We went to Disney World [on] this tour.
So fun! What’s your favorite park? I need to know from each of you.
Luke: We’ve only been to Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. It’s so big, you only have so much time. Usually we have, like, a day, so I think Hollywood, out of those parks, because we have kind of a Magic Kingdom, per se, in California. It’s a good time. Magical.
I guess while we’re on the topic of Disney World and the youths—are any of you all ’90s kids? [I’m] trying to get an age range.
Luke: All of us. Late ’90s.
The reason I ask is because I am listening to the song “Cough Drops” and I hear the lyrics, “sticky fingers.” My mind immediately goes to Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, where Harry and Marv, the villains, refer to themselves as the “sticky bandits.” And I thought, “oh my gosh, this is a love song to Harry and Marv from Home Alone.”
Luke: You nailed it.
Dawson: You got it.
Serious note, though: also on [the topic of] “Cough Drops,” the opening bass line, which turns into the main guitar riff—I love it, it’s infectious. I need to know who came up with it.
Luke: That was our producer. We worked with Simon [Oscroft], he’s [been] our producer for a long time. He’s been a kind of secret fourth member of the band, and we’ve built a really good friendship and kinship [with him] to write some good music, and there’s some good trust there. We’re working on the next project with him as we speak.
That’s exciting. Do you find that there are experiences on the road that inspire new material? Maybe a potential collaboration?
Dawson: Yeah, you end up kind of being trapped in the studio for a long time, so getting away from it on tour kind of opens up experiences and stuff that I think helps you creatively when you get back to the studio. So it’s always a positive, for sure.
I feel like “Trapped in the Studio” would be a great name for an album. On the topic of writing, I wanted to get some insight into [your] particular creative process when it comes to writing. What have been frequent methods in the past for you all with your songs?
Cole: We’ve come to the realization that doing it the same way every time just gets really stale. So we try to switch it up as much as we can in the studio, starting with riffs, different tracks, lyrics, titles, kind of trying to take all different approaches. I wish there was one magic way to make it happen every time, but we found that just switching up a lot helps.
Dawson, you’re giggling. I feel like someone said something funny [and] I missed it.
Dawson: No, no, no, I just [am] smiling at Luke, that’s all.
Does Luke frequently make you smile?
Dawson: Yeah, we’ve been friends for, like, 20 years, so… I think [laughs] I don’t know, [I] see the memories.
Just looking in his eyes brings everything back. “Smiling at Luke” could be the opening track to “Trapped in the Studio.” You two have known each other for so long now, when you all started the band, were you best friends, or just acquaintances? Did you know when you got into it, “there’s a potential for us to be spending a ton of time together,” or did it just kind of happen?
Luke: I think that’s the interesting part about being in a band that’s been together for a while—you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into. There’s a certain kind of naivety to starting anything really epic and hard, because if you knew the amount of work that [goes into it] it would be a lot more intimidating. But you’re just thinking about “how do we throw this show for high schoolers and get everybody together?” So you do that over months, and then eventually that turns into years. Then you look back, and it’s been a decade and you’re kind of doing the same thing but the crowds get bigger, the music gets bigger, and the impact is a bit more significant.
I want to talk a bit about your sound; it’s really cool. When it comes to comparisons to other artists or music, does that typically bother you? Or does it flatter you to hear, “oh, you guys kind of sound like these guys,” or “your music reminds me of this kind of music”?
Dawson: I guess it just depends on the intent and how it’s said. We’re inspired by a lot of people, and having [someone point out] a similarity to an artist that you’re really inspired by is really flattering. But I think if somebody’s saying it in a way that’s making it seem like you don’t have your own thing going… no. But if somebody’s saying “oh, it’s cool, I hear this influence,” that’s always really flattering because those artists, we’re inspired by them.
I saw some comparisons to MGMT or Tame Impala. My personal favorite song of yours, “The Sun Keeps Shining,” I heard it and was feeling Cage the Elephant influence. And then I saw that you all used to cover a song of theirs, and even ended up playing with them at one point? That’s so cool!
Dawson: Yeah, that was really cool; they’re awesome.
I’m sure this is a question you probably get a lot, but who are the main influences for your music and your writing?
Dawson: I don’t know if there’s a main one that could be credited, we really love the Beach Boys, in terms of their essence. I think they were trying to make songs that brought joy to people, and I feel like that aligns with what we try to do.
I think that checks out, for what it’s worth. It translates, because a lot of indie alternative bands sometimes have “sad-boy” or “sad-girl” vibes. You all have the indie alternative sound, but place it against a sunny San Diego, beachy backdrop. I think that’s what’s kind of unique to you all. I’m excited to experience that in person. Have you been to St. Louis before?
Luke: Oh, yeah. We like St. Louis, I think we’ve been there probably four or five times?
Love that. Did you go to Blueberry Hill?
Cole: Yeah, I think we played there.
Oh the Duck Room, that’s awesome. Now you are at The Pageant, which is a big deal! [Editor’s note: last year, they played the cavernous confines of Enterprise Center! Check out our review and photos from their set opening for AJR, courtesy of The Arts STL’s Erica Vining.—JG]
Luke: Isn’t Salt + Smoke there? Great spot, lots of good barbecue sauce—a nice array.
It is my personal opinion that Memphis Barbecue outdoes Kansas City Barbecue, and St. Louis has a lot of that Memphis barbecue. Do you have any plans for the day of the show when you’re here, or are you just trying to rest as much as you can before the show? Do you need any recommendations?
Luke: Any other barbecue spots that should be checked out?
Sugarfire is a big one that’s really good. Pappy’s is a local favorite people love. Then there’s this little spot, Adam’s Smokehouse, that’s yummy as well…
I really appreciate you taking the time out to sit and chat with me. And I am really looking forward to your upcoming album, “Trapped in the Studio,” featuring “Smiling at Luke.” Do you have the new band name for me?
Dawson: I didn’t think about it. I’m sorry.
Too busy smiling at Luke?
Dawson: I was living the action. Track one.
Luke: We’ll get back to you on that. When we see you in St. Louis, we’ll have it for you.
Thank you guys, Dawson, Cole, Luke, have a great rest of your day! | Rachel Hopson
almost monday plays The Pageant on Tuesday, November 4 with the Band CAMINO. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit thepageant.com.
almost monday on tour:
11.04.25: St Louis, MO @ The Pageant
11.05.25: Indianapolis, IN @ Old National Centre or Egyptian Room at Old National Centre
11.07.25: Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
11.08.25: Grand Rapids, MI @ GLC Live at 20 Monroe
11.09.25: Toronto, ON @ HISTORY
11.11.25: Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount
11.13.25: Washington, DC @ The Anthem
11.15.25: Boston, MA @ MGM Music Hall at Fenway
11.16.25: Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore Philadelphia
11.18.25: Louisville, KY @ Old Forester’s Paristown Hall
11.20.25: Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed
11.21.25: Columbus, OH @ KEMBA Live!
11.22.25: Nashville, TN @ The Pinnacle
12.11.25: Lincoln, CA @ Thunder Valley Casino & Resort
12.12.25: Portland, OR @ Dec to REM ’25
01.17.26: Inglewood, CA @ iHeart ALTer EGO ’26
02.19.26: Auckland, New Zealand @ Powerstation
02.21.26: Newtown, Australia @ Enmore Theatre
02.22.26: Melbourne, Australia @ Forum Melbourne
02.24.26: Brisbane, Australia @ The Tivoli
02.26.26: Fremantle, Australia @ Freo.Social
