ABOUT
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From a wide-eyed tike delicately pressing the keys of her mother’s upright piano to a seasoned artist taking various stages across the country, Monica Marie LaBonte has always been guided by song.
With the sharp ability to craft tracks that speak to the fragility and wonder of life, the crystalline vocalist continues to attract listeners with her stirring blend of folk and country. At times, her lyrics come across as wise whisperings from a dear friend. At others, they hold all the vulnerability and transparency of raw confessions. A keen observer, LaBonte bears witness to life’s magic and heartache and artfully weaves the intricacies of the human condition into tunes that possess undeniable intimacy, grace and grit.
In her over 10-year career, the Colorado native has played hundreds of venues, including the historic Gold Hill Inn and Planet Bluegrass. Whether belting out ballads in a small listening room or playing to tens of thousands at an open-air venue, she brings a palpable authenticity to each gig.
Known for her stint in mystic-Americana band Monocle, her stellar musicianship and gift for commanding a stage shines just as bright in her solo work.
Armed with an acoustic and her truth, it’s clear LaBonte is pursuing her art for all the right reasons. Although her creative pursuits are guided by pure passion, LaBonte hasn’t escaped critical praise and success. A finalist In the 2018 Songwriter Showcase, at Rocky Mountain Folks Fest in Lyons, Colo., she continues to impress with her art.
A natural-born wordsmith — in the vein of Joni Mitchell and Alison Krauss — it’s easy to see why the songstress has packed coffeehouses, held her own on the lineup at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and been hailed as having “a voice I trust” by fellow musician Daniel Rodriguez (founding member of Elephant Revival).
Powerful, yet understated — poetic, yet real — LaBonte remains one to watch.
About See Through (released Fall 2020):
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Monica Marie LaBonte sees things. Then she turns them into songs and sings them. She does this masterfully on her debut EP, “See Through,” released on November 13, 2020.
Songs are like windows. They let us look back through the past and out into the future. But songs work both ways. We can also see the singer through them. In this collection of songs, we see Monica mourning her Grandma’s passing on “Any Old Day.” We see her reckoning with how depression comes in waves on “River Song.” And we hear her singing in what Pop Matters calls a “soulful, earthly voice” about love, loss, transformation and rebirth.
The songs on “See Through” are about transitions. “Tall Pines,” for instance, captures the experience of moving from the rocky mountains of Colorado to the verdant hills of Alabama. This EP also marks a transformation for Monica. She wrote these songs on the cusp of motherhood and is now releasing them as her son, Cadence, turns one. Monica describes how “with less time now, I enjoy every
moment I get to make music.”
Monica sings about being “cured with prayer and song.” No Depression describes her songwriting as “music to touch the gentle soul.” These songs are the healing balm we all need. “See Through” was released on November 13, 2020.
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