Psych-rock band Melodic Monster combines guitars and distortions to create ethereal vibes

On City Lights’ series “Speaking of Music,” local musicians share work and stories in their own voices. In today’s segment, we feature lead guitarist and singer-songwriter Ben Garden of the Atlanta-based psychedelic rock band Melodic Monster.

Garden first got started in music by becoming a rapper while in high school. Soon, he got into playing the flute from an episode of the Japanese Anime series “Sailor Moon” and was inspired to play the guitar by watching artists such as Slash from the band Guns N’ Roses and Kurt Cobain from the band Nirvana.

“Being around all of the genres in one place just subconsciously influences and I’m just inspired by it all,” Garden said.