Monokel, a German blues rock band, was formed in 1976 in Berlin by Sebastian Baur, Wilfried Borchert, Frank “Gala” Gahler, Mario Janik, and Jörg “Speiche” Schütze. The band released their debut album Fünf nette, junge Herren die 1a Kraft-Blues machen in 1986, and continued to release albums throughout the 1990s and 2000s, such as Monokel (1995) and Das Monster vom Schilkinsee (2006). They also faced internal conflicts and lineup changes over the years but remained active. In 2006, they released a live album titled Live in Köpenick 16.07.2006 and celebrated their 40th anniversary with the release of 40 Jahre Monokel Kraftblues in 2017.
