If you’re a fan of The Monkees (I am!) and/or the music of California (guilty!), the name Andrew Sandoval is no doubt familiar. He’s worked for Rhino Records, written impeccably thoughtful and detailed lines on many a project, and helped the world realize how great the Monkees are – for starters. Now, he’s the proprietor of Beatland Books, a boutique press that has published a collection of outstanding titles, including Day-By-Day tomes devoted to The Monkees and the Kinks.
2026 marks the 60th anniversary of The Monkees, and a significant amount of product has been released devoted to the band. Musically, we’ve seen the rerelease of the band’s 2016 studio album, Good Times, which was heralded then as a surprisingly strong album and continues to stand the test of time.
The A’s, the B’s, and the Monkees is a two-disc set that compiles the band’s singles, and Andrew Sandoval contributed insightful liner notes. The same goes for Made For TV: Official Soundtrack to Season One of The Monkees, which includes two CDs and a piece of vinyl, collecting music from the show’s first season, along with a Blu-ray of episodes. You can read our review here.
Along with all this music, Andrew Sandoval has been working on a new Monkees title for Beatland Books. The Monkees on TV – Season One, currently available for pre-order, will delve deep into the show that helped make Micky Dolenz, Mike Nesmith, Peter Tork, and Davy Jones enduring icons.
I’ve wanted to chat with Andrew Sandoval for years about his career and his deep love for the music I’m passionate about, too. I was happy we finally got to. Enjoy our wide-ranging chat about music, The Monkees, publishing, and lots more.
And to conclude, here’s “Goin’ Back” by The Byrds from their 1968 album, The Notorious Byrd Brothers.
