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Monte Montgomery, well rested and energized, graced Antone’s stage in Austin, TX on Friday night, after returning from a successful but grueling eight state eastern tour. The current and four-time winner of the Austin Music Award for Best Acoustic Guitarist played before a huge and eager crowd Friday night at the city’s renowned nightclub. The place was packed to the gills, nearly 1,000 fans, no one having more than an 18-inch square block of floor space to occupy for the evening. And you dared not move from that valued real estate, as there was no hope of regaining the spot. It was a noticeably young crowd too, with only a few of us middle aged types interspersed among the college-aged folks.
After a stellar performance from the flirtatious and supremely gifted vocalist Lisa Tingle, Monte and the boys took the stage around 11:30 p.m. They were obviously glad to be home and playing before an enthusiastic audience in their favorite venue. Monte made several quips about the people and experiences the band encountered during their eastern tour, which must have been a memorable one to say the least. Monte declared, "A guy at one of the East Coast shows told me ‘You deserve to play before larger and more appreciative crowd than what came to the show tonight.’ I told him we do in Austin!" The audience roared. The band was loose, upbeat, and having a great time joking around with each other. The thing about this performance that stood out was that Monte played a number of his standard songs with unusual improvisations, both presentation and solo-wise. The fearlessness and creativity of the presentation was what made the night unique, along with a silly array of antics from Monte and the band.
Monte plans to play sparingly and spend most of April and May in the studio recording material for his third CD on the Antone’s label. It’s been two years since his last release, "Mirror," with Heart Music, an effort that was recognized as one of the twelve best CDs in 1999 by Performing Songwriter. The new CD is expected to be on store shelves by early fall and hopefully under the "Rock" classification. His adoring fans, who refer to themselves as Montiacs, scoff at Best Buy’s insistence of selling "Mirror" and "1st and Repair" in the Country section. While it’s true that Monte’s unique style is tough to categorize, Monte refers to his work as acoustic pop/rock. He writes and performs a diverse array of musical styles from beautiful love ballads to hard-hitting rock numbers. His music is played on Rock, Blues, Adult Contemporary, and yes, even Country radio station around the country.
However Monte Montgomery’s music is categorized by the music industry, his ever growing legion of fans are working hard to get the word out about this exceptionally gifted singer/song writer/acoustic guitarist. While the grassroots promotional efforts of The Montiacs have intrigued live music lovers and music media enough to attend a show, it’s Monte’s live performances that reel them into the fold. Few musicians can approach Monte’s guitar prowess and passionate delivery on stage. Sensational lyrics, catchy melodies, great vocals, and eye-popping guitar gymnastics can’t help but astonish savvy music enthusiasts. It’s not uncommon for Monte’s fans around the country to travel hundreds of miles to watch him perform, several schedule their vacation time to maximize their Monte viewing opportunities. Be forewarned, his performances and his music are infectious. Whatever you do, never leave a Monte Montgomery shows early because he saves the best for last.
Mike Ray
JamBase Correspondent: Austin, Texas
Monte Montgomery’s itinerary include performances at the following locations:
4/21/01 Ft. Worth Main Street Art Festival, Fort Worth, TX
4/25/01 Dave's On Dickson, Fayetteville, AR
4/26/01 Legend's, Memphis, TN
4/28/01 Festival Int'l LaFayette Scene Vermilion, LaFayette, LA
05/4/01 The Lab, San Antonio, TX
05/5/01 The Pier, Austin, TX
05/26/01 Luckenbach Dance Hall, Luckenbach, TX
08/31/01 Bedford Labor Day Festival, Bedford, TX
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