Ryan Montbleau Band is building a bridge between Americana, folk, blues, ragtime, 70's soul and the contemporary singer-songwriter vibe of artists like Martin Sexton, David Gray and Ray Lamontagne. Thanks to their loyal and attentive fan base their debut - One Fine Color - sold nearly 1000 units within two weeks of its release.
The Boat Song
Released on Valentines Day, One Fine Color has a classic album format, with a seamless flow and a cohesive artistic vision, standing in the face of today's emphasis on singles. The record debuted in the Homegrown Music Networks charts at #11 this March, and is being played on scores of commercial, non-commercial and college programs throughout America. The album is currently available at select internet outlets including awarestore.com, cdfreedom.com, homegrownmusic.net and through ryanmontbleau.com. It has also been picked up for distribution in Japan and Europe and is being considered for a major national distribution deal.
Having begun his career playing Boston's coffee shops and folk venues as a solo artist with an infectious, percussive, finger-picking guitar style, the charismatic Ryan Montbleau has evolved into the front man for the dynamic, eclectic ensemble that bears his name. In addition to Ryan with his voice, acoustic and electric guitars, the band is comprised of Matt Giannaros (acoustic upright bass, electric bass, vocals), Laurence Scudder (viola), Jason Cohen (piano, organ, clavinet, Rhodes) and James Cohen (drums). The sound that emerges is akin to a cross between Van Morrison and Jack Johnson, with a touch of Stevie Wonder and The Band.
While the arrangements and intriguing instrumentation bring about this alchemic transformation in the music, it is all anchored firmly on Ryan's meaningful lyrical content and an unmistakable voice that carries it to the audience. Rest assured, the audience responds.
Although record labels have been making inquiries and expressing interest, Ryan Montbleau Band has continued to cruise under the proverbial radar, without the benefit of label support or funding of any sort and they are achieving success on the road that may well rival or exceed that of many of their signed, better-financed and supported peers.
Thanks to their loyal, attentive and active fan base, Ryan Montbleau Band is experiencing near exponential growth in attendance. Word is spreading fast as fans fill pages upon pages with discussion threads on Internet message boards, building an on line community, buying and trading the music, filling clubs throughout the Northeast, and propelling the band into the Southeast and Midwest, where news fans who have heard the buzz are waiting to see a show.
Festival bookings are streaming in — too many to accommodate in some areas - and major labels are asking for copies of the CD. This is a grass roots response to an artist on the rise, and Ryan Montbleau Band owes it all to their loyal fans.
TOUR DATES:
04.07 | Stanley's Pub | Cincinnati, OH (opening for Jon Justice Band)
04.08 | Wise Fools Pub | Chicago, IL
04.22 | Green Living Expo & Concert | Albany, NY (early show)
04.22 | Coda | New York, NY (opening for The Slip)
04.23 | Living Proof Festival | Providence, RI
04.25 | College of New Jersey | Ewing, NJ
04.26 | The Space | Hamden, CT
04.27 | Parting Glass | Saratoga Springs, NY
04.28 | The Electric Company | Utica, NY
04.29 | The Java Barn | Canton, NY
05.03 | Hawk's Nest | West Hartford, CT
05.04 | Mexicali Blues | Teaneck, NJ
05.05 | Iron Horse Music Hall | Northampton, MA
05.06 | The Big Easy | Portland, ME
05.12 | Higher Ground | Burlington, VT
05.13 | Sully's Pub | Hartford, CT
05.19 | The Brewery Exchange | Lowell, MA
05.26 | Dyanamic Grooves Music Festival | Northport, NY
05.27 | Sterling Stage Kampitheater | Sterling, NY
05.28 | Strange Creek Campout | Greenfield, MA
05.29 | Club Passim | Cambridge, MA
06.02 | River Street Jazz | Wilkes-Barre, PA
06.03 | Rhubarb Festival | Canton, NY
06.04 | Post-Star Summer Festival | Glen's Falls, NY
06.09 | Stone Church | Newmarket, NH
06.24 | Raleigh Downtown Live | Raleigh, NC (opening for Big Head Todd and the Monsters)
06.30 | Rock and Blues Harbor Cruise | Boston, MA
07.28 | Festivus | Lebanon, CT
07.28 | Oswego Harbor Fest | Oswego, NY
07.29 | Camp Creek | Mariaville, NY
