RYAN MONTBLEAU [http://www.ryanmontbleau.com]In 2005, Ryan Montbleau
and his band headed into Applehead Recording in Saugerties, New York,
to cut their debut album. With nothing more than ambition and a
relentless work ethic to their names, they bootstrapped the whole
thing, maxing out credit cards to fund it themselves and launch their
careers from the ground up. Twelve years, eleven records, thousands of
shows, and 60 million Spotify streams later, Montbleau returned to the
studio for a special one-night-only concert that would become the
latest entry in his venerable catalog: ‘Woodstock Sessions.’
“There was something special about performing there again after
going into that same studio as a young buck trying to figure out how
to make my first records,” reflects Montbleau. “Coming back, I was
a decade more confident, a decade stronger in my craft. It felt like
coming full circle.”
For his performance that night, Montbleau was backed not by his usual
touring band, but by the acclaimed Boston duo Tall Heights (cellist
Paul Wright and guitarist Tim Harrington). The collaboration yielded
fresh perspective on Montbleau’s catalog, fleshing out his
stripped-down acoustic performances with gorgeous vocal blends and
elegant instrumental arrangements. Soulful and spontaneous, the set
showcased the magic that can happen when three consummate musicians
surrender themselves to the songs, when a trio of gifted artists
follow their instincts to craft a whole far greater than the sum of
its parts.
“Tall Heights’ sound just naturally wraps around mine in a way
that’s really unique,” says Montbleau. “Their harmonies and
tones are so dialed in with each other, and their voices gel around
mine perfectly. When we get together, something special tends to
happen.”
Recorded in front of an intimate audience, the resulting collection
combines the pristine audio quality of a studio record with the
contagious energy of a live album, an ideal fit for Montbleau’s
intimate, honest lyrics and spirited, dynamic delivery. The unusual
setting pushed him to step outside his comfort zone and take bold
artistic risks, assembling a setlist that was equal parts reimagined
retrospective and trial-by-fire as he mixed stripped-down versions of
songs from throughout his career with brand new tracks recorded for
the first time that night. “Less is more” was the mantra, and
while Montbleau may be best known for his barn-burning full-band
shows, he’s no stranger to the raw acoustic setting.
“I’ve been touring solo about half the year lately, and my last
release was a solo record where I really stripped the songs down to
their bare bones,” says Montbleau. “I felt like those were some of
the best songs I’ve written in my entire life, and this record is a
perfect continuation of that. The music’s fleshed out a little bit
more, but at its essence, it’s still me just pouring my heart
out.”
Montbleau’s been pouring his heart out in song since the early
2000’s, when he first began performing around his native
Massachusetts. He’d go on to collaborate with Martin Sexton,
Trombone Shorty, and Galactic among others, and share bills and stages
with artists as diverse as Tedeschi Trucks Band, Ani DiFranco, The
Wood Brothers, Rodrigo y Gabriela, and Mavis Staples, but it was
Montbleau’s ecstatic headline shows—often more than 200 of them a
year—that solidified his reputation as a live powerhouse and an
inexorable road warrior. NPR’s Mountain Stage compared his
“eloquent, soulful songwriting” to Bill Withers and James Taylor,
while Relix hailed his “poetic Americana,” and The Boston Herald
raved that “he’s made a career of confident, danceable
positivity.”
Montbleau’s never been one to rest on his laurels, though, and
‘Woodstock Sessions’ opens with a brand new song called “Looking
Glass,” a gentle, pensive track that proves his lyrical prowess and
melodic gifts are sharper now than ever before. “Busy people in the
burning sand / Take a look up from your looking glass when you can,”
he sings, his raspy voice ensconced in velvet harmony over top of
intricate fingerpicking.
“That song was written just in time for the session and it was
buzzing to get out,” explains Montbleau. “It's about the modern
day-to-day, the ways we connect and the isolation we experience from
staring at our screens all day and all night.”
The desire for connection, for a true human bond, is a recurring theme
in Montbleau’s writing. The bittersweet “Our Own Place” searches
for a home that’s perpetually just out of reach, while the brooding
“Ships In The Night” ruminates on our polarized political climate,
and the heartfelt “The Country and The Town” (a song commissioned
by PBS in Montbleau’s newly-adopted home of Vermont) celebrates the
power of community. Montbleau’s live shows are nothing if not
communal affairs, and the confessional “Help Me” reaches out a
helping hand out for anyone struggling through hard times.
“There’s still this shame tied up in mental illness or mental
struggles,” says Montbleau. “So many people experience dark, even
suicidal thoughts, and we need to talk about that more, collectively
as a society and individually as friends and families. I wrote this
song when I was going through those feelings myself, and I share it in
the hopes that it can help other folks dealing with the same thing.”
Montbleau’s songs have a way of weaving themselves into the fabric
of his listeners’ lives that way, offering up hope and light in
moments of darkness and doubt. The tender “Carry” pledges to
always be there to pick up a lover’s slack, while the striving
“Chariot (I Know)” insists upon love and faith in the face of
uncertainty, and the lilting “All Or Nothing” (which was
originally recorded and released as a single with Tall Heights)
promises better days to come. Selecting which ten tracks to include on
the album from the nearly three-and-a-half-hour concert wasn’t
easy—there’s no way to include every fan favorite—but Montbleau
ultimately let the spirit of the songs guide him.
“I’m not trying to put out my greatest hits,” he concludes.
“I’m just trying to create the best and most timely art I can.”
A lot may have changed since Ryan Montbleau first set foot in
Applehead Recording, but some things will always stay the same.
www.ryanmontbleau.com [http://www.ryanmontbleau.com]
The Parlor Room Home Sessions: Ryan Montbleau (Livestream)
Wednesday, May 27th at 8:00pm, ET
Watch it here: http://www.signaturesounds.com/homesessions
[http://www.signaturesounds.com/homesessions]
*YOU DO NOT NEED AN EVENTBRITE TICKET OR REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT.
_"Now more than ever, it's important for us to stay connected and
support the artists who bring us so much joy. Since it'll be awhile
until we can gather again, let's share the gift of music together and
look forward to better days ahead."__ _- Jim Olsen, Signature Sounds
president and Green River Festival director
Signature Sounds Presents has announced an online concert series in
response to the COVID-19 crisis. All performances start at 8 PM, EST
and are accessed via www.signaturesounds.com/homesessions
[http://www.signaturesounds.com/homesessions]. More bands will be
announced shortly and will include Parlor Room and Green River
Festival favorites along with more artists on the Signature Sounds
roster.
IF YOU'D LIKE TO TIP THE PERFORMER:
VENMO: @signaturesounds
PAYPAL: https://paypal.me/homesessionstipjar
[https://paypal.me/homesessionstipjar]
_*Please note which show you are supporting_
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28/05/2020 Last update