Reviews
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 THE MONTGOMERYSby Laura Slapikoff |
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Reviews
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THE MONTGOMERYSby Laura Slapikoff |
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For instance, a typical e-mail sent to the band’s mailing list reads:
You can feel the demons fairly bristling beneath the humor and wonder how someone whose mind operates in such a manner is able to function at all. But function he does, though he lyrically admits in Unnatural Selection’s “Flat on My Back” that “It’s a mystery how normal people do that. They see the benefits of getting out of bed.” The explosiveness of Pete’s process is tamed to powerful effect on Unnatural Selection . The songs are well-structured and reflect the influence of pop masters The Beatles, John Phillips, and XTC. Despite the fact that Pete claims, “I can’t write real happy songs like Katrina & the Waves’ ‘Walking on Sunshine,” the songs have an upbeat, melodic, and catchy sound. True, lyrics like “So if I write another song about you, it might make up for me,” from “The Splendor That Is You,” or “I pray to you my soul to keep but it is punctured and it leaks,” from “Catch Her in the Rye,” are indicative of a mind at war with itself, but the fact that they’re delivered within a context of interestingly textured and solidly authoritative pop allows the listener to derive a sense of hope and survival from the record. The other Montgomerys are an all-star team that includes guitarist Tony Savarino (The Rudds, Give, x-Dale Bozzio), bass player Bob Melanson (x-Wheat, x-Tribe), pianist Andrew Malone, and drummer Mike Levesque, who’s played with The Gravel Pit, Letters to Cleo, and Scarce, to name a few. Pete himself spent his musical career prior to forming The Montgomerys in “different configurations of my old band, The Irresponsibles, since the mid-’ 80s. That band only got good towards the end of its life span. Just like a work of art, that only becomes true art once it’s been destroyed... Yeah, that’s it! The Irresponsibles did do some good stuff, however. We won Musician Magazine’s "Best Unsigned Band in the Country" competition and shortly after we toured, recorded with, and signed to Adrian Belew (Bowie, Talking Heads, Zappa). We thought we were going to be Rock Stars and that felt pretty good. We got right up next to fame and caught a taste of it, and then threw it up.” The Montgomerys’ live shows are a mixture of rock ‘n’ roll excellence interspersed with Pete’s rambling monologues, similar in fashion to the free associative rants in his e-mails. Tony’s guitar work is matchless; his leads are exciting and tasteful. Bob and Mike lay down a variety of rhythms that keep their sets from ever getting stale, and Andrew’s piano touches enrich and embellish the sound. As a front person, Pete is mischievous and funny, making fun of himself between songs but singing with conviction; there’s no doubt that this is a band, not a comedy act. When asked what it’s like to be in a band with Pete, the members all agree that he’s a brilliant songwriter and a never- ending source of amusement. “I’m sure it’s kind of fun for the other guys to watch me go off my nut every other week or maybe not? I hand-picked the best musicians I could find, and it took me two years to assemble The Montgomerys. It’s blast for me to play in band of this caliber!” Live, The Montgomerys have been known to perform songs from Pete’s days with The Irresponsibles. So what makes this band different from the Irresponsibles? “Irresponsibles were made up of my friends that I still hang out with, you know my best friends. It was a democracy, though I was the main songwriter, anyone could write or contribute anything. In the end, some things I wasn’t crazy about musically would stay in the set and on the record. I thought the band was great though and I think we deserved more than we achieved… but doesn’t everyone?” It takes a fair amount of courage to write lyrics as raw and personal as Pete’s. When questioned about art imitating life, he replies, “My life is... I was born into... I’m the type of... It was a cold May morning when... Shit I dunno? I think I am somewhat mentally ill, and the music is a pressure valve, an in-house shrink that can get me through it. If I write it down and sing it, record it, well there it is, it’s out, I did it, and somehow I feel better and can move on. There’s never any shortage of it, I just wait a while and I need to write another one. It is personal stuff and its all I can write about. I’m a maudlin depressed person who is a drama queen, I guess? C’mon kids let’s put on a show! I’ll get my Mom’s curtains and my uncle has some lumber for a stage! The most personal and disturbing song on The Montgomerys new record is the last track ‘Gut Wrenchin.’ It gives me wicked douche chills. My brother can’ t even listen to it, it douches him out so bad! It’s about the night I spent some time with my father just before he died.” The true poet causes us to discover the universal in the
specific, and ultimately, Pete Montgomery’s psychological study becomes
the listener’s own. By calling us to witness his own life struggles,
he sheds light on the struggles we all share. In lyrical terms, that
means that anyone could pick up a Montgomerys record and find something
in it that strikes a chord of truth within them. The same can be said
for the record in musical terms; anyone who loves well-crafted pop music
can’t help but fall in love with Unnatural Selection and The Montgomerys,
themselves. More Reviews:
Bucketful of Brains
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This page last modified June 03, 2007
