1st and Repair by Monte Montgomery

Glance around the room wherever he plays and witness wall-to-wall looks of sheer slack-jawed astonishment.” -– Terry Lickona, Producer, AUSTIN CITY LIMITS, PBS-TV http://www.pbs.org/klru/austin/artists/program57.html

"The gifted guitar wizard... Monte Montgomery embodies everything that a six-string hero from Austin should, but dares to be different by not using a Stratocaster or any other kind of electric guitar. In a city that reared Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Johnson and Chris Duarte, such affinity for an acoustic guitar is almost sacriligious, but Montgomery proves he's a devout follower of his predecessors by wowing audiences, who can't believe how electrifying his shows really are. With ‘1st and Repair’, the 30 year old guitar slinger took matters one step further, showcasing his singing and songwriting talents. The combination of his sandy voice and loose, laid-back,fingerpicking guitar style has earned comparisons to Mark Knopfler and Bruce Cockburn, but his connection to the fabled Texas town of Luckenbach -– he spent his teens there -– and his heartfelt, soulful approach to sonwriting have made him a uniquely Lone Star figure." -– Chris Riemenschneider, BILLBOARD Magazine

"At the helm of the burgeoning music scene in Austin, Texas is Monte Montgomery, a guitar virtuoso who blends down-home country vibes with smooth pop and hints of R&B. Though Montgomery's band is only three strong (with the bassist Chris Maresh and the drummer Phil Bass), its sonic qualities are monstrous; each musician exhibits tremendous dexterity, and the trio often sounds like a six-piece band. Montgomery is most inspiring live, but his group's skilful riffs and crafted lyrics have carried over nicely to its second album, "Mirror" (Heart Music), released in June of this year." -– Andrew Taber, The New York Times

"Monte Montgomery tears it up on the fretboard and the mic, and he's brought a strong rhythm section just for reinforcement. His guitar playing describes a true wealth of sounds -– just picture a slap-bass player on an acoustic steel string with a penchant for Stevie Ray Vaughn, and you'll be in the ballpark. At the same time, his blazing fingerstyle, precise, percussive accompaniment, and exceedingly creative use of harmonics are only part of his truly unique guitar style. And Montgomery's outstanding technique does not prevent him from delivering a clear, melodic solo that dances through the changes. The folk-tinged songwriting is well developed, and this man's got stuff to say about life and love. In fact, Montgomery is an impressive, versatile vocalist in his own right. The album's single, ‘1st and Repair,’ features a multi-syllabic John Popper style, while he boasts a range and vibrato on ‘Leaving Paradise’ that could easily make him a candidate for Boyz II Men. It's all in a day's work for this multi-talented six-stringer." -– Rolling Stone Magazine

BEST IN THE U.S. - THE TOP 10 BEST (UNDISCOVERED) GUITARISTS IN AMERICA. “Holy Sh*t! Rewind!... Monte was the first artist chosen for this column (the first to make our jaws drop!) His scorching yet musical solos combined with great pop sensibility in his songwriting is what caught our ear. But when you consider that he's playing those Van Halen-esque solos on an acoustic guitar with distortion, it becomes a slam dunk!" -– Michael Mueller, Guitar One Magazine

“Monte’s intuitive right- and left-hand approaches lead to his developing some unorthodox techniques. Today he seasons his playing with some often spectacular string slapping, two-handed tapping, percussive string stops, six-fret stretches on chords and daring intervallic leaps on single-note solos.” -– Bill Milkowski, Guitar World Acoustic

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