Time and Again Ryan Montebleau Tab

Posted by: ryanmontbleau | December 28, 2012

Connection

I'm reading Studs Terkel's famous oral history book chosen "Working." It's a collection of over 100 interviews with people of different professions. As the front embrace says, "People talk virtually what they practice all day and how they feel virtually what they do." Everyone from a gravedigger, to a studio head, to a policeman, to a prostitute, to a piano tuner.

It was published in 1972 and ane of the most fascinating parts of the read is the way that jobs accept changed in the terminal 40 years. Certain professions don't even be anymore, and many others are now a far, far cry from what these people draw. Only equally fascinating are the ways in which things haven't changed. The human element remains. People are people and humanity endures.

This night while reading a section nearly a telephone solicitor in Chicago, I got the thought for this blog. The woman'southward task required her to cold-phone call people all day long on behalf of a big paper, soliciting people for subscriptions. Information technology was a high pressure job and she would be told to lie to potential customers if needed. She would tell them for instance that their money would back up a clemency for the bullheaded, annihilation to fill her quota of subscriptions and continue her task.

When describing her guilt at taking money from people in the poorer sections of town, she said:

"A lot of them were then happy that someone actually called. They could talk all day long to me. They told me all their bug and I'd listen. … They were so elated to hear someone overnice, someone just to listen a few minutes to something that had happened to them. Somehow to bear witness concern nearly them."

I've been pretty lonely away from the phase this year for various personal reasons and lately I find myself in an countless loop of: check Twitter, check Facebook, check my email, bank check Instagram, bank check Twitter, bank check Facebook, ship a text, check my electronic mail, text again, check Instagram, post a pic, status update, and on and on and on…

And why? In a nutshell it'due south because I'yard peckish connection. To utilise the same words from the quote above, I desire "someone just to listen for a few [seconds] to something that had happened to [me]."

Don't nosotros all? We use social media and other modernistic connection tools for so many different reasons, but I accept to believe that this idea is at the cadre of why we do it.

The lesson I demand to take from this? Lend people your ear. Heed to them. Hold a little space for them whenever you can, give them a few seconds or a few minutes whenever you lot can spare it. We are all continued and these connections prevarication far, far deeper than Facebook or a text or an email. Although it'southward non a bad offset if nosotros tin can apply those things in the correct mode.

And this goes for anybody. Strangers, friends, hell fifty-fifty your enemies. The danger of social media is that we can insulate ourselves in a chimera with only the people we concur with. But it's the "the states against them" mentality that'll exist our undoing. People are hurting. People are scared and lone and confused and misinformed and anybody gets trapped by their own ego. Everyone. Even you.

Show yourself pity and show it to somebody else today.

I was but playing my guitar for a while solitary in my room. I wasn't practicing really, only playing. Well, at first I was practicing to a metronome, trying to nail downward a few little melodic licks that ran through my caput. I take done so lilliputian of that over the years and must practise more than. But and then I was merely playing. That I've washed A LOT of over the years to exist sure. But it felt like it had been a little while and I was but standing at that place, playing to my heart's content, letting my inner ear and my fingers take me wherever I could manage to go.

And eventually I hit upon this one fiddling thing. Very uncomplicated. Based off an A chord but with a tiny little melodic affair attached. So uncomplicated that many, many, many, many guitar players could play what I just played. Simply it struck me that in that location was a footling something in that "lick" that I was really feeling inside. And it struck me further that if I kept playing that, and played it as purely and equally deeply equally I could, then maybe I could play information technology unlike anybody else on earth.

Hubris… perchance, but I think there'due south an element of truth in there. All those years of just playing. Playing, playing, playing, which for me essentially started in a dorm room at Villanova in the mid xc's and lasted right up through my room session this night– at some point during that time I inadvertently developed a style. Sure things come out of you when yous beat on a guitar over and over and over for years. One major matter that came out for me years agone was a slappy percussive thing. You can hear it on 75 & Sunny, Honeymoon Eyes, and a bunch of other tunes. That's non a guitar style that I consciously gear up out to learn. It's only what happened from playing and trying to make information technology sound proficient over and over and over over again.

It strikes me that most people take some kind of unique element to their playing if they keep reaching for what they hear and spend enough time on their instrument. Across what you lot hear in your caput, people'south fingers are shaped differently, their dexterity naturally differs, they play with unlike levels of tension (not that tension is a good thing for your trunk), they apply space in different means. This is not to say that it's not essential to imitate the sound of others. (In fact, that is a crucial learning tool for anyone and I could be a much better musician today if I had done more of that over the years. Information technology'south not taking away from your own unique style, it just helps you in the long run.) But it fascinates me the different sounds that come out of different people, fifty-fifty if they're trying to play the same thing.

Peter Prince's "The Gift" is a great example of this. The tune is pretty easy to acquire, based off of elementary guitar chords. Grand, D, C, etc. We used to embrace this tune so I've played it. But I can't quite play it similar Peter. And I believe somehow that no one tin. Listen close. It's not so hard that even a beginner couldn't learn how to play the song. And what he himself is doing is non then impossible that someone couldn't spend a bunch of time on it to get every little nuance of his operation on the audio-visual guitar. But Peter didn't have to do that. He just played it and what your hear is how he played it.

All of these ideas fascinate me:

The nuances that come naturally from playing your instrument your way.

The nuances you can learn and hone in on from practice.

The beyond.

What is the beyond?

Maybe the new nuances. The ones that naturally sprout up from your unique playing, but that you tin at present find more hands, strop in on and nurture all the better considering you are a good do-er.

(Errr… practitioner. )

It'southward only a hunch. Peradventure someday if I'm a practiced practitioner I can tell you for sure.

6 Comments

Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: acoustic, band, blog, gift, guitar, montbleau, peter, practice, practitioner, prince, ryan, mode

It was a Facebook message from a friend of a friend that sparked me to write this blog. That and looking at the van and trailer exterior the Red Roof Inn just now in Kalamazoo, MI.

"gotta tell ya what ur doing has many ppl crossing their fingas and holdin' thier breath till YOU think you lot've fabricated it. personally, u made it a long fourth dimension ago. continue on keepin on. :-)"

The question of whether or non you've "fabricated it" is one that you turn over in your head from the commencement, I recollect. When y'all commencement out in this business, you accept some unrealistic expectations. But you lot know you're supposed to be apprehensive, and so yous are. I call up I've always held the belief that there actually is no making it, at least not in the usual sense. Information technology'south all well-nigh the journey, etc., etc. You don't merely become rich and famous one day or dark and say "OK! Everything is perfect now." I think most people know that.

Only the question of when I think I've really made it is very interesting to me correct now. I'thou going through some sort of transition in my confidence as of belatedly. It'south weird and maybe contradictory to say this, simply at times I think I've sort of been humble to the point where it tin can touch me and my career negatively. I get wishy-washy in my fight for people's ears. It'southward a fine line as a performer. You need to practice humility, but you also need to be the man upwardly at that place, yous know? You need to believe that you're good. Damn good. Otherwise, why are you doing this?

So I've been trying to "discover my feet." I've been trying to stand upwards straight, to stand up alpine. Hell, just standing up in general has been a large deal for me. Two weeks ago I played my first gig e'er where I didn't sit downward the entire testify. It'due south liberating. I stand up all night every night now. I do a footling goofy trip the light fantastic toe here and in that location, I motility around. I observe the crowd and I sing out as strong as I can. Everything is starting to loosen upwardly, and this is a much needed transition.

OK, a petty off topic there, simply some factors popped into my caput tonight that make me think I've made information technology. 1 is the vehicle we're traveling in. We bought a great, huge, new van in the fall. Early this year we pimped the hell out of it with a leather couch and amazingly comfy seats and bunks to nap on in the dorsum. We pull all of our gear in a trailer.  This is such a far cry from some of the vans of years past, I tell you that's making information technology.

The guy who congenital all of this in our van, and the guru of the trailer is also the guru of our sound every night. His name is Luke Milanese and he's the side by side reason that tells me I've fabricated it. I tin can't actually imagine a better sound engineer. Luke is special and has a special manner of identifying weaknesses and making things better and better and better. We besides travel with our ain soundboard now and Luke wields that affair like a powerful weapon. Nosotros stream the shows online every dark. Nosotros offer pristine recordings right subsequently the show. We have a serious operation going on hither.

And I volition take our guitar histrion over anyone's. And our bassist. And our keyboard player. And our percussionist. And our drummer.

And I mean that. Seeing a agglomeration of professionals assembled effectually me night after dark, kicking donkey at their jobs, showing years of hard work on their instruments paying off– that's the existent stuff that tells me I've fabricated it.

I have to go to bed so I won't fifty-fifty go into the other m reasons that I think I may have made information technology. Simply I'll leave you with one:

You merely financed a record of mine that no one has heard.  And and so some!  There is no acceptable fashion to evidence my gratitude for that, there is nothing I can say except…

I tin can't wait for you to hear it.  And I can't look to make another one.

http://flake.ly/4higher

This was my 2d Jam Cruise. 2 years ago, our band got voted on to the boat for Jam Cruise 8. This year they invited me to play as a solo performer. v days and nights on a luxury liner with with my girlfriend in a motel that had a balcony off the side of the boat. iii,000 raging party-goers, v stages, maybe 35 bands with almost a zillion musicians who would blow my heed.

It's hard to fit information technology all into words, it'southward actually incommunicable. I remember one of my favorite little personal moments of the trip was in the artist's lounge/wine bar on the seventh floor nigh the jam room. The room was well-nigh empty (information technology usually is), merely in the corner sat Bill Kreutzman of the Grateful Dead giving an interview aslope Papa Mali. Kreutzman told a funny story well-nigh how he was a footling nervous when he was going to be playing with George Porter Jr. but when he showed up for their first gig together, George was already in that location, setting up Bill's drums for him. I turned to head out of the lounge when the interview was over and there at the piano in the same room was Nigel Hall going over a tune with Living Color's Corey Glover.

Just waiting in the creative person/staff line to get on to the gunkhole is enough to brand any fan of the jam earth'due south head spin. Nosotros fabricated room in the alley where Neal Evans caught upward with Karl Denson in front end of us. When the line started to move, nosotros passed Marco Benevento sitting to the side with his wife and cute kids. Met Raul from Ozomatli for the first time. Said how-do-you-do to Anders Osborne and to George Porter and met George's wife. Chatted with Robert Mercurio from Galactic. Slapped hands with Trombone Shorty's guys.

My intention is non to proper noun-driblet here.  I'one thousand simply saying this was THE FIRST xxx MINUTES OF GETTING THERE, WAITING TO Get ON THE Boat.  I was like:

"Holy shit there are some talented people getting on to this gunkhole right now. If a terrorist blew up this building there would be no jamming in the United States for the next 2 decades."

And that, by far is the overwhelming force of jam cruise: the music. This sounds obvious, but bear in listen, yous're on a enormous cruise ship with 15 floors, restaurants, bars, lounges, a spa, a mini-golf form, a disco. You're cruising into the Caribbean Ocean making stops in Haiti and Jamaica… believe me in that location is plenty of other stimulation to go effectually! Merely the tidal wave of music on this thing just trumps information technology all.

Some thoughts:

I recollect Eric Krasno is a genius. Beyond his musicianship, beyond his guitar playing, I tend to remember that he's this kind of special connector point for a ton of music and musicians coming together. It's difficult to imagine the jam scene without him. And it's a testament to his vision of music that what he does is not really "jam ring" (any that means anymore) in the first place.  I will say on that notation, he sounds better than ever. Dude is RIPPING, not to mention he had some cute, sublime quieter moments during Soulive's theater set. And watching him at work in his dwelling studio a few months agone, it's articulate that he understands the ins and outs of tunes every bit well as anyone out there. Breathes music.

Speaking of Krasno… Lettuce must exist the sickest funk/soul band on the planet. It's only hard to imagine it getting much better. Adam Deitch is a special drummer. They're all special players.

Mike Dillon has moved into my "favorite musicians on the planet" category.

Here are my favorite musical moments/sets from Jam Cruise Ten:

• Anders Osborne doing the original Paul Pena version of "Jet Airliner" http://www.youtube.com/watch?five=Cjr5U7g6aiA with Galactic and Corey Glover on the pool deck at night.

• Keller and the Keels in the theater. This ane surprised me. Jaw-dropping picking and fun, fun, fun.

• Soulive in the theater. The early originals, the Beatles tunes, and for me, the crusher: D'Angelo's Untitled (How Does it Feel), which got quiet and sublimely beautiful.

• Dead Kenny G's late dark in the Zebra Lounge. Mike Dillon and Skerik taking y'all to hell and back with sit down-ins from Stanton Moore and Brad Barr. Mind bravado musical genius with punk rock energy.

• Toots and the Maytals on the pool deck in the dominicus. 54-46 into a gospel jam out in the breeze with frozen drinks as we leave Jamaica? Yes delight.

And my ain musical moments:

• Sitting in with Galactic for "50 Ways to Exit Your Lover."

• Playing tunes at "The Spot" with Nathan Moore, Brad Barr, and others. Great weblog about this by Scotty Bernstein: http://www.glidemagazine.com/hiddentrack/jc10-journal-on-the-16-of-every-60 minutes-last-dark-at-the-spot/

• Singing "Love Rears It's Ugly Head" with Living Colour's Corey Glover and Galactic. Total dream come up true for me. I used to listen to that song over and over in my Walkman in the backseat of my parents machine equally they collection. Cut to Jam Cruise 2012 and Corey'due south got his arm around my neck and we're singing it together on stage.

• Watching the end of Trombone Shorty's ready from the back of the stage on the pool deck.  People in the crowd singing the words that I wrote to "Something Beautiful" while Troy performed it.  I got tears in my eyes.

• Playing a set on the puddle deck with the oversupply yelling either "Polo!" or "Benevento!" every time I yelled "Marco!"

• Serenading the practiced folks of Positive Legacy in the fine dining restaurant. When I played "Don't Worry Exist Happy," even the waiters started singing and dancing.

I also sang "Pumped Up Kicks" on phase with Toubab Krewe only it wasn't my finest work. All the same, an honor to sit down in with that ring.

I leave tomorrow for a tour that will have me on another cruise: Cayamo. Way, way different then Jam Prowl by all accounts and I am blessed to be able to do both. Ironically, we will accept the full band.  This one is a songwriter cruise: Lyle Lovett, John Prine, John Hiatt, Richard Thompson, Lucinda Williams, Greg Brown, many others. More about the listening than the dancing and raging. Still, I am psyched to throw down with the guys and I will exist sure to blog nigh it.

Ahoy!

2 Comments

Posted in music, Uncategorized | Tags: x, adam, corey, cruise, deitch, dillon, glover, jam, jamcruise, keller, krasno, mike, montbleau, ryan, ryanmontbleau, shorty, soulive, trombone, Ten

"Success is gratitude."

Another gem from Livingston Taylor's book.  Think well-nigh that.  Successful people are thankful.  In that location is so much power in that idea.  They say if you take time every day and brand a listing of what you're thankful for, it'll transform your life.  I believe that.  Not that I've been making lists.  But I practise pray sometimes.  And across praying for others, I always try to speak a silent "thank-Y'all" for what I have.

Spent Christmas Eve and Christmas with Jess' family.  A banquet of food and gifts and conversation and family unit love effectually an old tabular array in an old house in an old town in Massachusetts.  Warm lights and the smell of a huge pot roast with delicious vegetables and fresh baked breadstuff.  Endless desserts.  Wine.  Piffling barking dogs.

And now I'thou back home in my big cluttered room in a cold firm in Lawrence, the infinite heater bustling and the old radiators whistling, trying their best.  I just watched a documentary nigh Jean-Michel Basquiat on Netflix.  The other night I stayed up until 5am to watch a fascinating bear witness well-nigh found-life (no bullshit).  Skate videos have been in heavy rotation, political articles, a total-length documentary near Christian Hosoi, an inspiring picayune interview clip of Kelly Oxford, Thrasher Mag, a corking article nigh sleep cycles, recipes for cilantro-love-lime marinade.  And I've been reading Josh Ritter's novel "Bright'due south Passage."  It'due south great.

I'm soaking stuff in.  The guitar feels good when I pick information technology upwardly, I've expert a little too.  I oasis't really been writing, except for this weblog.  Mostly I'grand just taking in.  And semi-stressing about the New year'southward shows.  They volition be great merely nosotros have to make them great.  We need new things to happen, new covers, new collaborations.  I always stress about this stuff heading in but that'south simply part of the process I guess.  Can't wait to snowboard.

This encephalon dump has been brought to you past a few needed days without shows.  I'yard not sure where I'm going with all of this, why I experience the need to share.  Simply I do.  I'm floating in the creation, keeping the feelers out for whatever passes past.  I'm looking for a little clarity, a little management right now.

And I am thankful that you're listening.

We drove home all day yesterday from Wilkes-Barre, PA to Lawrence, MA. Not the longest drive in the grand scheme of things, just those six hours always seem longer than they are. Information technology probably has something to do with the fact that I'thou inevitably hungover when I go out Wilkes-Barre, PA.

I'm starting to feel similar I used to feel when I got home from touring. Exhausted and antsy at the aforementioned fourth dimension. Very tempted to get fucked up, to go out of my head at any cost. When you move around so much at a million miles an hour (or 75mph, whichever) and and so you lot come home and you suddenly stop… information technology can be hard to know what to practise with yourself. I'm trying to eat good, I went to yoga tonight, I sent my parents some wine and a Christmas card and ran another errands today.

After yoga I cooked a repast for one with more enough food for ii. Fifty-fifty when I'm home, my house is 98 miles and a ferry ride from my girlfriend, so that's merely the style it goes sometimes. And I found a nice bottle of wine tucked abroad from some pot-luck or dinner party of yore. The smell of garlic in the air, seasoned warm chicken, mashed sugariness potatoes, the steamed broccoli. I uncorked the bottle and happily downed a glass of that Chilean red with dinner in front of the Idiot box. When I ate my seconds I drank water to rehydrate from the Bikram. But I was so much looking forwards to that adjacent glass of wine. I wondered if I would perhaps finish up downing the whole bottle.

And when I gear up out to exercise the dishes, I opened a chiffonier and knocked the near-total bottle of wine clean off the marble counter. Information technology smashed on the flooring in a million pieces. Shards of dark green glass and red pools that made our kitchen wait like a murder scene, all spreading over the hardwood and seeping under the fridge.

Fuck.

Perchance that's a sign that I'k non supposed to exist drinking.

We sold out 2 nights at Fairfield Theatre Company's small-scale room this weekend. Last week nosotros sold out the Paradise in Boston with Assembly of Grit. 2 weeks before that nosotros sold out City Winery in New York City. That was the end of a two-month bout during which we played 37 cities, carrying seven guys and pulling a vi×12 trailer with our new van. I tin can't say many of those were sell-outs, but every night there was a oversupply of some sort (except for Athens, GA, but that'south still a slap-up town) and every night was positive.

Information technology all feels on the up and up. My body has suffered some from all of the touring, but the shows have been feeling outstanding for the most role. I read Livingston Taylor'southward book "Phase Performance"  while on tour and it has really rocked my earth as far every bit existence on stage. You may not meet a big difference, but I certainly feel i. I'grand there to find you, non the other style around. Amazing.

A couple of notes virtually my forthcoming "New Orleans" record:

–It is not a record of New Orleans music. I did the recording session in the crescent city with four of its amazing, astonishing people and players (George Porter Jr., Ivan Neville, Anders Osborne, Simon Lott, plus producer Ben Ellman), but nosotros did a mix of originals and semi-deep covers of the funk/soul/R&B variety. Information technology is very unlike from other records I have done.

–Information technology looks like information technology's coming out May xv ^th . We had to push it back slightly mainly because…

–I will exist my own record label again. This is non something new, I've never in my career had an actual record bargain (although I did sign a small distribution deal a few years ago for "Patience on Friday" and concluded up owing that label money. Awesome…) I idea that something might work out for this new album and for the get-go time I was actually looking forward to the opportunity to really work with a characterization. At that place was definitely some interest, merely in the end I'1000 going it alone again. Well, not solitary, I've got 2 managers, an agent, Trader Dan, the band, Ryan Laurey, friends, fans, family, and soon a temporary publicist if I can enhance the funds.

–So I retrieve we're starting a Kickstarter, or PledgeMusic campaign in Jan. I've ever been leery about going to the fans for funding. But selling the house concerts on eBay is what allowed me to make this record in the first place. I think we tin can have some fun with putting it out and I will merely practice it because people get something directly for what they give. Incentives, y'all…

What else… Oh, hoping to web log more. Heh…

(I started this on the road in Wisconsin terminal calendar week and finished information technology today in Massachusetts..)

Thought my laptop was completely fried, hard drive, files, unfinished songs and all, but James stock-still information technology and hither I am!  Writing from a cottage on a beautiful lake in Wisconsin.  Elkhart Lake, to exist exact.

We continue to lead overjoyed lives.  With hardcore space-shuttle van missions in between to become to the charmed destinations.  The rear A/C unit in the Sprinter broke.  Not the terminate of the world, but information technology tin make for some uncomfortable 13-hour drives, which nosotros're doing regularly every bit of late.  Got to get to the finish of the rainbow!  On Sabbatum we played in front end of maybe 1000-2000 people at an outdoor beer festival in Denver.  The side by side twenty-four hours we played Mishawaka Amphitheater in the gorgeous Rockies, a river rushing direct behind the stage, tossing out absurd moist mountain air.

And so we got in the dilapidated blue shuttle and drove 13 hours on Monday, munching on Colorado'southward finest magical oyster crackers and winding up in a hotel in Iowa for six well-earned hours of sleep.  Got up and dove some other six hours yesterday to go to this cute footling lake town in Wisconsin.  The people are extremely friendly, the food is amazing, and bratwurst, cheese and beer are an fine art-form not to be taken lightly.

We are thankful to take a two-nighttime stand here.  It means nosotros didn't have to drive anywhere today.  Or load out final night.

Kalamazoo, Michigan.  Des Moines, Iowa.  Wichita, Kansas.  Bellvue, Colorado.  Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.  Everywhere we go, there are people who know the words to the songs.  People sporting the t-shirts.  People who collection from ii hours abroad to run into the show.  Even the places we take never been to (Kalamazoo, Des Moines), it seems we tin count on 50-lx people showing up and being pumped on an off-night during the week.

Tomorrow we will drive xiv hours due east and then some other three or so the next day correct into a boat cruise in Manhattan.  Huge gunkhole in Boston the side by side solar day for our annual hometown cruise.  900 people on a boat.  And then nosotros're home.  Cheers to Yahuba for getting married the following weekend, thereby giving us a weekend off!  Those don't come very often these days…

Mount Jam was a nail and an accolade.  Met Mavis Staples.  (!!!!!)  She said I accept to write a song for her.  OK then!  The dark earlier, James and I went to Levon Helm'due south Midnight Ramble in Woodstock, where Mavis was the special guest.  Afterwards a full set from Mavis and her band, a full set from Levon and his band, all 18 musicians did a combined 12-vocal fix and recorded a tape correct in front of us.  If they didn't feel they got a good take, they would replay the tunes.  Sometimes 3 times.  Larry Campbell running the show.  Mavis taking u.s.a. to church.  Levon holding it downwardly equally he has for decades.  Amazing.  Felt similar we were watching history existence fabricated.

On a dissimilar level, was also very impressed by the Avett Brothers set at Mount Jam.  A couple of weeks ago nosotros played the Culvert Street Tavern in Dayton, Ohio.  In the kitchen/green room, as nosotros sat around a table eating our subs, I noticed an Avett Bros. poster on the wall.  Someone said it was from 2005 or so when they played at that place last.  Made me think…  5 or 6 years later on and now they're playing on the Grammy's, bravado up everywhere, and blowing up the very Mountain Jam stage that nosotros played on a few hours before them.  You really don't observe many templates in this business.  Every act is so different and the industry changes fast.  Only to see the poster of a band who has been at it longer than u.s., having played the same social club that we at present discover ourselves in, a band who is notwithstanding fighting the good fight and KILLING Information technology dark after night on bigger and bigger stages…

That'south inspirational.

Some days I'1000 not sure how many more years we can go.  It's been eight years in 1 van or some other.  Nosotros're grown men in a metallic box day after day.  Might also be in a submarine (no boldness to those who actually do alive in a submarine).  I think hearing years ago well-nigh how Dave Matthews didn't "get in" until he was 34.  I always thought that was a skilful number to shoot for.  And I thought I was quite the minor and realistic i for thinking that 34 would be when I would "make it."  Although I would also tell yous that there was no such matter as "making it," and I still believe that for the nearly function.

I turned 34 on Saturday.  And as I told the boat, "Glad to see that I was correct."  I take made it.

I'm still my own record label, I'm still in debt and fairly bankrupt, and I'1000 yet riding in a van trying to make certain everybody has enough money to eat.  But the music is improve than e'er.  And all of these seeds we've been planting for years…they're sprouting.  People sing the words every night.  And we play bigger and bigger stages, nosotros've opened for Dave, we've seen that operation.  His level of success is not a pipage dream at present.  I mean it is, but nosotros can come across it for the reality, even the impossible reality that it is.  We have witnessed it.  And maybe we're just getting started.

Let me give a cursory rundown of recent touring and so I'll get into the bigger stuff.

We took the first two months of 2011 essentially off.  It was like a dream.  By far the most fourth dimension we've had at habitation in 7 or eight years.  Well-nigh of it I spent on Martha'southward Vineyard with my girlfriend.  I took an online lyric writing class at Berklee and tried to larn to chill out.

Since the suspension we've washed 48 shows.  This by weekend was insane.

We were home for 2 days after a calendar month-long run that included me recording a new anthology in New Orleans (more on that afterward).  Ii days then we striking the road again, direct to Pittsburgh.  And so Dayton.  The side by side afternoon we played Summer Campsite festival, a huge jam fest, 19,000 people, exterior of Chicago on two hours of slumber.  Played a very enjoyable set there, got in the van and drove for Eighteen Straight HOURS back east.

18.

Straight to a Men's Wearhouse in White Plains, NY where we picked up our tuxedo rentals and loaded into a cute chateau to play a Jewish wedding.  Fully tuxed, the guys did a jazz set for the cocktail hour, Jay played for the anniversary, and then nosotros threw down 2 sets for the reception.  I sang Hava Nagila while the guys played it and the oversupply threw the helpmate and groom around on chairs, the whole nine.

Slept in a hotel and drove to StrangeCreek, where a hometown audience wiped the grime off of any road fatigue and left us all with huge grins on our faces.  Amazing crowd.  From my vantage point, they all moved and slithered equally one blithesome and excited beast.

Lyle's been killing it on guitar.  The guys and I could non be more than excited about where we are musically.  And where nosotros believe we tin can get.  Realize, we're simply at the very beginning with Lyle.  And it'southward been most entirely gigging, we've barely even had fourth dimension to rehearse together.  And he has slid in and the music already feels better than ever as far every bit we're concerned.  And it truly is the beginning.  It's not all merely face-melting guitar solos and it's not going to be.  Although that'due south in there.  It's parts, it's our pocket and cohesion as a band.  Only wait.

——–

Laurence.

Nosotros all miss him.  I miss him.  In that location are times when I expected him to come up walking around the corner or expected him to be at the van.  It'due south hard.  In Burlington I looked out over the audience and swore that I saw him for a second in the oversupply.

I think the perception is that we replaced Laurence with Lyle.  It certainly looks that way, but this is really not the example.  You don't replace Laurence Scudder.  Yous tin can't.  (After he left some of the fans later shows would ask me, "And then what are you lot going to do for viola now?"  The answer is we don't have viola now.  We're dissimilar now.  That'south simply the way information technology is.  Yous tin't replace Laurence.)

Lyle had played some gigs with us in December, with all of us, including Laurence.  There are spatial and economical concerns with taking also many guys out on the road.  I wanted to endeavor something different for a tour, leave Yahuba and Laurence at home and take a 5-slice out with Lyle.  Just to mix it upward, stir the pot.  Non permanent, meet how information technology works, attempt something unlike for in one case.

Laurence left.  Suddenly everything was permanent.

That's about all I'll say well-nigh that for now.  Suffice to say, I beloved Laurence Scudder and possibly in time our paths nosotros atomic number 82 dorsum together again.  That dude put in 7 of the most hardcore road years that you could imagine as a function of this ring and I'd similar to think that there's quite a bond built up from that.  One which tin never be broken.

For at present, nosotros'll exist heading downward separate roads.

NEW ORLEANS-

Three weeks ago, I recorded ten tracks in two days at a cute studio in New Orleans and the session band was: George Porter Jr. on bass, Ivan Neville on keys, Anders Osborne on guitar, and Simon Lott on drums.  All put together by producer Ben Ellman, of Galactic.  Ben produces Trombone Shorty'due south records.  After I wrote some lyrics for Shorty last yr, the thought was, "Why don't y'all write that kind of stuff for yourself and get into the studio with Ben and see what happens?"  So Ben put together this RIDICULOUS dream band of New Orleans players.  I freaked out near what material to bring to the table.  The next thing I knew I was in a vocal berth looking out at George Porter and talking song structure.  Totally surreal.

I however don't know what it's going to exist called.  We tracked six originals and 4 Sweetness covers.  I'm not sure every single song is going to make it onto the album, only the grooves are so deep, the pocket is so amazing on every track.  Truly humbled to accept been able to piece of work along side such players and such men.  It comes out this fall on "Ryan is Yet His Own Record Characterization."

And and so Ryan Montbleau Ring is going to become to work on our next ane.

Nosotros finished our show in Asheville the other night and collection straight home from the gig.  16 hours of final certitude in the van and so we pulled upward to our driveway for the beginning fourth dimension since September.

Chilly, rainy solar day in Lawrence, MA today.  Head is groggy from the route.  Information technology's difficult to know what to do with yourself when you lot get home.  You know you should rest merely six straight weeks at 80 miles per hr tells you other wise.  So you want to motion, simply your torso but can't.  You want to possibly remember, read, create, but your brain won't budge.  Everything's fuzzy.  The lights seem dim.

Non knowing annihilation else, I played more of the picayune word game (Scramble 2) on my telephone that got me through all those van hours.  I checked Twitter and Facebook a bunch, but similar I did during all those van hours.  I watched YouTube.  Skate videos mostly, but eventually music.  Django Reinhardt, Stochelo Rosenberg, Brian Setzer.  And dug out this archetype that perfectly suits my mood at the moment (thanks to Andrea for pointing me to the original version):

Also I put on The Barr Brothers CD earlier and was amazed by it.

In the last 45 days nosotros did 35 cities in 25 states.  A few shows were lightly attended just most were not.  Mostly, we had some very good nights full of hardcores from all over the country singing back the words I wrote.  People drove from hours away to go to the shows or used the shows every bit an alibi to make trips to meet quondam friends.  There was strength out there, there were stories of people being truly affected by the music.  Amazing.

One man in Seattle wandered backstage after the show and told me my music saved his life.  After, his married woman would email me saying that this was, in fact truthful.  He had gone through a period where he had grown more and more dark, more detached from his loved ones, eventually contemplating suicide.  Something virtually hearing "75 and Sunny" for the kickoff time at one of the Martin shows this past spring just lit some kind of lite support in him.  Right then and there he started turning things around.

It's still amazing to me as I type this out.  I think about the woman who named her baby "Patience Friday" or the stories virtually all kinds of children singing the words to "Eggs."  E'er run across this one?

I'm not certain why I bring all this upwardly at present.  I'k only thinking about it all as I sit here in my room for the first time in a while.

Guitar case sits by the door.  The van and trailer are parked in the drizzle outside.  Mail nevertheless sits in an enormous stack on the flooring that I will put off for as long as possible.  My banjo sits on the unmade bed along with my photographic camera instance and a dirty shirt that I volition surely continue to wearable.

What did we just do out there?  Bringing up these stories is an farthermost manner of reminding me.

It's sort of a weird platform for me to write this, but I'll say it over again:  I merely want to get the fine art better.

(This is a weird platform considering if you're reading this, you're likely a fan of the music I've already made.  Yous're the only people in the world who might not want or expect amend.  Y'all're the but people in the world who are ok with what I've already done.  But I digress…)

There are many more shows to play to close out this year, including a run with JJ Grey and Mofro starting adjacent week, a bunch of our own dates through December, and New Year's in Foxboro, MA.  These should all be a nail.  On our all-time nights now, I experience like the band has reached a nice identify of looseness and tightness all at once.

And in Jan, when the existent decompression starts to have place, much more than than will this calendar week, so I hope to buckle down and beginning creating in earnest.  I merely want to get the fine art ameliorate.  I desire to get information technology better and I believe that I tin can.  And it seems that a off-white amount of people are listening at present.

And so I've got that going for me.  Which is nice.

lillietinfied.blogspot.com

Source: https://ryanmontbleau.wordpress.com/

Share this post