MONTE MONTGOMERY INTERVIEW #1
(Originally aired on October 22, 2009)
It's safe to say no one plays an acoustic guitar like Monte Montgomery. During a live performance, he'll bend notes and sustain them with feedback, slap harmonics, tear through growling riffs and soaring runs, and generally wrench melodic mayhem from his 22-year-old Alvarez. Montgomery breaks all the rules to prove that a flattop is as much of a rock-and-roll instrument as a Fender Strat or Gibson Les Paul. At least in his hands.
Guitar Player magazine named Montgomery one of the "Top 50 Greatest Guitarists of All Time," and he has earned cover stories in Frets and Acoustic Guitar. Montgomery's full-tilt acoustic assault doesn't prevent him from exploring delicate fingerpicking and exquisite counterpoint. His 2009 album, Monte Montgomery, beautifully balances grace and guts, and also includes powerful songwriting and expressive vocals.
In our exclusive interview, Montgomery discusses his guitar technique and how it evolved, and reveals what it's like to play an acoustic onstage that's threatening to explode from feedback. We'll hear tracks from Monte Montgomery and go behind the scenes of recording the album — including his amazing cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing."