Artist Review of Dave Montgomery, By John LeMieux
My first path with Dave crossed when I entered his cocoon some could consider a dorm room. Plastered and interweaved on his walls where relics spun of rare records, fanatical posters and scrap memorabilia of a truly obsessed individual. A little Ibanez guitar tucked near an avalanche of Atari 2600 games and a commodore. Vinyl Metallica and Cure albums prepped in safer regions, in all make wonderful packaged catches.One would not think this a man of mathematics or scientific in nature, except you cannot argue, only respect, that he is in the process of spinning his craft.
The fork in the newly paved road. Dave is balancing between two worlds, and in the early subconscious stages, so is his music. On one hand it’s screaming for radio play, and on the other driven to be underground garage band punk. At moments this feels like a clash, yet it also builds inside like what may become the early pieces of a remarkable epic.
In his own words, bands like the Rentals, Tegan and Sara, Rilo Kiley and Weezer reign as primary influences. While a dose of this is true, his tunes strike a feeling of 80’s band T-shirts that will never die. I myself would categorize the songs I have heard as a basic root merger of the Pixes and partially vocal elements of Built to Spill.
He finds it easier to define his thoughts acoustically on the Gibson Epiphone for its incredibly “full sound.” Creating a hook and then “a melody with only a few words to go with it.” So, let’s begin and allow us to sit back bob some feet to the beat and dissect a song or two.
In this article Dave had provided two demo cuts for the songs, “Turn the Radio Up,” and “She Likes the Girls.” Recorded over the summer on an 8 track, they are “actually a bit unfinished. The guitars are thick, but there isn't a bass guitar track yet.”
John: “Is there a reason Turn the Radio up is expressed with a greater vocabulary and references? It works well, don’t get me wrong, however structurally they are different songs.”
The fork in the newly paved road. Dave is balancing between two worlds, and in the early subconscious stages, so is his music. On one hand it’s screaming for radio play, and on the other driven to be underground garage band punk. At moments this feels like a clash, yet it also builds inside like what may become the early pieces of a remarkable epic.
In his own words, bands like the Rentals, Tegan and Sara, Rilo Kiley and Weezer reign as primary influences. While a dose of this is true, his tunes strike a feeling of 80’s band T-shirts that will never die. I myself would categorize the songs I have heard as a basic root merger of the Pixes and partially vocal elements of Built to Spill.
He finds it easier to define his thoughts acoustically on the Gibson Epiphone for its incredibly “full sound.” Creating a hook and then “a melody with only a few words to go with it.” So, let’s begin and allow us to sit back bob some feet to the beat and dissect a song or two.
In this article Dave had provided two demo cuts for the songs, “Turn the Radio Up,” and “She Likes the Girls.” Recorded over the summer on an 8 track, they are “actually a bit unfinished. The guitars are thick, but there isn't a bass guitar track yet.”
John: “Is there a reason Turn the Radio up is expressed with a greater vocabulary and references? It works well, don’t get me wrong, however structurally they are different songs.”
Dave: “I guess it was the only way I could talk about that time in my life. About three years ago I was working at a little radio station and while I liked the job, it was really quirky. My Sunday 6am to Noon shift was just strange because I had all these canned religious shows and an hour and 15 minutes of a Church to broadcast. Then this guy would come in for the last two hours and play Spanish music while I recorded commercials and baby sat the station. During that time I was also going out with this girl who lived across the state and it was just not working out. So that is also a factor in the song. It's just about working at this silly little radio station and missing this girl I cared about and thinking that maybe if I boosted the signal strength just a little more, she could hear me.
My weak criticism: The chorus runs flat just a tad bit longer than you want to sing along with, but that evolves into the matter of outright blunt opinion than of fact. Yes thank you, maybe this is a result of an allergy, but to sing along makes me short of breath, dizzy and capable of driving a car off the road.
John: “Would you say that these two songs display a level of heartbreak in tone?”
My weak criticism: The chorus runs flat just a tad bit longer than you want to sing along with, but that evolves into the matter of outright blunt opinion than of fact. Yes thank you, maybe this is a result of an allergy, but to sing along makes me short of breath, dizzy and capable of driving a car off the road.
John: “Would you say that these two songs display a level of heartbreak in tone?”
Dave: “…heartbreak... maaaaybe for “Turn the Radio Up,” but “She Likes the Girls” is more or less embellishing on a experience I had.”
John: “Is it ok if I talk about this embarrassing situation?”
Dave: “Haha, go for it. “She Likes the Girls” actually started with the guitars and once I wrote the part for the chorus, the words just came easily. There was this girl that I kinda liked a couple years ago. She was cute, intelligent, and we liked similar musicians. So I had this crush on her and then one day I saw her holding hands with another girl. Then I felt like an idiot. Anyways, I kinda embellished on all of it, made a bigger story out of it. I actually met a girl a month after I wrote it who fits the song almost to a tee, it was crazy. She played softball, had dreads…
John: “ok ok…”
Dave: “I like Chinese food.”
John: “…right…”
Amongst many conversations with Dave, he has spoken of what resonates with him in the music he enjoys. From a swhoosh of acoustics and mists of female vocals, it may be what is in my head or maybe the expressive way Dave excites one to think of a sound he aspires to create. His take on detailed attention to lyrics is astounding and is definitely in good conjunction. But in the end he sums the rest of his tastes up by simply saying, “I want to make fun music that people can have a good time too, whether it's getting wasted with your friends at a party or just singing along while you're stuck in Seattle traffic. I figure life is too short to be pissed off or angry all the time, why not shake your ass and have some fun.”
Side note, in a later version of “She Likes the Girls,” Leslea Camp from the group “In Civilians Clothing,” adds an excellent cameo. Tim “Hook” McBride (Backing vox and producer) and Ryan “Monk” Serviss (played drums) from an Olympia band called “Hook & the Daggers.” Serviss learned the two songs and recorded his parts in about 3 hours with a couple sanity breaks in there. On “Turn the Radio Up” Erin McCarley from the former “Delta Dart,” was dragged out of making curry in the kitchen for a couple of minutes to play the tambourines. And also…both times Dave was interviewed in a three month period, he left to eat Chinese food.
For a short time you can hear these two pieces at www.myspace.com/davemontgomery. “Turn the Radio Up,” is currently receiving airplay on KCED 91.3 FM in Centralia, WA. To request airplay call KCED at (360) 736-9391, ext 243. Whichever route he takes, rest assured Dave’s music will stick in the minds of those who listen like the plastered memorabilia on his bedroom walls.
Dave: “I like Chinese food.”
John: “…right…”
Amongst many conversations with Dave, he has spoken of what resonates with him in the music he enjoys. From a swhoosh of acoustics and mists of female vocals, it may be what is in my head or maybe the expressive way Dave excites one to think of a sound he aspires to create. His take on detailed attention to lyrics is astounding and is definitely in good conjunction. But in the end he sums the rest of his tastes up by simply saying, “I want to make fun music that people can have a good time too, whether it's getting wasted with your friends at a party or just singing along while you're stuck in Seattle traffic. I figure life is too short to be pissed off or angry all the time, why not shake your ass and have some fun.”
Side note, in a later version of “She Likes the Girls,” Leslea Camp from the group “In Civilians Clothing,” adds an excellent cameo. Tim “Hook” McBride (Backing vox and producer) and Ryan “Monk” Serviss (played drums) from an Olympia band called “Hook & the Daggers.” Serviss learned the two songs and recorded his parts in about 3 hours with a couple sanity breaks in there. On “Turn the Radio Up” Erin McCarley from the former “Delta Dart,” was dragged out of making curry in the kitchen for a couple of minutes to play the tambourines. And also…both times Dave was interviewed in a three month period, he left to eat Chinese food.
For a short time you can hear these two pieces at www.myspace.com/davemontgomery. “Turn the Radio Up,” is currently receiving airplay on KCED 91.3 FM in Centralia, WA. To request airplay call KCED at (360) 736-9391, ext 243. Whichever route he takes, rest assured Dave’s music will stick in the minds of those who listen like the plastered memorabilia on his bedroom walls.
LYRICS
"Turn the Radio Up"
The control shakes and the yokels wake
On a scale to 10 you get a 4-point-4
We're always on, turn the radio up
for Pat Boone knows the show must go on
The speakers speak and the clergy weep
now pass the tray we got bills to pay
Hector boards the Mariachi Hordes
on days like this, what can I say?
Fell asleep on the air
DJs don't despair
I see you're never there
You're always twirling that curly hair
Girl of my dreams, the kind that makes me scream
Forgot one thing: she's on the other team
Time like a gun, killing everyone
You were just the spark to start my storms
Fell asleep at the wheel
Had a dream so surreal
I see you're never there
You're always twirling that curly hair
I see you're never there (run and never stop)
It's almost like you never cared (well turn the radio up)
Fell asleep on the air
DJs don't despair
Working nights with a slob
Gotta find another job
I see you're never there
You're always twirling that curly hair
I see you're never there (run and never stop)
It's almost like you never cared (well turn the radio up)
"She Likes The Girls"
She plays shortstop on the softball team
She's got bruises and scrapes on her knees
She's got dreadlocks on the top of her head
And she almost knocked me dead
Now we're cruisin' through Ohio
She's tempting though we'll take it slow
I'll love her, how hard can it be?
She's got eyes for only me
Oh my god this girl is such a dream
She swears and cusses just like
I want a girl who will please my mom
Wears cut-off sleeves as she mows the lawn
Wears punk rock hair as I sing this song
But she likes the girls more than me
Now we end up in Orlando
And she tells me that she has to go
I asked her "oh how can this be?""
It's only chicks for me"
And when she shaved her head my face turned red
How was I so blind, she's not my kind
I want a girl who will please my mom
Wears cut-off sleeves as she mows the lawn
Wears punk rock hair as I sing this song
But she likes the girls more than me
And when she shaved her head my face turned red
How was I so blind, she's not my kind
I want a girl who will please my mom
Wears cut-off sleeves as she mows the lawn
Wears punk rock hair as I sing this song
But she likes the girls more than me
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