Ray Lamontagne
Aug 23, 2010
As you may recall, the cover of Ray LaMontagne's 2004 debut album, "Trouble," showed a person dancing blindly with the devil and after we learned LaMontagne's hard-luck story, it seemed appropriate: if he hadn't danced with the devil, he had certainly endured his share of hell. LaMontagne had a tough childhood, moving around a lot and often living under harsh conditions. Most of his teen years proved to be listless and he barely managed to graduate high school. Forced to support himself after school, he took a dead-end job working in a shoe factory in Lewiston, Maine.
LaMontagne eventually quit his job and began to dedicate himself to learning how to sing and play guitar. According to him, it took a handful of years before he was able to train his voice in a way that satisfied him. From there, he started to play in local clubs in Maine. One thing led to another and he was soon in L.A. recording his debut album.
Needless to say, that album jump-started his career. He began to tour extensively, returning in 2006 with the deeply personal "Till the Sun Turns Black." Then came "Gossip in the Grain," which firmly moved LaMontagne into the "core triple A artist" category.
He now returns with "God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise." Backed by his touring band - the Pariah Dogs - this project is clearly a band album; and why not with such great musicians as Greg Leisz and Eric Heywood on guitar, Jennifer Condo on bass and Jay Bellerose on percussion? This new project is entirely self-produced and was recorded at LaMontagne's home. It features a stellar collection of new songs including "Beg Steal or Borrow," "Repo Man," "New York City's Killing Me," "For the Summer," "This Love is Over"and the title track.
After an appearance at eTown during the Triple A Conference in Boulder, Ray LaMontagne & The Pariah Dogs are now on the road with David Gray.
- 8/20 Susquehanna Bank Center, Camden, NJ
- 8/25 Millennium Park, Chicago
- 8/26 Meadow Brook Theatre, Rochester, MI
- 8/27 Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto,
- 8/29 Harrah's, Council Bluffs, IA
- 8/30 Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO
- 8/31 Santa Fe Opera House, Santa Fe, NM
- 9/1 Dodge Theatre, Phoenix
- 9/3 The Pearl @ The Palms, Las Vegas
- 9/4 Harrah's Rincon, Valley Center, CA
- 9/5 Santa Barbara Bowl, Santa Barbara, CA
- 9/8 The Greek Theatre, Los Angeles
- 9/10The Greek Theatre, San Francisco
- 9/12 Marymoor Amphitheatre, Seattle
For more information visit, wwwraylamontagne.com