Ryan Mont,Who?

Ryan Montbleau! His last name is quite hard to remember, but once you see his band perform live, you wont ever forget it. My list of favorite bands is constantly changing, expecially after the 4:20 weekend extravoganza that just passed. Arriving early to see the band RAQ about 6 months ago, I was first introduced to The Ryan Monbleau Band. I was blown away by the tightness and musical maturity of the quintet. The band definately "jams out" but they are very focused on performing their songs with extreme clarity. Each member of the band compliments eachother, and there is no struggle for the spotlight whatsoever. They all look like college kids, but when you close your eyes, it sounds like a band who has been playing together for a quarter century.

This past saturday, the crew went to see RAQ. I was a little disapointed with the setlist and the energy in the room. My one critique is that they played too may "Todd Stoops" songs, which in my opinion, sound like show tunes.

My revised list of "Top 2 Bands to see live" is the following...

1) The Heavy Pets
2) Ryan Montbleau Band


above, is a picture of The Ryan Montbleau Band on 4:20, at the Knitting Factory NYC