Ryan Montbleau with Cris Jacobs

Ryan Montbleau with Cris Jacobs
Tractor Tavern, Seattle, WA
02.24.15

Back in the days of KaZaa, I downloaded a live cut of a song called “Stretch” by (according to the description) Damien Rice. Unfortunately, my computer died and I lost all of my illegal downloads. Years later, I was listening to Spotify radio and a song came on that I slowly began to recognize. It started with the guitar intro, then to the lyrics, and then the chorus. “It’s going to take microphones and stages/many people rearranging/what their plans are for the night time/hope they show up at the right time/and I sing them my song and I hope they sing along/I know they always sing along in my imagination”. My mind clicked and I got out of my chair in excitement. I found that this song was by Ryan Montbleau, and it absolutely encompasses what a singer/songwriter feels before a show.

On this night at the Tractor, a small crowd showed huge enthusiasm for two very gifted singer/songwriters, Cris Jacobs and Ryan Montbleau. Two musicians who are true and tested with jam band roots, they displayed the engaging spirit of the modern singer/songwriter.

Cris opened the show and immediately demonstrated his amazing musicality and guitar skills. His songs have an earthy quality that listeners can immediately latch onto. He sang about life on the road and love in his heart with such sincerity. At one point, he brought out his cigar box guitar to give the crowd a taste of his slide skills. A gentle giant in the best of terms, it’s great catching the opportunity to watch a musician genuinely enjoy their own performance.

When it was Ryan’s turn to croon for the crowd, he began by quietly walking on stage and simply strumming his guitar and capturing the crowd’s attention. He showed off his jam band roots during favorites like “79 and Sunny”, his rockabilly influences with “I Can’t Wait”, and his prowess in covers when he decided to break out “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” with Cris Jacobs. One awesome moment of the evening was when the crowd began to talk very loudly during Ryan’s set, he stepped away from the mic and continued to play the guitar. The crowd took noticed and quieted down, for which he showed deep appreciation for. After that, a dance party began. Of course, he also played “Stretch” and he got what he hoped for, the crowd sang along.

Be sure to pick up Ryan Montbleau’s new album, Growing Light, which hits stores on April 21st!

Review and photos by Phillip Johnson

Ryan Montbleau