You can feel the demons fairly bristling beneath the humor and wonder how someone whose mind operates in such a manner is able to function at all. But function he does, though he lyrically admits in Unnatural Selections "Flat on My Back" that Its a mystery how normal people do that. They see the benefits of getting out of bed.
The explosiveness of Petes process is tamed to powerful effect on Unnatural Selection . The songs are well-structured and reflect the influence of pop masters The Beatles, John Phillips, and XTC. Despite the fact that Pete claims, I cant write real happy songs like Katrina & the Waves Walking on Sunshine, the songs have an upbeat, melodic, and catchy sound. True, lyrics like So if I write another song about you, it might make up for me, from The Splendor That Is You, or I pray to you my soul to keep but it is punctured and it leaks, from Catch Her in the Rye, are indicative of a mind at war with itself, but the fact that theyre delivered within a context of interestingly textured and solidly authoritative pop allows the listener to derive a sense of hope and survival from the record.
The other Montgomerys are an all-star team that includes guitarist Tony Savarino (The Rudds, Give, x-Dale Bozzio), bass player Bob Melanson (x-Wheat, x-Tribe), pianist Andrew Malone, and drummer Mike Levesque, whos played with The Gravel Pit, Letters to Cleo, and Scarce, to name a few. Pete himself spent his musical career prior to forming The Montgomerys in different configurations of my old band, The Irresponsibles, since the mid- 80s. That band only got good towards the end of its life span. Just like a work of art, that only becomes true art once its been destroyed... Yeah, thats it! The Irresponsibles did do some good stuff, however. We won Musician Magazines "Best Unsigned Band in the Country" competition and shortly after we toured, recorded with, and signed to
Adrian Belew(Bowie, Talking Heads, Zappa). We thought we were going to be Rock Stars and that felt pretty good. We got right up next to fame and caught a taste of it, and then threw it up.
The Montgomerys live shows are a mixture of rock n roll excellence interspersed with Petes rambling monologues, similar in fashion to the free associative rants in his e-mails. Tonys guitar work is matchless; his leads are exciting and tasteful. Bob and Mike lay down a variety of rhythms that keep their sets from ever getting stale, and Andrews piano touches enrich and embellish the sound. As a front person, Pete is mischievous and funny, making fun of himself between songs but singing with conviction; theres no doubt that this is a band, not a comedy act. When asked what its like to be in a band with Pete, the members all agree that hes a brilliant songwriter and a never- ending source of amusement. Im sure its kind of fun for the other guys to watch me go off my nut every other week or maybe not? I hand-picked the best musicians I could find, and it took me two years to assemble The Montgomerys. Its blast for me to play in band of this caliber!"
Live, The Montgomerys have been known to perform songs from Petes days with The Irresponsibles. So what makes this band different from the Irresponsibles? Irresponsibles were made up of my friends that I still hang out with, you know my best friends. It was a democracy, though I was the main songwriter, anyone could write or contribute anything. In the end, some things I wasnt crazy about musically would stay in the set and on the record. I thought the band was great though and I think we deserved more than we achieved but doesnt everyone?
It takes a fair amount of courage to write lyrics as raw and personal as Petes. When questioned about art imitating life, he replies, My life is... I was born into... Im the type of... It was a cold May morning when... Shit I dunno? I think I am somewhat mentally ill, and the music is a pressure valve, an in-house shrink that can get me through it. If I write it down and sing it, record it, well there it is, its out, I did it, and somehow I feel better and can move on. Theres never any shortage of it, I just wait a while and I need to write another one. It is personal stuff and its all I can write about. Im a maudlin depressed person who is a drama queen, I guess? Cmon kids lets put on a show! Ill get my Moms curtains and my uncle has some lumber for a stage! The most personal and disturbing song on The Montgomerys new record is the last track Gut Wrenchin. It gives me wicked douche chills. My brother can t even listen to it, it douches him out so bad! Its about the night I spent some time with my father just before he died.
