James Montgomery Band

with Opening Act The DayBreakers
Friday
17th
January
2020
7:30PM

THE BLACK BOX welcomes back the James Montgomery Band with opener - The DayBreakers.

When blues legend James Montgomery plays the harmonica, he "brings it on home." Whether it's recording with Kid Rock, sitting in with Gregg Allman, or fronting his hot band of thirty years, Montgomery plays with authority. While growing up in Detroit he, learned first-hand from the masters - James Cotton, John Lee Hooker, and Jr. Wells - at the legendary "Chessmate." Over the years, he's carried on in the tradition and continues to be a vital presence in Blues as one of the most dynamic performers on the scene.

In 1970, while attending Boston University, Montgomery formed The James Montgomery Band. His inimitable (oh yeah, he majored in English) harmonica playing combined with his incredibly energetic live shows led to the band's quick ascension on the New England music scene. Within two years, The James Montgomery band was among the hottest acts in Boston along with J. Geils and Aerosmith, and they were quickly signed to a multi-album deal with Capricorn Records.

Since that time, James has recorded six albums. His first, "First Time Out" has been remastered and re-released by MRG/Capricorn. Other include "James Montgomery Band" on Island Records which was number nine on Billboard's national playlist, "Duck Fever" with members of the David Letterman Band, "Live Trax," with the Uptown Horns (the Rolling Stones' horn section), and his release on Tone-Cool, "The Oven Is On."

Montgomery has toured with many major artists, including Aerosmith, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen, the Allman Brothers, Steve Miller, and others. He has jammed on stage with B.B.King, Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, Jr. Wells, James Cotton, Charlie Daniels, Bonnie Raitt, Greg Allman, Laverne Baker, Patti LaBelle, and Peter Wolf among others, including an impromptu session with Mick Jagger at New York's "Trax."

Over the years, Montgomery's band has been a springboard for many musicians. Members of his band have included Billy Squire, Wayne Kramer (MC-5), Jeff Golub (Rod Stewart), Jim McCarty (Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels), Nunzio Signore (Bo Diddley), Jeff Pevar (Ray Charles Orchestra, Crosby, Stills & Nash), Bobby Chouinard (drummer with Ted Nugent, Squire and Robert Gordon), Jeff Levine (Joe Cocker), Aerosmith's Tom Gambel, and many others.

 

 The DayBreakers

Fueled by two songwriters with contrasting approaches, the DayBreakers craft their distinct sound through a blend of folk rock melodies, blues guitar muscle and rock and roll grit. The five piece band, led by lead singer/guitarist Kyle Murphy, and bassist Matt Schairer has played many of New England's most revered rooms (The Middle East, TT the Bears, Thunder Road, Cape Cod Melody Tent) and shared the stage with some of the region's best roots rockers (Entrain, the Silks, Delta Generators, Frank Viele), while also supporting national touring acts The High Divers, Christian Lopez and Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band. In addition, the band has opened shows at Indian Ranch in Webster, Mass., supporting The Beach Boys, Three Dog Night, and Bret Michaels. In 2018 and 2019, the group was nominated for "Rock Act of the Year" by the New England Music Awards. Murphy's songwriting draws from a combination of jazz and heartland rock, fusing the complex chord changes of bebop with the boot stomping choruses of Seger and Mellencamp. Schairer's songwriting is tied tighter to country and folk, with an emphasis on storytelling akin to the Drive By Truckers and Springsteen. The tension of two songwriters has led to artistic breakthroughs, but it has not been without its struggle. Plagued by line up changes and stylistic clashes, the band spent half a decade chasing the shadow of a dream in half-filled bar rooms. These nights led the band to be highly qualified to write their second full length album, a concept record named "Worn Out Dream," about a band that doesn't make it and looks to move on with their lives. The first single, "Take Two," reveals the band on the eve of dissolution, with Billy, the lead singing narrator, running through all the potential options in his mind. The second single, "Rebel," opens the record and provides a foreshadowing prologue to the band's climb. "Worn Out Dream" was recorded at Noise in the Attic Studios in Scituate, Mass. Seasoned producer Rob Loyot (Entrain, Girls Guns and Glory, Sarah Blacker) guided and produced the sessions and Dave Deluca tackled assistant engineer duties while also playing lead guitar. Kevin Zahner (Bubba Hernandez, Matt Dunn, Clay Thrash) and Jon Chapman (Adam Ezra Group) played drums and percussion, while Justin Klosek and Jeff Calder provided keyboards and piano. The record was released on August 9th, 2019. 

 


THE BLACK BOX

15 West Central Street
Franklin MA 02038
United States