-
Peruvian rock and doo-wop
[+ Show ]
Montoya is the last name of two Peruvian brothers, Sergio and Gino, who lead this two-man, bilingual...Montoya is the last name of two Peruvian brothers, Sergio and Gino, who lead this two-man, bilingual, guitar-oriented rock band, apparently recent transplants (most likely this year) from Seattle after a circuitous route that began in south Lima in their home country. They formed a rock band of three brothers there, and moved into more aggressive musical territory in the early '90s after their family had moved to Costa Rica to escape the political and economic difficulties of their homeland. With brother Sandro staying behind, Sergio and Gino took the band to London for a while. After the brothers returned to Peru, they reunited with Sandro and others for their next musical incarnation (late '90s). In 1999, Sergio returned to London where he collaborated with Nick Boon in 2000 on Sergio's first "solo" album, Gaijin Toroku, released in 2001, the same year Sergio headed to Seattle where Gino had relocated the previous year. Sergio played the Seattle area with bands like Biography of Ferns , Wand and Conduit. In 2002 and 2003 he worked on his second solo album and only EP with a hand from Gino (the total of three solo albums contained material from the early '90s Costa Rican band, the first London band, and the late '90s Peruvian-based band). In 2004, their two-piece band Montoya was born, releasing that year the first of three albums (last year saw the releases of their second and third CDs). This song comes from the third and most recent Montoya album, Man of the World (released October 31, 2006), provided on a five-song sampler from this year that includes three tracks from the album and one track from each of the first two Montoya albums. Based on the sampler, their sound is guitar-oriented rock with a multitude of influences, with mainstream "'70s swagger" a major element, recalling the artful power rock of the Who and glam-era David Bowie, but a decidedly alternative rock compared to today's mainstream, or compared to most latin rock from here or anywhere.
-
Man of the World
[+ Show ]
Man Of The World comes close on the heels of Montoya's Visions Of Ultratumba, and initially had me w...Man Of The World comes close on the heels of Montoya's Visions Of Ultratumba, and initially had me worried that it was too soon to have an entire album worth of good material. And, while Man Of The World occasionally feels like a b-side collection culled from VofU, it still shows that this is a band with a distinct voice; still adjusting its mixtures of indie, classic and psychedelic rock.
And that's one thing this band does better than many of its contemporaries: rock. Driving basslines, structural changeups, dissonant harmonies, and even the occasional Styx-like Odyssey synthesizer interlude; and I can't forget those too-infrequent guitar solos that remind me of late '60s psychedelic rock bands. I must confess to having a little concern though, gleaned from the lyrical content, that this band is running with some rough and dangerous women. This ironically-titled album stands in stark contrast to the naïve narrators of these songs who seem to meet with abuse or death at the hands of various femmes fatale.
I would have preferred to see them wait a little longer before releasing this album, though. It tends to drag in places and could've been punched up a little on a couple of tracks (i.e. "Crimson Colored Caddie") that should've had more energy and fire than they did. Seriously guys, I see great things if you hire a good producer with a great ear. Musicians may 'make or break' the songs, but it's the producer that 'makes or breaks' the album.
-JD
-
Visions Of Ultratumba
[+ Show ]
This is the second release from Montoya to pass through my hands. The first didn't inspire me to rea...This is the second release from Montoya to pass through my hands. The first didn't inspire me to really write anything, and was relegated to our Bargain Basement where it met with similar shrugs from the CO South music team.
"Little Maniac" has changed my opinion of this duo of Peruvian immigrants. As of this writing, it is IMHO, the most unique and original song of the album. It's dark and urgent. Synthy, but not New Wave. The lyrics tell of a man's obedience to a dominating woman. He bows his head in obeisance, but wishes the leash were a little longer. The music aptly captures his total compliance to and overwhelming obsession with this imposing woman. Par Excellence!
But one song doesn't carry an album. A more understated assortment of tracks follows that contains a fire of slow-burning embers. If there's an overall aspect of Montoya to be impressed with, it's evident in the fact that they have managed to synthesize something from nearly every aspect of 40 years of American Rock & Roll and Folk. On "Slow Fade to Black" they show their immigrant colors with a hearty Latin beat and organ accompaniment. "Que Pasa Chichi?" has a low-slung and dirty-rock'n attitude one might expect to come blaring out of a Cheech Marin low-rider. "Stranded", the very next track, does an about face with a light and fragile, almost emo, ballad that cries out for a lost love. "Tu y la Soledad": I had to laugh aloud at the obvious The Who moment that sounds like it came right out of Tommy. A sly tip of the hat to a great band from across the Atlantic.
But the real masterpiece of this album just might be "Savannah." It's a simple song, musically, but the aching and regretful lyrics of a soldier executed for defending the honor of a woman who was nothing more than a common whore is probably the most powerful statement in an album filled with woe and loss. Completely deflated, his execution is almost anticlimactic.
-
Review in Tablet Magazine
[+ Show ]
Montoya
Montoya
Erratic Music
••••••7•••
Clomping out of the gate like a bar band Tarantino wo...Montoya
Montoya
Erratic Music
••••••7•••
Clomping out of the gate like a bar band Tarantino would love, the brothers Montoya soon settle into '70s rock swagger with an ease that belies their age. Witness “Las Joyas,” which sways around drunkenly for the better part of its verses and then suddenly challenges you to a knife fight under the bridge. The threat is real but unrealized. Like many of the songs presented here, Montoya creates the mood and lets it sit, unwilling or unable to push the boundaries. For all that, what they do, they do well.—Tyson Lynn
-
Review at Indie-music.com
[+ Show ]
"The Brothers Montoya kick the door in, dripping with testosterone and tequila, and hammer out first..."The Brothers Montoya kick the door in, dripping with testosterone and tequila, and hammer out first cut "Jezebel," all blaring guitars and repetitive, slightly threatening choruses. After chasing you under the table and laughing gruffly at your timidity, they pull you out and buy you a round. By the first shimmery chords of next track, "Solo," you're lost in the delicate harmonies and trying to remember what all the fuss was about. And it only gets better."
- Kevan Breitinger - www.indie-music.com
-
Review at WHMB Waterville, 89.7 FM
[+ Show ]
"MONTOYA is the debut from brothers Gino and Sergio. Two guys makin' some basic rock and roll noise...."MONTOYA is the debut from brothers Gino and Sergio. Two guys makin' some basic rock and roll noise. Cool! At times, sounds like a Spanish version of the Black Keys but not quite as fuzzed-out. Basic power rock-and-roll. Track 6 - EL GATO - rocks! Awesome!"
- Pat Turlo - WHMB Waterville, 89.7 FM
-
MONTOYA Interview
[+ Show ]
1.So let's get right too it, you guys are freaks! But in a sweet and
fun way, what wicked upbringi...1.So let's get right too it, you guys are freaks! But in a sweet and
fun way, what wicked upbringing did you both endure to become MONTOYA?
We grew up in an art-friendly house. My dad played criollo music on acoustic guitar and there were lots of records, books and art around us. You could catch David Bowie, Thin Lizzy and old Santana videos on TV or listen to Nino Bravo and the Latin new wave on the radio. There were already Beatles and Los Panchos albums and musical instruments by the time I got there so I blame my parents and my brothers. I remember watching Alejandro Jodorowsky's Holy Mountain when I was a kid and reading Roberto Fontanarrosa comic books and wanting more of that unusual type of entertainment, but I didn't have to go too far to find it, since it was already there.
The original band included our brother Sandro in bass and back in the eighties we sounded like Pink Floyd playing Rush covers with a Latin flavor...
2. How in the world did you go from Peru, to Costa Rica, to London, to
Seattle and finally to Austin!?
Our family moved to Costa Rica because of the social and economic situation in Peru during the eighties. After five years in Costa Rica Gino and I moved to England for a while and then back to Peru. I returned to London and recorded a lo-fi solo album called Gaijin Toroku with my friend Nick Boon (who is now in The Death of a Band) and started the eRRatic Music label. Gino got a job in Seattle where we later reunited and formed the current incarnation of the band. Both of us had visited Austin and thought it was a great place, so now we are here.
3. Your bizarre influence range from The Plugz, X, to the The
Stranglers to Captain Beefheart? Just how many drugs to you brothers
indulge in?
Our view of "The Art Life" is one of unlimited creativity within an organized lifestyle. We're not into drugs but more into working-class substances like beer, caffeine and products that are high in fiber. I mean, the world looks pretty surrealistic as it is... We like a lot music from different countries and different eras and we also like the work of the Dardenne brothers, Herman Hesse, Peter Bagge and Willie Colon. It's a very long list and there are secret clues and references in our music.
4. You film, edit and star in all your music videos, what budgets were
used? And what's the story about almost getting arrested in Washington
for filming?
It has gone from "no budget" to "some budget" and it's getting better. There's a new video and a new film on the planning stages (apart from our new album which is being arranged). The Issaquah incident happened when we were filming the video for "La Voz". Gino was on the ground tied and gaged in the middle of the woods and I was holding the camera when all of a sudden I see two policemen slowly approaching us. They took us aside for questioning and we had to explain that we were making a music video. The next day, the King County Journal reported that two Russian men were videotaping the water tower in Issaquah and suspiciously smoking and lighting up.
(Here's the clipping: http://erraticmusic.homestead.com/files/rus.jpg)
5. You've been called "a bar band Tarantino would love," Now in Austin
and playing the junk out of the city, there's a pretty god chance
Tarantino could walk into Trophy's sometime for a cocktail while you
guys are playing, if so, what antics would ensue?
We would probably jump into "Hombre Secreto"
6. You guys seem to embody the "Indie" spirit in your artistic lives,
with your self-produced videos, multi-album releases in the same
year. Does MONTOYA have any "big picture," plans? Or just wing it and
see what happens?
Right now the band is a small, independent, self-produced outfit in every sense and we are proud of it, but we also know that we would benefit from a bigger production approach. Whatever happens, as long as we get final cut and the artistic freedom, we'll be happy. We are working hard.
7. Finally, we here at Indieoma want to thank you, MONTOYA, for
keeping the weird and strange alive, Zappa would be proud…
Hey, thanks for your support to independent music and best wishes with the Indieoma website.
supersonic
