Dave has recently released his first solo CD Such Things As Love And Pain
www.davemontanamusic.com
Give us a short tour of "what your music is like."
My music is great! HAHA. Actually in commercial terms, my CD "Such Things As Love And Pain" is a mess. By this I mean that is not one genre in particular and it has everything from hard rock to disco, techno, and ballads. That's the way I wanted it and that's how I did it because I wanted to showcase my musical background. I didn't want to stick to one particular style with this project. You can judge yourself what it is like by hearing samples of the songs on my website.
Tell us your life story. For example you've played with some "name" bands in your earlier years, can you tell us a few of 'em?
Being born in Detroit I guess music came naturally. My mother is not a musician but she loves music, and always had the radio on. She tells a story of me dancing to Grand Funk Railroad's "We're an American Band" and collapsing at the end along the drum riff. Later in Chicago I had a toy drum set when I was all of 4 years old and that's when it all really started.
I did the music school thing and played in many bands growing up – everything from marching bands to symphony orchestras to heavy metal and calypso and so on. I also auditioned for Menudo when I was 12. Although I was not selected, I got to open shows for them later on with another group I had joined. The most significant bands to me during that time would be Leather Angel, a hard rock band where I was the lead singer and played guitar.
I played bass for a band called Taone, which played what I call Puertorrican mountain music but they call it Nueva Trova. This band was particularly popular in Cuba and Central America. I toured with them in Cuba for a month in 1991. Taone had already been in existence for twenty years before I joined.
No You Turn was the other band I was playing drums for at the same time. They had a technopop sound and had much success in Puerto Rico after their single "I Still Love You" from the first album (we still had vinyl back then). That song was remixed by Pablo Flores who had previously worked with Gloria Estefan and other renowned artists. We opened for many well known bands as well. Since then I have not done much more than a gig here and there with garage and party bands. My last public performance was at an AIDS benefit in Austin, TX. That was also my first solo appearance ever.
Did your experiences with those "name" bands or musicians shape the kind of music you write now, or are you going in a different direction? or... both?
Definitely. Although nothing I wrote during those years was used for the CD, they sure influenced STLP in one way or another. In the new project I am working on now, No You Turn would be the main influence along with [dance music] gurus Giorgio Moroder and Patrick Cowley. Synthpop has a large underground following here and in Europe and that's the way I am going next. I've sold more CDs overseas that in the States.
In recording the songs, what was the most difficult or challenging part about your work in the studio. Did the songs come out like you had imagined them, better, worse, etc?
I'd have to say the most difficult part was recording the piano on "For The Last Time". I would've preferred an experienced pianist to do it but overall I'm okay with what I did. It's very simple but at least the notes are right.
The songs in general are much better now than they were in my head before recording them. Especially "I Want Someone", "Rain" and "Walking On A Thin Line". Some of the others I had recorded previously as demos in a 4 track machine so I had an idea of what the final product would be like.
When we hear the lyrics, are we finding out anything about "you"? If so, what?
People will come to their own conclusions and they will vary. A fan at the release party said I must have written "Burning Inside" for him because he felt it said everything he wanted to say.
Someone else said that I needed therapy. Writing songs is my therapy. STLP is a direct reflection on past relationships and experiences. For example "Fade Away" is based on a one night stand that turned into a 3 year long affair. "I Love You" is simply a musical letter to my Mom. I've received great comments on that one. A guy in Atlanta dedicated it to his partner in their commitment ceremony. It appears to be a favorite among Stonewall Radio listeners. Each song has their own little story behind it.
Do you have a fave song on the CD, and what about it makes it so?
This is a hard one to answer because they all mean something special to me for one reason or another. If I had to chose one alone, it is "I Don't Believe In Love" because of how easy it was for me to write it. It took me less than an hour to finish. I wrote that one in a hotel in South Beach and I was very angry at the time and it comes out in the song. I was starting to suffer from laryngitis when I recorded the vocals to it and it was a blessing because that gave me a raspier voice for it. It was perfect timing since the song leans towards the hard rock side. It's also where the CD title came from.
Do you have any advice to share with folks who may be new to recording but want to go into the studio?
If you have never worked in a studio before, I suggest getting a producer who understands what you are after. Knowing the songs and what you want on them is imperative before recording but also having an open mind and be aware that things could be added or retracted from them.
Take your time and don't rush anything. Have experienced ears listen to your songs while they are in progress. You don't want your songs to sound like something someone else recorded before.
Have fun doing it. If you're not having fun, it is not worth putting it out. Once it is published, it's done and no there is no turning back.
Tell us a bit about your adventures in seeking airplay... the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Strangely enough some stations have contacted me instead of the other way around. So far I have been played most stations who have received the CD. I know Sirius OutQ gets many requests for my songs and they have been great as well as Taylor Cage in Austin, TX and Chris M. from the popular WMAX in Western, N.Y.
Some other radio personalities have not been so open minded. One DJ in particular refuses to play me because according to him I'm not gay enough and nothing in my songs speak to him directly as a gay man. That's his opinion and he is entitled to it. I prefer to do music that is universally appealing and not dedicated to one sector of humanity alone. Nobody benefits from any form of separatism be it musical or social. I never have and never will deny what or who I am, but I won't necessarily always use my music to promote my sexual orientation.
Will I ever write about it? Yes. In fact I already have. The new CD will have songs that deal with being in the closet, the oppression and gay sex. But I don't have the need to be constantly explicit. If you are good you don't have to be. My current CD is being played on stations run by heterosexuals even more so than the so called gay stations. "I Don't Believe in Love" was number 1 for a week in a station out of Utah. That should tell you something. Even the local rock station in my area has played some of my material. So I thank everyone who has played it, even if only once. Those who won't for whatever reasons, good luck to them too.
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