Monti Amundson

Monti Amundson - Prove Me Wrong - 2005 - Cool Buzz

Not a bad Texas rooted boogie/blues rock album by Monti Amundson, a popular blues rock musician, especially in the American North West. Recorded in Amsterdam with some excellent musicians like the American drummer Boyd Small and Dutch Blues Masters Misha Den Haring, Kim Snelten and Jasper Mortier. This is not a showstopping album, but there are some good compositions from Monti who is also a very good vocalist. There are definite influences here from SRV, ZZ Top, Johnny Winters, and Rory Gallagher. Among the best tracks are Leigh/Monique's "Hey Now," a good midtempo blues cover with walking bass, and W Dixon's "Needs More Baby" with some expertly played blues harp from Kim Snelten. Monti Amundson is a very good artist, and has a certain self-sufficiency, and this album is well worh listening to. Check out his "I See Trouble" album which probably reveals more of Monti Amundson's talents, and is definitely worth hearing.

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 So Fine - B. Small
2 Prove Me Wrong - Monti Amundson
3 Calculatin' Woman Blues - Monti Amundson
4 Standing Next To You - Monti Amundson
5 Meg Darlin' - Monti Amundson
6 Needs More Baby - W Dixon
7 Landlady Came By - Monti Amundson
8 Strike That Match - B Small
9 What's So Special 'bout Love - Monti Amundson
10 Hey Now - Leigh/Monique
11 One Day Of The Week - A. Strange

MUSICIANS

Monti Amundson - Guitar & Vocals
Mischa den Haring - Guitar
Jasper Mortier - Bass
Boyd Small - Drums
Kim Snelten - Harp

REVIEW

When Monti Amundson gets compared to Stevie Ray Vaughan or Johnny Winter he just says thank you. But the fact is the big man has his own style. His influences range from the aforementioned and fellow Texas rocker Billy Gibbons to B.B. King and rock legends Jimi Hendrix and Jeff Beck. The blending of these styles in combination with Amundson's fine vocals is what makes him stand out from the rest. Above all Monti Amundson is a great live performer who gets his point across. Whether it's an acoustic slide number or an all out show stopper, Amundson knows how to move a crowd. Known to live out of a suitcase for years at a time, Amundson's music has already made a great impression throughout Europe. In his home base Portland, Oregon his music has been highly valued for almost twenty years. The blues of Monti Amundson comes straight from the heart, cuts through your soul and is as real as it gets. Seattle born guitar slinger Monti Amundson shows off his riper ,fuller vocals and always stunning guitar work on this his fifth European release. If you've ever seen him perform live then you know the intensity with which he plays. That intensity is captured on this CD. Compact well written songs ranging from acoustic blues to Texas rock. © COOL BUZZ 2008

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Monti Amundson (USA). When Monti Amundson gets compared to Stevie Ray Vaughan or Johnny Winter he just says thank you. But the fact is the big man has his own style. His influences range from the aforementioned and fellow Texas rocker Billy Gibbons to B.B. King and rock legends Jimi Hendrix and Jeff Beck. The blending of these styles in combination with Amundson's fine vocals is what makes him stand out from the rest. Above all Monti Amundson is a great live performer who gets his point across. Whether it's an acoustic slide number or an all out show stopper, Amundson knows how to move a crowd. Known to live out of a suitcase for years at a time, Amundson's music has already made a great impression throughout Europe. In his home base Portland, Oregon his music has been highly valued for almost twenty years. The blues of Monti Amundson comes straight from the heart, cuts through your soul and is as real as it gets. © cdbaby.com

CONCERT REVIEWS

"Monti Amundson is sincere and flawless with an expressive voice and an authentic and heartfelt presence." © Freeway Magazine, France

"A colossal vocalist, a superb guitarist, Monti left every single person in a state of shock - it was unbelievable! If you've heard the word then you know the big man is a must see." © Gazette Des Gazzelles, France

"We've heard the future of blues and his name is Monti Amundson." © Music and Media, Germany

"Drawing energy from the crowd, Monti Amundson's battery charges throughout the night, consistantly throttling blues in true break-neck speed. This guy is going places." © Joey Scruggs, Bluesnotes, USA

"Monti Amundson plays with a power and commitment that can't be matched. Playing a Stratocaster through a 1959 Fender Bassman amp in a clean and cutting tone, he's a blistering guitarist. The real deal, a no frills rock n' roller."
© Richard Glauber, What's Happening, USA

"The second standout show came from Monti Amundson. Blues traditionalists may challenge these guys as blues artists, but nobody can challenge the talent and energy of axeman Monti Amundson. His on-stage charisma and lightning-quick guitar work had the crowd rockin' from start to finish. A tight schedule meant no encores, but the shouts of 'Monti, Monti' reverberated through the crowd well into Boozoo Chavis' set on the opposite stage. Truly electrifying!"
© Mike Cronin, Nashville Bluesletter, USA

MONTI AMUNDSON / THE STRATOCASTER

It's not easy to make a Fender Stratocaster squawk and squall the way Monti Amundson does. The Stratocaster, after all, was designed in 1954 to be the ultimate country-western guitar, so it's not surprising that it demands a special player to turn its deficits into the glassy grind that suffuses Amundson's shows and albums such as "Prove Me Wrong." In the wrong hands, a Strat can be downright wonky and unbiddable. But a player who knows how to harness its idiosyncrasies, how to push the guitar, will find an astonishingly rich sonic palette. Not a Gibson's dark, smooth midrangey voice, but cascading octaves of harmonics and a whiplike, edgy intensity that makes lesser guitars sound as if they brought salad forks to a knife fight. I've seen it happen -- I've handed Amundson a '62 Strat I thought I knew fairly well. Wrong. Amundson took that guitar and made it sound better than it ever had. He squeezed out roars and screams, tickled out harmonics and Hendrixian echoes that had been hitherto hidden in its swamp-ash carcass. The guys who can really do that are few: Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck and Stevie Ray Vaughan head the list. Amundson's name may not be found on the same line as those, but the sheer intensity of his playing argues eloquently for his inclusion on the same page. If you haven't heard him in concert, you can spin up albums such as "Prove Me Wrong", "Straight Out!" or "Big Monti", although they can only hint at the effect of hearing "99 Below" at 120 db though a red-lit haze of cigarette smoke and beer fumes. But the real measure of Monti's particular genius can be found on his acoustic stuff --- albums such as "I See Trouble" or tunes such as "Calculatin' Woman". Even in an acoustic format, Monti's sound is immediately recognizeable by the sparks he strikes, by it's sheer electricity, by the raw-nerve honesty of his singing. That's a little something they call style, and it's not something you learn in books or by grimacing in front of the mirror. Monti has got it --- is as true a rocker as ever tore up a stage. That makes all this talk about searing Strat tones ultimately superfluous, the wishful thinking of people who --- if they just had the right guitar --- could rock as hard and soulfully as Monti Amundson. Never happen. That fire burns from the inside. © cdbaby.com