Reviews > Shows

Ryan Montbleau Band, Toad’s Place, New Haven, CT – 3/19

The Ryan Montbleau Band eased onto stage at Toad’s Place after The Brew set the tone with a high energy set. Montbleau is a singer-songwriter known for his catchy lyrics and poppy songs supported by his jazz-infused band mates. He opened with “Here at All,” playing the first verse solo acoustic before his group chimed in. This song also featured Lawrence Scudder’s smooth viola playing, and a keyboard breakdown by Jason Cohen before Montbleau picked up his white electric to try his hand at soloing.

The long Toad’s Place set then continued with “One Love is Far Greater,” which featured another small build up from Montbleau on guitar as well, followed by “Grain of Sand,” which opened with spacey keyboard work from Jason Cohen before moving into Montbleau’s vocals. Cohen’s solo in “Grain of Sand” had more of a jazzy flair, much different than his spacey intro. The song also featured Scrudder using an effects pedal on his viola giving another dynamic to the band’s sound. Other highlights included a new tune (“Songbird”), a Paul McCartney cover Montbleau is known for (“Let ‘em In”) as well as crowd pleasers such as “75 and Sunny” and “You Crazy You.” The latter two songs are personal, and reflective, and contain lyrics the audience can bite into.

An attempt at a quieter moment wasn’t completely successful when Montbleau played two songs with the spotlight just on him while the band walked off stage. The Friday night audience grew restless and the lead singer lost the crowd’s interest. However the group then traded places with Montbleau as he stepped off. They plugged in, turned it up and reengaged the fans. Bassist Matt Giannaros played a walking bass line on his stand up, while the Cohen and Scrudder played off this as they stretched out for a bit.

Late in the set the band jumped into “Honeymoon Eyes,” another crowd favorite. “Honeymoon Eyes” also features strong, sentimental lyrics from the lead singer, a thumping back beat, and an energetic, electrified viola solo. Not to be outdone, Montbleau soloed on his white electric right after. Another highlight came when viola player Ben Dean from Connecticut act, Caravan of Thieves, came on stage for a funky version of “Eggs,” where the crowd joined Montbleau to sing, “I like mine scrambled in the morning, you like yours sunny side up.” This bright communal spirit is a big par of the Ryan Montbleau Band experience which the group will bring back to Toad’s on April 15, while opening for Martin Sexton.