Ray LaMontagne

Latest Articles

Exploring the countryside with Max García Conover

Take to the trees
There are so many guys with guitars nowadays.
By SAM PFEIFLE | February 01, 2012

Odd futures

Historic chapters
Since 1997, the Oddfellow Theater has been one of the best kept secrets of the Maine theater scene. Soon, it goes away for good.
By NICHOLAS SCHROEDER | November 23, 2011

String sections

Sibilance
All-gal bluegrass/folk outfit RAMBLIN' RED will release their debut disc next week at Mayo Street Arts on January 15.
By PORTLAND PHOENIX MUSIC STAFF | January 12, 2011

Review: GFAC returns with double the horsepower

Inverted V8
How spoiled are we in this town? A record like the new Greetings from Area Code 207 Vol. 8 can come out and it's like: Big Fuckin' Deal.
By SAM PFEIFLE | November 10, 2010

The State Theatre: This is actually going to work

Reopenings
There's no question that the reopening of the State Theatre has people in this town pretty damn excited. As photos of the reconstruction have leaked out, the fever has built, often almost completely irrespective of that bands that have so far been lined up to play its stage.
By SAM PFEIFLE | October 13, 2010

Ray LaMontagne impresses People

You know, the "Sibilance" staff just happened to be glancing through a copy of PEOPLE magazine (not that we read it — our wives do!) when we came across a 3.5-out-of-4-star review of the new RAY LAMONTAGNE album. No wonder it sold 100,000 copies in the first two weeks!
By PORTLAND PHOENIX MUSIC STAFF | September 08, 2010

Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs | God Willin' and the Creek Don't Rise

RCA (2010)
Beneath the crusty-mountain-man exterior and the surly attitude toward the entertainment business, Ray LaMontagne wants you to like him.
By JONATHAN DONALDSON | August 24, 2010

Leader of the pack

Ray LaMontagne rounds up the Pariah Dogs for his fourth album
Ray LaMontagne's got a band now. But he doesn't have a producer.
By SAM PFEIFLE | August 11, 2010

By | January 01, 0001

Maine Songwriters Association ramps up, Pat Colwell's record, and more

Sibilance
The MAINE SONGWRITERS ASSOCIATION are trying to ramp up their happenings a little.
By PORTLAND PHOENIX MUSIC STAFF | July 21, 2010

New albums from Aaron Marshall and Ray LaMontagne

Sibilance
Seacoaster AARON MARSHALL , who created some buzz this winter with his debut full-length, Now Maybe , has a new live album ready, which comes with three new tracks.
By PORTLAND PHOENIX MUSIC STAFF | July 14, 2010

One man’s picks for the BiMPys

Handicapping the Best Music Poll
Pffft. That Phoenix Best Music Poll is just a popularity contest!
By SAM PFEIFLE | June 02, 2010

The Low Anthem visit the Low Countries

Sibilance
Plus Brown Birds and Toughcats
By PORTLAND PHOENIX MUSIC STAFF | February 10, 2010

Flanagan’s empire

Native son Bill Flanagan — novelist and MTV executive — discusses big books, musical longevity, Irish Catholicism, and Behind the Music .
Once a staple of the pages of The NewPaper (original incarnation of The Providence Phoenix ), Warwick-born Bill Flanagan went on to become a prominent rock journalist whose credits include U2: At the End of the World , the definitive portrait of one of the world's biggest bands.
By MICHAEL ATCHISON | February 05, 2010

Local luminaries’ picks

A sample of other best songs of the 2000s
I asked a bunch of people who really dig local music to help me make sure I wasn’t leaving any songs out when I was developing my list of the best 10 songs of the 2000s, but then I quickly realized that “best” is about as subjective as things come when you’re talking about songs.
By SAM PFEIFLE | December 22, 2009

Hope springs Eternal Otter

Sibilance
The latest scuttlebutt on Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, Ray Lamontagne, and more.
By PORTLAND PHOENIX MUSIC STAFF | December 16, 2009

Ghost stories

For all of the excitement that surrounded Wilco on the Maine State Pier or Sufjan Stevens at Port City Music Hall or the various sold-out Ray LaMontagne shows of the past year, there is no question that last Sunday's Phish show at the Cumberland County Civic Center was the biggest thing to hit our fair city in a very long time.
By SAM PFEIFLE | December 07, 2009

By | January 01, 0001

Providence Fall Preview Listings 2009

Music, theater, art, festivals and more in the coming months
A page of listings for local music, theater, art, festivals and more this fall.
By PHOENIX STAFF | September 17, 2009

Falling fast

Let's get things started right away
As almost always seems to be the case, I have to start the "fall preview" by detailing this upcoming weekend, which promises to be one of the most active of the year.
By SAM PFEIFLE | September 16, 2009

Anna's Ghost haunts the Empire

Sibilance
Maybe it's a blip on the radar screen, but there seems to be a renewed interest in the music video lately. TWISTED ROOTS have been garnering attention for their "Hollow Earth" effort and we're big fans of the bare-chested LEFTOVERS that splash through "Telephone Operator."
By PORTLAND PHOENIX MUSIC STAFF | September 09, 2009

Machigonne Festival wrap-up

Sibilance
The MACHIGONNE FESTIVAL was a major success, despite the best efforts of Hurricane Danny.
By PORTLAND PHOENIX MUSIC STAFF | September 02, 2009

Rock'n'Roll birthday party!

Sibilance
While you're out celebrating MARK BELANGER 's birthday August 21 — at Geno's, of course — make sure to catch the set by WHITCOMB , who are shaping up to be the next supergroup of sorts.
By PORTLAND PHOENIX MUSIC STAFF | August 19, 2009

Flying solo (and duo)

Elijah Ocean and Dave Gutter get busy taking it slow
Think about everything you know about Elijah Ocean and Dave Gutter: Ocean's work fronting the heavy rock trio Loverless, say, or his lead-guitar turn in the radio-rock foursome All the Real Girls; Gutter's piercing vocals out front of Rustic Overtones, or his white-hot bounce in the lead of Paranoid Social Club.
By SAM PFEIFLE | August 05, 2009

Regardless of the cost

Tony McNaboe testifies on sophomore release
If you were concerned that the return of Rustic Overtones would mean the ends of their various side projects, it’s clear now that was a fruitless worry.
By SAM PFEIFLE | July 22, 2009

Tower of Song Festival, Eric Bettencourt, and the Outsiders

Sibilance
This is shaping up to be one of the best summers in a long time when it comes to outdoor and festival-type shows.
By PORTLAND PHOENIX STAFF | July 15, 2009

Working on your heart

Carll Wilkinson starts the whole damn thing all over
With the talent we have in this town, just about anybody can put together a decent-sounding album.
By SAM PFEIFLE | July 01, 2009

Finding even better days

Gypsy Tailwind show power and Grace
Gypsy Tailwind have been a slow build. Though Halo Sessions was one of the best local albums of 2008, it seems no one really heard it until 2009, thanks largely to the radio success of "So Lonely," a single whose melancholy bounce was heartbreakingly honest: "I'll tell you a secret: I drank myself to sleep last night."
By SAM PFEIFLE | June 17, 2009

Portland music news: April 17, 2009

Sibilance
Two big shows to watch coming up: That TOWER OF SONG we've been telling you about got approval from the City Council to put on a big festival May 23. So that's on.
By PORTLAND MUSIC STAFF | April 16, 2009

Giant step

The Low Anthem sign with Nonesuch Records
Indie-folk trio the Low Anthem — Jeff Prystowsky, Ben Knox Miller, and Jocie Adams — have signed with Nonesuch Records, which will re-release their highly-acclaimed disc, Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, on June 9.
By CHRIS CONTI | April 15, 2009