Singer, Songwriter, Guitarist Monte Montgomery is best described by one word, Musical. Having grown up immersed in music, he has been playing professionally since his early teens and is currently one of the hottest draws on the talent-packed Austin, Texas music scene and is well known throughout the U.S. for his electrifying live performances. As Terry Lickona, producer of the PBS-TV show Austin City Limits said it best, “Monte Montgomery blows people away. There’s no other way to describe it.” Monte has earned praise from both critics and fellow musicians not only for his stunning and imaginative fretwork work but also for his talents as a soulful singer -songwriter with deep roots sensibilities. Awarded "Best Acoustic Guitar Player " for the 7th Year in a Row at the Austin Music Awards and on Guitar Player Magazine’s list of America's Top 50 All-Time Greatest Guitarists. Monte was the first name on the list of Guitar One magazine’s “Top 10 Best Undiscovered Guitarists in America.” And as Acoustic Guitar Magazine concurs: "Monte Montgomery is not your typical up-and-coming guitar god. He picks and frets with all ten fingers at once, stretching chord positions across an alarming six frets while playing rhythm strokes, melody and bass lines, all while casually tossing in faster-than-the-naked-eye harmonics, two-handed tapping, bass-style string slapping, percussive string stops, guitar-torturing neck bends, meanwhile leaves even electric players gasping. His exquisitely crafted, melodically and rhythmically sophisticated pop songs suggest the best of Fleetwood Mac, Squeeze and The Police, while just happening to integrate the most mind-boggling guitar work in the state of Texas." "Austin, Texas, has once again unleashed a phenomenal guitar slinger on the world. This time, however, the trouble comes on acoustic guitar. His impassioned attack evokes every great player he has ever loved. He slaps the neck like Michael Hedges, taps Van Halen-esque false harmonics, soars melodicallly like Eric Johnson and strums with the brutal attack of SRV. Montgomery has pushed the acoustic-electric further into the realm of virtuoso rock guitar than anybody before him." - Jude Gold, Guitar Player Magazine "Monte Montgomery is not your typical up-and-coming guitar god. His exquisitely crafted, melodically and rhythmically sophisticated pop songs suggest the best of Fleetwood Mac, Squeeze, and The Police, while just happening to integrate the most mind-boggling guitar work in the state of Texas. In his amazing live performances, backed by drummer Phil Bass and bassist Chris Maresh, Montgomery completely lets go. He picks and frets with all ten fingers at once, stretching chord positions across an alarming six frets while playing rhythm strokes,melody, and bass lines, all the while casually tossing in faster-than-the-naked-eye harmonics, two-handed tapping, bass-style string slapping, percussive string stops, guitar-torturing neck bends, and guitar-body percussion. His fast and precise plectrum playing, meanwhile, leaves even most electric guitar players gasping." -– David Gold, Acoustic Guitar Magazine “Monte’s intuitive right- and left-hand approaches lead to his developing some unorthodox techniques. Today he seasons his playing with some often spectacular string slapping, two-handed tapping, percussive string stops, six-fret stretches on chords and daring intervallic leaps on single-note solos.” -– Bill Milkowski, Guitar World Acoustic "The gifted guitar wizard... Monte Montgomery embodies everything that a six-string hero from Austin should, but dares to be different by not using a Stratocaster or any other kind of electric guitar. In a city that reared Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Johnson and Chris Duarte, such affinity for an acoustic guitar is almost sacriligious, but Montgomery proves he's a devout follower of his predecessors by wowing audiences, who can't believe how electrifying his shows really are. With ‘1st and Repair’, the 30 year old guitar slinger took matters one step further, showcasing his singing and songwriting talents. The combination of his sandy voice and loose, laid-back,fingerpicking guitar style has earned comparisons to Mark Knopfler and Bruce Cockburn, but his connection to the fabled Texas town of Luckenbach -– he spent his teens there -– and his heartfelt, soulful approach to sonwriting have made him a uniquely Lone Star figure." -– Chris Riemenschneider, BILLBOARD Magazine "At the helm of the burgeoning music scene in Austin, Texas is Monte Montgomery, a guitar virtuoso who blends down-home country vibes with smooth pop and hints of R&B. Though Montgomery's band is only three strong (with the bassist Chris Maresh and the drummer Phil Bass), its sonic qualities are monstrous; each musician exhibits tremendous dexterity, and the trio often sounds like a six-piece band. Montgomery is most inspiring live, but his group's skilful riffs and crafted lyrics have carried over nicely to its second album, "Mirror" (Heart Music), released in June of this year." -– Andrew Taber, The New York Times "Monte Montgomery tears it up on the fretboard and the mic, and he's brought a strong rhythm section just for reinforcement. His guitar playing describes a true wealth of sounds -– just picture a slap-bass player on an acoustic steel string with a penchant for Stevie Ray Vaughn, and you'll be in the ballpark. At the same time, his blazing fingerstyle, precise, percussive accompaniment, and exceedingly creative use of harmonics are only part of his truly unique guitar style. And Montgomery's outstanding technique does not prevent him from delivering a clear, melodic solo that dances through the changes. The folk-tinged songwriting is well developed, and this man's got stuff to say about life and love. In fact, Montgomery is an impressive, versatile vocalist in his own right. The album's single, ‘1st and Repair,’ features a multi-syllabic John Popper style, while he boasts a range and vibrato on ‘Leaving Paradise’ that could easily make him a candidate for Boyz II Men. It's all in a day's work for this multi-talented six-stringer." -– Rolling Stone Magazine BEST IN THE U.S. - THE TOP 10 BEST (UNDISCOVERED) GUITARISTS IN AMERICA. “Holy Sh*t! Rewind!... Monte was the first artist chosen for this column (the first to make our jaws drop!) His scorching yet musical solos combined with great pop sensibility in his songwriting is what caught our ear. But when you consider that he's playing those Van Halen-esque solos on an acoustic guitar with distortion, it becomes a slam dunk!" -– Michael Mueller, Guitar One Magazine "There are not too many things in this world that impress me outside of sex acts and Johnny Cash’s pulse. But the first time I planted myself and watched singer- songwriter-guitarist Monte Montgomery perform, I was astonished. The man’s a true guitar genius, standing at the brink of six-string immortality.” -– Gordon Keith, Dallas Observer "Austin is famous for its singer-songwriters. It's also known for its hotshot guitar players. Usually, these are two separate catagories. Monte Montgomery is known as a fine singer-songwriter and a top-notch guitar player. When Montgomery cuts loose on a hot-wired acoustic guitar solo, he suddenly takes on superhuman dimensions as a picker." -– Rick Mitchell, Houston Chronicle