Andrew Montgomery

Infobox musical artist
Name = Andrew Montgomery


Img_capt = Andrew Montgomery in concert.deletable image-caption
Img_size =
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Andrew James Montgomery
Alias =
Born = birth date and age|1969|9|5
Origin = flagicon|Scotland East Kilbride, Scotland
Instrument = Vocals
Genre = Alternative rock
Electronic music
Occupation = Musician
Years_active =
Label = Formerly Nude Records
Associated_acts = Geneva
Amityville
St. Famous
URL = http://www.myspace.com/stfamous
http://www.aplaceinthespace.co.uk
Notable_instruments =

Andrew Montgomery is a Scottish singer who is best known as a member of late '90s Aberdeen indie band Geneva.

Personal History

Montgomery was born on the 5 September 1969, in Bellshill, near Glasgow. His father worked in shipping and his mother was a hairdresser. He has one younger brother, Colin.

Montgomery comes from a family of strong singers. Montgomery's brother, parents and grandparents have or had exceptional voices, in particular Montgomery's mother, who was a semi-professional performer. He grew up in a household where singing was a part of everyday life, and, as a result, Montgomery had already developed a strong singing voice at a very young age. As an adult, he has an impressive vocal range of over three and a half octaves.

After graduating from the University of Edinburgh in 1991 with a degree in Politics and History, Montgomery became a journalist in Aberdeen for newspaper company D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd.

Musical career

It was while in Aberdeen that Montgomery met guitarist Steven Dora, and in 1992 they began writing music together. They later got together with guitarist Stuart Evans, bassist Keith Graham and drummer Douglas Caskie, and formed a band called Sunfish.

In 1996 The band was signed to the record label Nude, who were well known at the time as the record label for the bands Suede, The Jennifers (later Supergrass) and Black Box Recorder. It was at this time that the band changed its name, first to Garland, then to Geneva.

Geneva had moderate chart success and a loyal fan base, with four Top 40 singles and a critically acclaimed debut album, "Further", which was released in 1997. Following over a year of wrangling with their record label, their follow-up album, "Weather Underground", was released in 2000. As a consequence of the complete lack of publicity surrounding its release, the album and its two singles bombed, and the band split up later that year.

At the height of their career, Geneva received wide critical acclaim, particularly with regard to Montgomery's singing voice. Often referred to as "angelic"¹, "heavenly"¹ or "celestial", there was a distinct 'choirboy' quality to Montgomery's voice.

Following the band's split, Montgomery moved to New York City, where he met and began collaborating with a number of musicians, including Steve Slingeneyer of Soulwax, and Ben Ellis of Serafin and Catherine Wheel. His most notable collaboration at this time was with experimental composer Ben Neill, and he featured heavily on Neill's 2002 album "Automotive". Montgomery later accompanied Neill on his tour of the US.

During this period Montgomery travelled regularly between New York and the UK, living in a number of different places, including London, and taking temporary jobs to support his music. It was while he was spending time in England that he engaged in a collaboration with Overseer, culminating in a contribution to his 2003 album "Wreckage".

Montgomery moved permanently back to Scotland in 2003, and formed a London-based band called Amityville with guitarist Stuart Peck and drummer David Bevis, plus a number of contributors including the aforementioned Ben Ellis, who by this time had also returned to the UK.

Amityville did well on the London gig circuit and generated some press and industry interest, and they released a limited edition EP, "Pacific Radio Fire", which quickly sold out. But ultimately the band was too indie rock-centred for the mood of the British pop band scene at the time, which was based around highly melodic soft indie such as Coldplay and Keane, and the band failed to get signed. They broke up in 2005, but Montgomery and Peck continue to collaborate.

Montgomery moved to Brighton in 2005 and, following the break-up of Amityville, embarked on a collaboration with Keris Howard, formerly of the band Harper Lee. They named themselves St. Famous.

Following a sabbatical from summer 2006 to summer 2007, Montgomery has rekindled his work both with St. Famous and Stuart Peck. St. Famous plan to go into the recording studio some time in 2008, and Montgomery continues with various collaborations.

Quotes

"The fountain burst of puretone sound that flies from his gob is one of the most emotionally resonant phenomena in current pop and in conjunction with his taste for dark-night-of-the-soul lyrics and the swooping, string-laden melodies of (mostly) Steven Dora, it makes Geneva the strongest mystique magnets this side of a weeping statue of Mary Magdalene."¹

"It's the voice that you fall for, of course. There are easy reference points - Jeff Buckley, David McAlmont, Radiohead - but what thrills most is Montgomery's restraint. He could show off, demonstrate his "virtuosity", ultimately be "used" by his ability; remarkably, he resists."²

"Geneva have carved their own identity with Montgomery's astonishing vocal range. The man is in command of several more octaves than most and his beautifully pure vocals are counterpointed by the chiming notes of the instrumentation"³

Geneva's singer Andrew Montgomery is simply one of the best you will ever hear. Higher and higher he goes, more and more exalted he seems by the songs ... an amazing natural gift ... the vocal melodies are uncanny, different, almost devotional."⁴

Personal life

Montgomery lives and works in Brighton, England. He has a wide range of musical interests and is a regular on the Brighton gigging scene.

Montgomery has a keen interest in religion and spirituality, as well as politics. He is also a football fan and is an avid supporter of Rangers F.C.

References

*¹NME, 7th June 1997, p.25
*²Melody Maker, November 1996
*³List Magazine, August 1996
*⁴Select, Spring 1996

External links

* [http://www.myspace.com/stfamous St. Famous MySpace homepage]
* [http://www.aplaceinthespace.co.uk Geneva archive]
* [http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/geneva/bio.jhtml "VH1" Geneva band biography]
* [http://www.drownedinsound.com/articles/7368 "Drowned In Sound" Amityville gig review]
* [http://www.incendiarymag.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=317 "Incendiary" Magazine interview with Andrew Montgomery]