by Dorothy Hill
At his recent show at Biscuits & Blues, Montoya was joined on stage by Benny Yee on keyboards, Steve Evans on bass and Randy Hayes on drums. The first set of an hour and a half was mostly devoted to blues with Montoya leading off with the hard-driving rockish blues tune "I Need Your Love In My Life." Then performing "You Didn,t Think About That." Montoya demonstrated his blistering guitar work. His years of performing with Albert Collins have honed his chops well as he exhibited on the tune "Get Your Business Straight." His vocals are warmly expressive. Keyboardist Benny Yee is absolutely amazing! He asserts his presence with soul in his playing and a smashing style that is breathtaking but all the while melodic.
Montoya is one of those musicians who appreciates the audience and graciously spends time conversing with his fans (this evening he was especially grateful to the industry guests, Gavin Convention attendees and Monster Cable representative--Montoya is one of the Famous Monsters). This is definitely a band to catch, tight hard rocking blues that delivers!
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