Our Summer Stars series features a variety of groups out there making the rounds on the festival circuit. Today we look at Ryan Montbleau. For more of our Summer Star pieces, click here .

Photo by Ryan Laurey

It’s not surprising that Ryan Montbleau felt a little out of his element when he made his new album, For Higher. The native New Englander ventured to New Orleans to record – under Galactic’s Ben Ellman’s helmsmanship – with local heavy weights guitarist Anders Osborne, drummer Simon Lott, keyboardist Ivan Neville and bassist George Porter Jr. “I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was a little nervous going in,” Montbleau admits. “But, man – every single guy was so warm and welcoming to the material and me.” For Higher marks a big leap for Montbleau’s music. “It’s definitely a funkier record, front to back, than my previous albums,” he shares. “You won’t find any folk, Americana or reggae tunes.”

The record, which mixes originals with soul nuggets like Eddie Hinton’s “Yeah Man” and Bill Withers’ “Heartbreak Road,” was an especially liberating experience. “It allowed me to go in there as more of a singer than a singer/songwriter,” he says, adding that the project “made me more confident overall as a singer and a writer.” This New Orleans adventure also has left Montbleau reinvigorated for work with his band, as he states, “the guys are all psyched on the new material.”

This summer, they’ll be playing mainly around the Northeast, appearing at festivals like Gathering of the Vibes with sets featuring old favorites, For Higher tracks and new material, too. Montbleau is already planning to start work on the next band album, which he wants to be the “best we have ever done.”

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