Memphis Americana stalwart Dan Montgomery releases his 6th full length album Smoke and Mirrors(a phonographic memory) this April.
A song cycle about an unlikely friendship/mentorship that takes in bank robbers, meat cutters, hard timers and a backdrop of a decade of methamphetamine. It’s also the most musically varied album of Dan’s catalog. From the Pych – Pop of “The Winter of the Summer of Super Freak” to the slinky New Orleans clarinet driven “Hard Time”, the Crazy Horse desert rock of “The Right Time “ into the STAX style rave up closer “Missed Him”. With plenty of meat and potatoes Rock and Roll woven through.
“The story, the concept is something I’ve worked on a long time” says Dan, “ but just as important a concept is Ten really great songs that can stand alone!”
Smoke and Mirrors is a vinyl only release and a limited run of only 300 copies. Hand numbered by the artist. A beautiful gatefold sleeve, lyric sheet and notes. It includes a download card that gives access to all the artwork, lyrics, etc as well as the album itself.
The first single is “The Winter of the Summer of Super Freak” the charging Mathew Sweet like opener. It sets the time and place of the story yet to come with overdriven ringing guitars, a heavenly choir of backing vocals and Dan’s unique story telling skills at their sharpest.
Recorded in Memphis, TN in drummer James Cunningham’s Shack in the Back studio where Dan’s last batch of records have been done, Smoke and Mirrors is mostly live on the floor takes with Dan’s core band (Dan – vocals, guitar Robert Mache – guitar, keyboards, vocals Candace Mache – vocals Tom Arndt – bass James Cunningham – drums, percussion – the same band that will join Dan for a run of East Coast shows in early June with more dates to come.). Several tracks were flavored with some of Memphis’ finest including horns by Jim Spake and Marc Franklin. The album was Produced by Robert Mache and James Cunningham based on a true story by Dan Montgomery.