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Roy Montgomery (born 1959) is a composer,
guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
ist and lecturer from
Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...
,
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
. Montgomery's mostly instrumental solo works have elements of
post-rock Post-rock is a form of experimental rock characterized by a focus on exploring textures and timbre over traditional rock song structures, chords, or riffs. Post-rock artists are often instrumental, typically combining rock instrumentation with ...
,
lo-fi Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate choice. The ...
, folk and avant-garde experimentation. His signature sound might be described as atmospheric or cinematic, often featuring complex layers of chiming, echoing and/or droning guitar phrases. He is currently head of the
environmental management Environmental resource management is the management of the interaction and impact of human societies on the environment. It is not, as the phrase might suggest, the management of the environment itself. Environmental resources management aims ...
department at Lincoln University in New Zealand. Montgomery has played in several bands since the late 1970s, most notably The Pin Group, Dadamah, Dissolve and
Hash Jar Tempo Hash Jar Tempo is a collaborative musical project between the members of Philadelphia-based psychedelic rock, psychedelic band Bardo Pond and Experimental music, experimental guitarist and composer Roy Montgomery. The band was founded in March 19 ...
. He has released solo albums on labels including Kranky and
Drunken Fish Alcohol intoxication, also known as alcohol poisoning, commonly described as drunkenness or inebriation, is the negative behavior and physical effects caused by a recent consumption of Alcohol (drug), alcohol. In addition to the toxicity of etha ...
, as well as collaborations with artists like
Flying Saucer Attack Flying Saucer Attack is an English space rock band formed in Bristol in 1992, led by songwriter David Pearce. Rachel Brook (now Rachel Coe) of Movietone was a member during the band's early incarnation; other musicians contributing to the gro ...
and
Grouper Groupers are fish of any of a number of genera in the subfamily Epinephelinae of the family Serranidae, in the order Perciformes. Not all serranids are called "groupers"; the family also includes the sea basses. The common name "grouper" is u ...
. Music critic Brett Abrahamsen opined that "in a just and fair world... books would be written about Montgomery's greatness."


Biography


Early life

Montgomery was born in 1959 in London, England and moved with his family to
Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...
in Germany where he lived until the age of four. His father was German and his mother was from the UK. As his mother worked for the
British Forces Broadcasting Service The British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides radio and television programmes for His Majesty's Armed Forces, and their dependents worldwide. Editorial control is independent of the Ministry of Defence and the armed forces themselv ...
, Montgomery was exposed mostly to the pop music of the United States rather than the music of Germany. In the mid-1960s he moved with his mother to Christchurch, New Zealand.


Early career

In 1980, he formed The Pin Group with bass player Ross Humphries and drummer Peter Stapleton. The group debuted with the single "Ambivalence" in 1981, the first release on newly founded label
Flying Nun Records Flying Nun Records is a New Zealand independent record label formed in Christchurch in 1981 by music store manager Roger Shepherd. Described by ''The Guardian'' as "one of the world's great independent labels", Flying Nun is notable for bringin ...
(released a week before the Clean's "Tally Ho!"). They recorded a handful of singles, an EP, and only performed inside New Zealand before disbanding in January 1982. Montgomery later worked with Stapleton again in Dadamah, formed in 1990.


Solo career

Montgomery had been composing and recording acoustic work since 1982, much of which he would integrate into his 1990s work. Although he enjoys collaborating with other artists, Montgomery is mostly drawn to working alone, which he attributes to growing up as an only child. He travelled through America from 1994 to 1995 after his wife Jo passed away in 1992. He spent time in New York in a sub-let apartment writing music by himself on a four-track recorder, where he recorded '' Scenes from the South Island,'' '' Temple IV'', and some singles. Montgomery described ''Scenes from the South Island'' as “about being away from your home country. I’ve never tired of the imagery that generated the album, and those landscapes are still places I go to, physically or in my mind. Those visions of space and atmosphere – the absence of busy, human life – populate a lot of what I do. It’s regenerative, an existential thing.” ''Scenes from the South Island'' was released in 1995 on Drunken Fish, and ''Temple IV'' was released on Kranky in 1996.


Academic career

Montgomery completed a master's thesis titled ''"Thou shalt take into account the principles of the
Treaty of Waitangi The Treaty of Waitangi ( mi, Te Tiriti o Waitangi) is a document of central importance to the history, to the political constitution of the state, and to the national mythos of New Zealand. It has played a major role in the treatment of the M ...
and/or consider Maori cultural, traditional, and spiritual values": implications for research management'' at Lincoln University in 1990.


Discography


Albums

* '' Scenes from the South Island'' (1995,
Drunken Fish Alcohol intoxication, also known as alcohol poisoning, commonly described as drunkenness or inebriation, is the negative behavior and physical effects caused by a recent consumption of Alcohol (drug), alcohol. In addition to the toxicity of etha ...
) * '' Temple IV'' (1996, Kranky) * '' And Now the Rain Sounds Like Life Is Falling Down Through It'' (1998, Drunken Fish) * '' The Allegory of Hearing'' (2000, Drunken Fish) * '' Silver Wheel of Prayer'' (2001, VHF) * '' Music from the Film Hey Badfinger'' (2012, Yellow Electric) * ''RMHQ: Headquarters'' (2016, Grapefruit) * ''Suffuse'' (2018, Grapefruit) * ''Refuse'' (2018, Grapefruit) * ''Island of Lost Souls'' (2021, Grapefruit) * ''Rhymes of Chance'' (2021, Grapefruit) * ''That Best Forgotten Work'' (2021, Grapefruit) * ''Audiotherapy'' (2022, Grapefruit) * ''Camera Melancholia'' (2022, Grapefruit)


Compilations

*'' 324 E. 13th Street #7'' (Drunken Fish, 1999) *'' Inroads: New and Collected Works'' (Rebis, 2007) *'' 324 E. 13th Street #7'' (Yellow Electric, 2014)


Collaborations

*with Kim Pieters and Peter Stapleton and Janine Stagg as Dadamah: '' This is not a Dream'' (Majora, 1992) *with Kim Pieters and Peter Stapleton and Janine Stagg as Dadamah: '' This is not a Dream'' (Kranky, 1995) *with
Chris Heaphy Chris Heaphy is a New Zealand artist who is based in Auckland. His work explores cultural issues with a greater focus on the relationship between Maori and Pakeha due to the artist's background. Early life and education Chris Heaphy was ...
as Dissolve: '' That that is, is (not)'' (Kranky, 1995) *with
Chris Heaphy Chris Heaphy is a New Zealand artist who is based in Auckland. His work explores cultural issues with a greater focus on the relationship between Maori and Pakeha due to the artist's background. Early life and education Chris Heaphy was ...
as Dissolve: '' Third Album for the Sun'' (Kranky, 1997) *with
Bardo Pond Bardo Pond are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1991, and who are currently signed to London-based label Fire Records. The current members are Michael Gibbons (guitar), John Gibbons (guitar), Isobel Sollenberger (flute and vocals), Cl ...
as
Hash Jar Tempo Hash Jar Tempo is a collaborative musical project between the members of Philadelphia-based psychedelic rock, psychedelic band Bardo Pond and Experimental music, experimental guitarist and composer Roy Montgomery. The band was founded in March 19 ...
: '' Well Oiled'' (Drunken Fish, 1997) *with
Bardo Pond Bardo Pond are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1991, and who are currently signed to London-based label Fire Records. The current members are Michael Gibbons (guitar), John Gibbons (guitar), Isobel Sollenberger (flute and vocals), Cl ...
as
Hash Jar Tempo Hash Jar Tempo is a collaborative musical project between the members of Philadelphia-based psychedelic rock, psychedelic band Bardo Pond and Experimental music, experimental guitarist and composer Roy Montgomery. The band was founded in March 19 ...
: ''
Under Glass ''Under Glass'' is the second Album#Studio album, studio album by Hash Jar Tempo, released on March 23, 1999 by Drunken Fish Records. Track listing Personnel Adapted from the ''Under Glass'' liner notes. ;Hash Jar Tempo * Joe Culver  ...
'' (Drunken Fish, 1999) *with
Flying Saucer Attack Flying Saucer Attack is an English space rock band formed in Bristol in 1992, led by songwriter David Pearce. Rachel Brook (now Rachel Coe) of Movietone was a member during the band's early incarnation; other musicians contributing to the gro ...
: ''
Goodbye Goodbye, Good bye, or Good-bye is a parting phrase and may refer to: Film * ''Goodbye'' (1918 film), a British drama directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Goodbye'' (1995 film) (''Tot Ziens!''), a Dutch film directed by Heddy Honigmann * ''Goodbye'' ...
'' (VHF, 1996) *with
Chris Heaphy Chris Heaphy is a New Zealand artist who is based in Auckland. His work explores cultural issues with a greater focus on the relationship between Maori and Pakeha due to the artist's background. Early life and education Chris Heaphy was ...
: ''
True True most commonly refers to truth, the state of being in congruence with fact or reality. True may also refer to: Places * True, West Virginia, an unincorporated community in the United States * True, Wisconsin, a town in the United States * Tr ...
'' (Kranky, 1999) *with
Grouper Groupers are fish of any of a number of genera in the subfamily Epinephelinae of the family Serranidae, in the order Perciformes. Not all serranids are called "groupers"; the family also includes the sea basses. The common name "grouper" is u ...
: '' Roy Montgomery/Grouper'' (Root Strata, 2010) *with Nick Guy: '' Torlesse Super Group'' (Rebis, 2011) *with Mary Lattimore: '' Goodbye, Hotel Arkada'' (Ghostly International, 2023), track 3: "Blender in a Blender"


References


External links

* *
Artist
page at the kranky record label website
Roy Montgomery's staff profile page
at Lincoln University, Christchurch. {{DEFAULTSORT:Montgomery, Roy Experimental rock musicians Psychedelic folk musicians Psychedelic rock musicians Musicians from Christchurch Living people 1959 births Drunken Fish Records artists Rocket Girl artists