Ray LaMontagne @ CMAC in Canandaigua, New York Saturday July 23, 2016

The last time I caught a Ray LaMontagne concert was when he and his band opened for Guster at High Falls in Rochester, New York about ten years ago. I have to admit that my recollection of that performance is hazy; the mostly gentle, melancholy middle of the road tunes did not leave a huge impression on me. On Saturday night at CMAC in Canandaigua, New York, LaMontagne switched it up and gained intensity and dove head first into prog-rock and power chord territory during his “Ouroboros” tour. Opening act The Arcs kicked it off and nearly stole the show with a compact set full of soulful funky garage pop. Band mastermind and producer of LaMontagne’s album “Supernova” Dan Auerbach had his fingers on the trigger of a retro-groove that honestly made me want for more. When LaMontagne got up on stage he wore a flannel shirt and said something along the lines of “nice to see you” and eased into a solo acoustic set that dug into his vast catalog of blue chip material. LaMontagne has always been a man of few words and as a folksinger he has a wider palette then most. On his latest album “Ouroboros,” LaMontagne channeled his inner psychedelia and his backing band – four members of My Morning Jacket – added some muscular energy to the electric portion of the concert. The band rocked out performing in front of a giant circular object that projected the moon among other acid images. It was like a mash up of Nick Drake, Pink Floyd and Star Trek. And the stars aligned. It was exemplary art-rock at its finest with folk-blues and country splashed in.

By Roman Jones

Photo by Roman Divezur

The Changing Man at CMAC in Canadaigua, New York

https://youtu.be/J6Q_VYmPUYA

Hey, No Pressure at Uptown Ampitheatre in Charlotte, North Carolina