Ray LaMontagne

Event Details

Ray LaMontagne (pronunced "la-mon-TAYN") (born 1974) is an award-winning folk singer-songwriter from New Hampshire, USA. He currently lives in Wilton, Maine.

One morning, LaMontagne heard the Stephen Stills song Treetop Flyer on the radio as it awoke him at 4am for an early work shift at a shoe factory. After purchasing the acoustic Stills Alone album (1991), LaMontagne decided to quit his job and begin a musical career.

He has since released two albums, Trouble and Till The Sun Turns Black. Bootleg copies of his early demo albums Raycharles LaMontagne (1999), Acre of Land (2001), Green (2002), One Lonesome Saddle (2002) and Introducing Ray Lamontagne (2003) are also now in circulation. In the UK, Trouble was a top 5 hit, and the single of the title track was a top 25 hit. Till the Sun Turns Black was a top 40 hit in the US. He has also recorded two popular B-Side covers of Gnarls Barkley's Crazy and his original song, Jolene, which can be heard in the closing credits of the 2010 movie The Town[i].

Musically, Ray plays guitar, harmonica and piano, but he is particularly known for his raspy voice, which has been said to [i]"combine the soul of Ray Charles and the grit of Otis Redding". Whilst LaMontagne says he is highly influenced by Stephen Stills, critics have compared LaMontagne's music to that of Van Morrison, Nick Drake, and Tim Buckley.

LaMontagne is a soft-spoken, notoriously private person who shuns the media spot-light, rarely giving interviews. He rarely interacts with the audience during his live shows and has even been known to perform live shows in the dark in order to separate himself from the audience.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 21) By The People, Washington, D.C.’s largest international arts and dialogue festival bringing people together around the themes of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, just added two music icons -- Ray LaMontagne and Neko Case -- to kick off its inaugural event.

Originally scheduled for Merriweather Post Pavilion, the Ray LaMontagne with Neko Case show will move to The Anthem and still happen June 20. This show will serve as the kick off of By The People, which will take place in every quadrant of D.C. June 21 – 24.

“Intended to promote empathy and spark civil discourse, the festival will connect people from diverse backgrounds and build bridges across the cultural divide. Ray and Neko perfectly round out a diverse line-up that now includes Indie Rock/Folk, Jazz, Go-Go, Gospel, Opera, and Punk,” said Kate Goodall, Co-founder and CEO of Halcyon, which is organizing the festival in association with the Smithsonian, Destination DC, ARTECHOUSE and dozens of D.C. organizations.

Tickets for the Merriweather show will be honored at The Anthem. Those who have already purchased tickets will be contacted to receive tickets with corresponding seats at The Anthem. Others can purchase tickets to the show now at ticketfly.com or at The Anthem, Merriweather, 9:30 Club and Lincoln Theatre during regular box office hours.

About By The People

By The People is an international arts and dialogue festival taking place across all four quadrants of Washington, D.C. June 21-24. The festival includes more than 100 events, from performances, to art installations, to curated conversations about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Almost all events are free, including an augmented reality art hunt and Smithsonian museums open until midnight on Saturday. A handful of ticketed performances will span a range of performance styles and music genres. Through its unique combination of art and empathy-building conversation, By The People invites visitors to connect and engage with one another, reminding them that more unites us than divides us. Register for a free pass at bythepeople.org.

About The Anthem

Just blocks from the National Mall, The Anthem is the new $60 million music venue at The Wharf on Southwest Washington, D.C.’s waterfront. The Anthem has a flexible capacity of anywhere from 2,500 to a maximum of 6,000—with many seated and general admission configurations. With full arena production and rigging capabilities, internationally touring artists such as Foo Fighters, Bob Dylan, The Killers, and Lorde are making The Anthem their stop while on upcoming arena tours. The Anthem has a few rows in the balconies that are Super Excellent™ Seats. Each seat is uniquely angled to face the stage at the exact perfect position. The Anthem is the first venue of its size in D.C. specifically built from the ground up for music and fills an important void in D.C.’s music scene.