Ryan Montbleau Band Packs Paradise

Bostonist explained last week the challenge that is describing the Ryan Montbleau Band's multi-genre sound, noting that "one never knows what the band's going to come up with next."

Odds are good that the 700 people crowded into the sold-out Paradise Rock Club on Saturday night could come up with several hundred ways to describe what they heard. When we left the club, however, we were thinking about how the homegrown band is composed of the musical equivalent of Boston Dirt Dogs. While the crowd was busy dancing and clinking beer bottles, the six men in the spotlight were focused on the work and cramming as much music into a two-and-a-half-hour window as they possibly could.

Namesake member Montbleau apologized to the crowd for letting more than six months pass without a show at home. The band has been busy, he said, between its regular touring and the process of recording material for a follow-up to last year's indie release "One Fine Color."

Some of that new material made its way into Saturday’s set, showing continued expansion into musical genres. The band can deftly move from rockabilly twang ("Eggs") to lyric-intensive ballads ("This" and the standout "Love & Love Lost") or reggae-infused tunes. Where other bands would be happy to find one niche sound and make it work, the Montbleau band seems to keep its listeners guessing, unable or unwilling to fall into any form of mold. The work fit well in a set of band staples that were received by screams and sing-alongs over the course of the band's two sets.

The long Boston absence made for a bizarre sort of vibe within the Comm. Ave. venue, however: homecoming show, tour stop and energy release for a band cooped up in a van for a long time (that is, we think, where an incident involving an Easter Bunny suit fits in). The band seemed charged by a full room, as Montbleau noted that with touring comes sparse audience nights; audience members' shrieks and singalongs indicated that six months was much too long for their liking.

It was fitting, then, that the band closed out the night with "Stretch," a song to which the crowd enthusiastically belted out the words. The song's lyrics include the line "I'll sing you my songs and I hope you sing along," and it seemed the hometown crowd was happy to oblige.

More shots from the set available here.