Kristian Montgomery – Thanks for Asking!

Image: Kristian Montgomery at the 2026 Listen Up Awards in Cohoes, N.Y. – photo by Frankie Cavone.

RRX: Every artist’s first song is a milestone. But so is the latest song. Describe the first song/album you recorded, and also the latest song/album you recorded; what are the differences?

Kristian Montgomery: My first album was “Small Cages.” I was the creative force behind the band Bone Dry System. We recorded it at Iguana Studios, just south of Boston, with producer Dave Lynch.  The players and the producer were close friends. I’d go as far as saying we were family. The band disbanded in the early 2000s. That record, I’m proud to say, is still thought of as one of the best to come out of that dirty city, back when it was still dirty. We all were slowly pushed out by rising rents. It’s very affluent now, and far from its glory days, but the savagery around making music there made me who I am. This was the single, “Prescription Smile,” from that record.

https://youtu.be/4iaiqy4TETQ?si=Efb_M5Cqxzp7dEuQ

My newest endeavor is “Soul Family.” 13 songs, to be released on June 21st, 2026. It’s a Kristian Montgomery and the Winterkill Band project which seems to evolve as I do. Different players and producers. It’s my sixth album in six years. It’s honestly my best/favorite record yet. Andrew Koss produced and played multiple instruments. Christian Schenk played bass (world-renowned session player) from upstate NY. This record was recorded during the miserable blizzard winter we just survived in the mountains.  I added some Danish (my 2nd language) to this album. My song, “Jeg Elsker Dig,” translated as “I love You,” is getting some hype in Scandinavia. Andrew and I co-wrote “Find Your Truth,” another song on the album. It was a great collaboration between three solid players and composers. Andrew challenges his clients to play better and think outside the norm. Each song has something memorable and distinct. I’ll be back with him again. Here’s a sneak peek of a song off the album:

https://youtu.be/PV-9dKov6ZM?si=OcmSBvV2SwqTGVLY

RRX: Music genres are difficult for some artists. Some strictly adhere; others not so much. What is your perspective on the genre you play, or the genres you hover around?

KM: First … I honestly hate genres. They box you in. I love metal, and I love folk, Americana, and Rock. In between those genres, you’ll find me. I have songs that would fit well on Headbangers Ball, and others that would find a home on Americana Highways. I think that artists like Tom Petty, Prince, Peter Gabriel, and Johnny Cash are great examples of artists who could live between genres. That’s where I want to be. I tend to feel everything and put a sound to it. I get pissed and throw on some Lynch Mob or Pantera, and then when I come back to reason, it’s Steve Wilson or Tori Amos for a bit. I saw Bryan Adams at Tivoli in Copenhagen over the summer and Bruce Cockburn this past winter. Genres are a formula to sell merchandise and tickets, but not always satisfying for the artist behind it all.

RRX: It’s a lot of fun living in the present, but we all collect memories and give birth to dreams. We’re talking dreams here. Where do you see yourself next year? In the next five years?

KM: This album, there’s something about it. The front and back of the album are pictures by Frankie Cavone. He’s a creative juggernaut and just a great guy. By the time this comes out, I’ll probably be back from Europe. The radio and music scene overseas reminds me of the USA in the ’90s. Creative, savage, and raw. Still in its prime, and I’ve been blessed to be shoulder to shoulder with other Vikings in the mosh pits of Roskilde. Artists and fans supporting each other across genres, race, religion, etc. So in the next year, I hope I’m in the middle of that revival here in Upstate New York.

RRX: Cover art is cool. It shows listeners what the artist thinks the album is all about. Because music can be felt visually. If you had to give the public a visual image that you think they would see and just “get” your groove right away, what would it be?

KM: Me in a white V-neck T-shirt and fedora, in jeans, with my guitar in Nyhavn, Denmark, busking and showing off my tattoos from over the winter. I’d of course be back in shape like last summer, and have shed this lil’ pot belly. These winters are rough.

RRX: Artists, musicians, we immortalize. We set it in stone. Is there anyone who has passed that you feel you have immortalized in your work? If so, can you tell us a little about it?

KM: Prince … his melodies on top of melodies. He was a great songwriter and performer. He could change mid-song and take you somewhere else. He is in my Top 5 and immortal to me. He is still here in the hearts and heads of people lucky enough to have heard him. He’s one of just a few artists who can make me feel what they are feeling. The pure joy of it.

RRX: Love is a big part of music. We’re talking first loves here. Lots of cool stories about first loves and the things we do for those loves. Can you (or, in the case of a band, one member) talk about your first love, especially if you did something cool to express that love? (No names needed.)

KM: Ok, get ready. So my wife, April. You’ve met her. She was the first girl I ever kissed when I was 15. Her dad was a fisherman, and so was mine. I’d follow her around town on my skateboard. I got her to kiss me behind the library of the fishing village we lived in. Summers were hot, sandy, and prime stomping grounds for all the firsts. Well, that kiss got broken up by Aunt Judy, who feared becoming a great-aunt. April and I didn’t see each other for years. We ended up marrying (other people) who were obviously not our soulmates. We both had terrible marriages to abusive people with mental health issues. We ran into each other jogging, and both immediately said, “I’m divorced.” We were married less than a year later. It’s honestly like that summer kiss never ended. My song “Gypsy Girl” is about her. She’s Portuguese and has the olive skin and cheekbones. So I write a lot of love songs. She’s also very possessive, and so my eyes are always on her and only her. I have scars to prove it.