Pennsauken Product Dan Montgomery Rocks Out Again Like His Teen Self On Album #8

Americana singer-songwriter-guitarist Dan Montgomery, from Pennsauken in Camden County, who already has six acclaimed albums to his credit, has decided to return to the sounds of his youth in crafting album #8, recorded in Memphis with producer Robert Mache. When Montgomery was a teenager, he played guitar in a series of cover bands, rocking out in South Jersey (despite being underaged) to the tunes of Grand Funk Railroad, Bad Company and Bachman-Turner Overdrive.

Cast-Iron Songs and Torch Ballads (Fantastic Yes Records) was released April 7 on 12-inch vinyl, digital download and on streaming services. It’s harder than his usual fare. As he says, “I became really serious about lyrics and that flew in the face of dancing and fighting, so I began playing solo on the local coffeehouse circuit. It was great. I learned a lot of folk and country songwriting and eventually my electric guitar began to gather dust.” Until now. For this album, he took his Danelectro, plugged it in, cranked it up, and wrote riffs again. Still, six albums of thoughtful and subdued music doesn’t die easy so these songs have the best of both worlds.