Blues Artist Coco Montoya to perform at the Kate on October 12
Coco Montoya
Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center • 300 Main St, Old Saybrook, CT 06475
October 12, 2023, at 7:30 PM
Tickets are on sale now via thekate.org
The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, “the Kate”, welcomes bluesman Coco Montoya on Thursday, October 12, 2023 at 7:30 pm.
Award-winning guitar virtuoso and soul-deep singer Henry “Coco” Montoya was born in Santa Monica, California, on October 2, 1951, and raised in a working-class family. Growing up, Coco immersed himself in his parents’ record collection. He listened to big band jazz, salsa, doo-wop and rock ‘n’ roll. His first love was drums; he acquired a kit at age 11. He got a guitar two years later. “I’m sure the Beatles had something to do with this,” Montoya recalls. “I wanted to make notes as well as beats.” But guitar was his secondary instrument. Montoya turned his love of drumming into his profession, playing in a number of area rock bands while still in his teens and becoming an in-demand drummer.
“Just play what you feel, be real about it, and enjoy yourself.’ That’s what Albert Collins taught me,” says Montoya. The self-taught, left-handed guitarist mastered his craft under Collins’ tutelage. Incorporating lessons learned from his mentors, the iconic Collins (for whom he originally drummed), and UK legend John Mayall, Montoya puts his own stamp onto every song he performs.
Since his first solo album in 1995 (which won him the Blues Music Award for Best New Artist), Montoya’s endlessly inventive guitar work and passionate, hard-hitting vocals have kept him at the top of the blues world. With his new Alligator Records album, Writing On The Wall, Montoya delivers what he is already calling one of the best records he’s ever made. For the very first time on Alligator, he decided to bring his road-tested band—noted keyboardist and songwriter Jeff Paris, bassist Nathan Brown, and drummer Rena Beavers—into the studio with him. Between the camaraderie of the long-time bandmates and the sheer talent of all involved, the results have left Coco, in his words, “over the moon.”
Still an indefatigable road warrior, Montoya continues to tour virtually nonstop, bringing audiences to their feet from New York to New Orleans to Chicago to San Francisco. Across the globe, he’s performed in countries including Australia, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Norway, England, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Mexico, Ecuador, Italy, Poland, Russia, the Czech Republic and Canada.
Now, with the dynamic Writing On The Wall and a tour calendar busting at the seams, Coco Montoya is as excited as he’s ever been to perform the new songs live with his burning-hot band. Montoya’s well-earned reputation as an eye-popping live performer precedes him. Vintage Guitar states, “Coco keeps getting better and better. He plays with fire and passion rarely seen in this day and age.” Billboard declares, “In a world of blues guitar pretenders, Coco Montoya is the real McCoy. He exudes power and authenticity. Be prepared to get scorched by the real thing.”
For information and tickets, visit www.thekate.org or call 860-510-0453.
Click here to learn more about The Kate
Click here for more events at The Kate
Click here for more events in Middlesex County
••••••••••••
Stay connected with us:
Connecticut merch by town store
Connecticut with us on Instagram, Facebook , Tiktok, Twitter
Check out our popular pages: Help Wanted, Real Estate, Connecticut Sports
For the latest nightlife info across Connecticut join 203socialclub & 860socialclub.
Finding Connecticut is operated and hosted by Victory Designs • Graphic design • Web • Social Media
•••••
Connecticut savings:
Looking for help with anxiety, sleep, and inflammation? Shop New England Hemp Farm and save 35% by using promo code Findingconnecticut35 on your first order then save
20% by using promo code findingconnecticut20 on orders after. New England Hemp Farm also has free shipping through out the United States.
••••••
Visit our other sites:
Finding Greenwich • Finding Stamford • Finding Darien • Finding New Canaan • Finding Wilton. • Finding Ridgefield • Finding Easton • Finding Weston • Finding Westport • Finding Fairfield • Finding Bridgeport