I am excited to be going back home to Alpena, MI again next weekend for a couple more performances and family events.
Friday, July 30th, 45th Parallel will be performing for the Friday Nights Downtown Festival where there will be entertainment, food, kids games, family fun and of course live music. The event takes place every Friday through out the summer from 5:30PM to 9PM. Location: Second Avenue, DownTown Alpena, MI. Contact Information: DDA Phone: 989.356.6422. If you are in the Down Town Area please stop by and say hello to my mom, Tina Montgomery, owner of My Glass Wings, a stained glass studio and gift shop, located at 106 N. 2nd Ave. (right in the heart of the action).
Saturday, July 31, 7MJ will be performing for Melissa Behring’s (our lead singer), family reunion. (If you would like to book 7MJ for a function, wedding or private party please call Jake Tobias, 248-586-9693)
A little bit about me: Alpena, Michigan is where I spent the most pivotal years of my life. My dad was in the Air Force so I moved a lot during my child hood including San Bernadino, Ca (where I was born), Colorado Springs, CO (where I started school), and Warner Robins, GA (where I bought my first Fender American Standard Stratocaster with the money I made from working 3 jobs over the summers). In 1990, when my dad retired from the Air Force, we moved up to Alpena, Michigan, my mom’s home town. My high school years were spent at Alpena High, home of the Wild Cats. This is where I met Maggie Lamb and Greg Adamus 2 of the earliest influences on my music career. Maggie Lamb took me to my first Jazz concert, The Bird of Paradise Orchestra at the The Bird of Paradise Club (more recently known as the Fire Fly Club in Ann Arbor, MI). Maggie Lamb is to this day a great advocate for bringing live music , art, and culture to the Alpena Area. Greg Adamus, then vice principle at Alpena High, taught me many things about Jazz and performance, but also guided me toward Wayne State and helped me prepare for guitar at the college level (and the audition that not only got me admitted but also a full scholarship). Alpena is where I made some of my greatest friends and had some of my best memories. It is always a joy to travel back there and sad to leave.