Ray LaMontagne heading for Newcastle City Hall

Jun 25 2009 by David Whetstone, The Journal

Quiet man Ray LaMontagne talks to David Whetstone ahead of his latest UK tour

Now based in Maine, Ray LaMontagne isn’t averse to touring. “Sometimes more than other days,” he says, “but it’s a nice group of people I’m on the road with these days. I always look forward to seeing them and the audiences, for the most part, are great.” What of the playing in the dark? “It is true, at least it was early on. It’s mostly because when you’re starting out you can’t afford to bring sound guys and lighting guys and you’re in clubs with bad lighting shining in your face. Sometimes I’d just have to turn the lights off.”

It isn’t too long ago that Ray LaMontagne was touring in the UK but he won’t be on the road for long, preferring to limit himself to six weeks at a time so he can get back to the family that he doesn’t care to talk about to journalists.

A life in music, he says, can be “challenging and tortuous – but only because I’m a very harsh critic of myself. That’s really the only negative. I feel really lucky to have a career concerning music – really, really lucky.”

Ray LaMontagne plays Newcastle City Hall on September 9.

Tickets are on sale now. Call (0191) 261-2606.