Somewhere between the fast-paced, clever quips of Jason Mraz and the melodic voicing of Ben Harper, lays Monty Wells, a singer/songwriter from Washington DC. Combining elements of pop, rock, R&B and folk, Monty has created a sound all his own—“Acoustic , but with a sense of relevance and soul.†His meaningful and thought-provoking music and song lyrics have captivated listeners by the thousands.Monty's musical upbringing shows that there is truly no such thing as an "ordinary moment.†From a young age it was apparent that he possessed an ear for the musical arts. "In the second grade I was given a recorder and two weeks to learn ‘Ode to Joy,’†said Monty. “I figured it out in an hour and spent the rest of the time learning television theme songs by ear. It wasn't until my mom realized I could also play piano by ear that I understood what I was doing wasn't normal."Time progressed, Monty grew older, and his musical aspirations gave way to college, and dreams of eventually becoming a doctor. All of which came to a screeching halt when in the fall of 2001, three days after his 18th birthday, Monty was diagnosed with testicular cancer. While undergoing treatment, Monty spent the next two months bedridden and in constant pain. It was during this time that Monty's musical abilities reemerged. "It’s ironic really. I got this guitar for my birthday and never really played it,†said Monty. “But, one day, after radiation therapy, I grabbed it and started strumming—I only knew one song, ‘Island In the Sun’ by Weezer. I soon realized the vibrations from the guitar body soothed the stomach pain from the radiation treatment. It was a Godsend, because up until that point there was literally nothing I could do for the discomfort." Monty began playing guitar everyday and eventually wrote "Shattered Tears," an emotional tale of friendship lost.Hundreds of practice hours, songs and shows later, Monty, now a professional musician, has shared the stage with some of the top acts on the East Coast including Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers, Eric Arceneaux, Parachute (formerly Sparky's Flaw), Rush of Fools, The Brindley Brothers, The Bigger Lights (formerly Adelyn). Be on the lookout for Monty Wells in the near future.
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