NMR Artist Spotlight: EXCLUSIVE Musician Interview Multi Instrumentalist Margot Monti

NMR Artist Spotlight: Multi Instrumentalist Margot Monti

This article is part of the New Music Resource Artist Spotlight Series. After a brief hiatus of this popular series that spotlights exciting emerging artists, filmmakers, and musicians, the New Music Resource is excited to present the Artist Spotlight Series for 2017-2018. We encourage you to check out the music and albums of these amazing artists.

About the artist

Margot Monti is a multi-instrumentalist specializing in clarinets, flutes, and wind and percussion instruments from around the world. Her style is at once unique in its voices and deeply familiar in feeling. From the orchestra floor to the kitchen drawers, the voices of her compositions and the stories they tell speak to everyone.

DOWNLOAD NEW PATH FROM CD BABY TODAY!

The title track "New Path" is a calm yet powerful reminder that when the road traveled takes an unwanted turn OR becomes too familiar, it's time to change course. The spoken lyrics embedded within the tune are there as the ‘little voice in your head’ that can often be difficult to hear over the whirling emotions and strengthening convictions that the time has come to grow. The full poem appears below:

Though I try to walk the roads less trodden
I often find that same old easy stride
Get to where I only see
What I think is in front of me
And forget to look around from side to side

And what, when I find myself mired down by those around me
With angst and frustration
Exasperated sighs?
Who am I suddenly?
Where's the Me I love?
With the bitter and the weary I will not reside

It's time to step off in a different direction
Find the strength in my core
and revitalize.
I almost forgot to remember how to wonder
Time to find my old self
Time to take a New Path
Time to see the world with a true set of eyes

EXCLUSIVE ARTIST INTERVIEW WITH MARGOT MONTI

1. WHAT INSPIRES YOUR MUSIC? WHAT IS YOUR STORY?

Though I am 'classically trained' and played in a local symphonic band for 20 years, I began to explore the depths of the music within me once I discovered the thrill of improvising at jam sessions with friends. I grew up playing piano, clarinet, and flute, but as adults my father and I formed a strong bond over learning to play the didgeridoo and 'geeking out' over acoustical physics. I was also fortunate enough to join a rock band with some extraordinarily talented musician/composer/sound engineers and with their encouragement and assistance, I recorded the first EP of my own compositions. I like to start off recording improvised bits and build my music around them and the images they evoke in me, using unique instrumentation to add depth and character.

2. WHAT MAKES YOUR MUSIC EXTRAORDINARY?

I like to create unique sounds using 100% acoustic instruments and implements. I have a collection of wind and percussion instruments from around the world that I incorporate regularly into my compositions, and am not above rummaging through kitchen drawers or my kids' toy box to find new cool sounds that enhance the more traditional instrumentation. This tune "New Path" was the beginning of my composing and recording journey, and as it continues, I am constantly delighted by the fruits of my experimentation.

3. WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE UPCOMING YEAR?

Musically, I am working with the members of the band I'm in (My Fellow Traveller) to put out our third album but also continuing to experiment, improvise with others, and gather ideas for my next 'solo' endeavor. As I have not yet found my musical career to be lucrative enough to support me (yet), I enjoy a very interesting day job (at a zoo veterinary hospital), and am hoping soon to become part of a land conservation project on the Oregon Coast.

DOWNLOAD NEW PATH FROM CD BABY TODAY!

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