Jesse LaMonaca

https://soundcloud.com/jesse-lamonaca/the-way

Jesse LaMonaca has been writing songs for over three decades. He just hasn't released any in a while. He grew up between two worlds — the streets of Philadelphia and the quiet of a small country town an hour north, where his family still lives. He spent time in New York City, lived in Sweden for a stretch, and eventually landed in San Diego in May 2008, where he found a home in the city's music community. His band Jesse LaMonaca and The Dime Novels earned a Best Americana Album nomination at the San Diego Music Awards in their debut year, and won the award in 2012 for their second record The Lament of Tumbleweed Hawk. He travelled to Australia on a solo tour later that year. In the years that followed, while continuing to write and perform at residencies, songwriter rounds, private events, and live shows around the country, he was also working as an emergency department nurse. That particular combination — songwriter and ER nurse — has a way of keeping you honest about what matters. Most of his free time was spent camping, hiking and moving through the landscapes of the American West — the ocean, the mountains, the desert. Those places found their way into these songs. Montana Snow— his first new release in over a decade — was recorded in Nashville with longtime friends producer Ben Simonetti and brothers Brandon and James Conway. The four of them took their time, working together to serve each song, creating an honest and unique sound for people trying to feel something real. Five songs, all inspired by the landscapes of the West, made for windows-down road trips into the golden fading light.