- Ben Sellers
- May 10, 2005
Monticello Road leads a double life. Onstage, the band captures the fun-seeking, frat-boy irreverence needed to appeal to high school and college-aged concertgoers. Their busines strategy, however, tells a different story: The Band has its own manager, is testing out a booking agency and has even formed into a limited liability corporation.
Professional keg-tapping music? Perhaps. But "The Road" is serious about shaping itself into on of the region's major successes. In addition to its rigourous touring through the Mid-Atlantic college circuit, the band, now in its sixth year, has continued to polish and reinvent its sound, exploring diverse genres like country, gospel, and rap from within a base of catch pop-rock tunes.
And if the Simon Cowell's of the critic world have sometimes scoffed at the band's mainstream bent, Monticello Road is crying all the way to the top. Local radio and media favorably received their 2003 EP, "This Scripted Show." In 2004, C-VILLE voters named them Charlottesville's best local rock band.
"The guys in the band realize that they don't have to be the cutting edge to enjoy what they're doing," says bassist Teswar Wood, who joined the group in February following the departure of longtime member Jason Marshall. "Our goal a lot of times is to be good at what we do."
Wood, previously a member of neo-soul trio The Digs, Says he hopes to add "a fresh perspective" to Monticello Road's long-term vision. "I do my best to throw out ideas of what I think would push the envelope a little bit more." Meanwhile, says manager Jane Murphy, the boys are keeping close to the studio to record their newest material and "are more committed than ever to keep going and to keep refining their craft 'til something big happens."
Monticello Road's current lineup features Wood on bass, vocalist and guitarist Kyle Rannigan, lead guitarist Vaden Cox, drummer Josh Manzano, and keyboard player Adam Silvers.."
Ben Sellers - The C-ville, May 10th, 2005