Snake with his mate Jagjit from Singh from Amritsar in the Punjab.
Al Montfort is Snake. He’s the best sarangi player I know, but then he reckons that his friend Jagjit (pictured) approaches the instrument with such Hendrixian like qualities that in his Punjabi hometown he’s considered somewhat of a legend.
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Al is somewhat of a legend in his hometown playing as he does in a bunch of killer Melbourne bands including UV Race, Straightjacket Nation, Dick Diver, Total Control, East Link and Lower Plenty.
But as Snake he’s stepped out on his own to release a solo cassette that has him playing guitar, saxophone, drum machine, buffalo horn flute and sarangi. Recorded over the last twelve months in Melbourne and while travelling in India it has traces of dark psych, folk, jazz, and experimental percussion and like all of Al’s projects it is simply excellent.
NOISEY: How did you end up with the nickname Snake?
Al Montfort: I used to get called Ally Pally Sea Snake as a kid then it got shortened to Snake.
Your travels to Rajasthan have obviously played an influence on the tape. Is it meant to sound like a musical Moleskin?
That sounds fully lame. I didn’t want it to be confessional like a diary. I think I went about writing and recording these tunes exactly like I would back home, except I happened to be in hotel rooms or friends houses in India. I was just a bit more productive in India because I didn’t have band rehearsal, work, or a gig at the Tote.
Many musicians before you—George Harrison, Ray Cappo, the dude from the Tea Party—have turned to India for musical inspiration, enlightenment, or a chance to sell records to the Kathmandu/Patagonia set. What was your experience like travelling there? Did you get to see or hear much music?
I saw heaps of music. I saw lots in tourist type settings. Musicians in restaurants playing shortened versions of large compositions for tourists with short attention spans.
I listened to a lot of buskers and hung out with some religious men jamming out some spiritual tunes.
My experiences there were a pretty good mix between visiting friends and being an Australian tourist visiting tourist traps and talking to shop owners about Ricky Ponting. Youth of Today rule, The Tea Party suck.
The sarangi is an instrument that is said to most resemble the sound of a human voice. Is it difficult to play?
Yes it’s hard to play. My mate Jagjit Singh from Amritsar in the Punjab taught me some nice licks but I seriously suck. Jagjit is a boss on the sarangi. He’s fully professional. He plays in Sikh temples all the time and gets around on a Vespa. The sarangi is like an Indian violin with thirty extra strings that reverberate and drone out in harmony with the three main strings played with a bow.
Is it easier to play after a couple of bhang lassis?
Everything is easier after a few bhang lassis, except anything requiring brainpower.
Metal is pretty big in India right? Any bands you caught that would suit shows with UV Race or Straightjacket Nation?
Yeah I heard it was massive and was keen to check some out I’m lazy and didn’t know where to look. I did go to a couple of good shops in Guwahati (Assam) and jammed with a young nerd on a Metallica song in a guitar shop when I was looking to buy some tabla for my mate’s daughter.
I didn’t find any sort of scene that Straightjacket Nation, the UV Race or any of my bands could play. It would be sick though.
At last count you were in 24 bands. What was it like working solo, just you and a buffalo horn?
Me and the horn is fun. I usually demo songs at home before I bring them to a band so I’m used to working alone. This was difficult to put out though. I definitely felt a bit more pressure and under scrutiny. A solo release feels more confessional and I didn’t want to come across as a whinger, but I was pretty stoked with some of these recordings and was keen to play them to mates who were interested in my trip. I thought I’d just do a tape that I could give to everyone.
One of the tracks is called “I’m Everybody’s Best Friend” and that seems true. You are very well liked. But have you ever had an enemy/nemesis. A Newman to your Jerry?
No enemies, just lovers
You’ve released the tape on UV Race’s Hidiotic label and the first run (limited to 45 copies) sold out real quick. Any more solo recordings?
No more solo recordings for a while. I’ll try and put the rest of my energy into all the collaborations with the rock/punk/dolewave band format we all love so dearly.
Hidiotic have a new tape coming out soon by The Backstabbers (Rupert from Dick Diver and Amy from Constant Mongrel and the School of Radiant “iving). It’s way better than my tape.
Tim Scott is a writer, editor and the booker of all your favourite bands.
Snake’s tape has sold out of its second pressing, keep tabs on Al Montfort here for any news of a third reissue.
