Beautiful Music For Difficult Times.
Marguerite Montes Comes from the only European desert in the South of Spain, Andalusia, Almeria. This city boasts the most ancient form of Flamenco dance directly linked to the original invading Moors. The 'Zambra' is rumoured to bring a great deal of personal sorrow to whoever sings it or dances it. A direct descendant of the immortalised characters by Federico Garcia Lorca in "Blood Wedding'. Marguerite decided early on that she would take the risk and perform the most mesmerising, sensual and telluric form of 'Duende' infused lament. This sentiment instructs everything Marguerite composes and sings. Finding herself on the other side of her vast musical Diaspora. Marguerite has integrated the common threads of our shared universal themes into a healing and unifying aural balm.
Her parents, established musicians of the Spanish Costa Del Sol Summer Festival circuit of the nineteen-sixties. included Marguerite into their act. It began one night, when as a three year old, upon waking up backstage, Marguerite walked across to her father who was conducting. Marguerite tugged on his coat tails and asked to sing the next song. Her love affair for the stage, with the public and for music was further developed by the many visiting musicians that would come to their home and would request for Marguerite to join them in their extended jam sessions. There was always plenty of food to be had and plenty of songs to be sung. These jam sessions could go till the small hours of the morning.
After relocating on the French Riviera in the early sixties, Marguerite and her family once again emigrated. This time across the world to Australia in the early seventies. It wasn't long till the family settled into performing and fund raising within the extended Spanish Communities, spread out from Wollongong to Newcastle. In nineteen eighty five the Family received an Ethnic Affairs Award for 'selfless artistic contribution and charitable acts within the Australian Spanish Community'.
In the early to mid seventies, as a thirteen year old Marguerite broke away from her family and began performing in a combination of bands and solo acts. She sang at The infamous Hurstville Rivolli supporting bands such as Radio Birdman, The Keystone Angels and Dragon. She regularly appeared solo at Martin's Wine Bar - Taylor Square, at The Booth St Dispensary- Annandale at The Sad Klown Kaffee- Kings Cross, at The Toucan Cafe- Glebe and at 'Our Joint'- Leichhardt. Marguerite was also a regular busker at Circular Quay, Central Tunnel and the top of Roslyn St Kings Cross. In the late seventies she was invited by Cabaret Conspiracy to perform at their Sunday sessions at the old pasta place known as Garibaldis. Through meeting people like Fifi L'amour, Geoff Kelso, David Argue, Deborah Conway, Vera Plevnik, Wendy Saddington, Jeannie Lewis, Janice Slater and Jack Forest aka Jack Caroleon Marguerite found herself scoring a small role in a John Duigan film, 'One Night Stand' with Deborah Conway and Kim Deacon.
At eighteen years of age, Marguerite began to work as a lead singer in inner Sydney city bands and became an in-house session singer for 'FatBoy' Studios, 'Wizards Of Oz', Emerald City Studios. She composed the music and did the voice over for award wining documentary on mental health 'It's Hard". Directed by Andrew Litchfield. Marguerite sang the vocal tracks for SBS documentary 'One Legged Dream Lover'. Marguerite also sang the vocal tracks and backing tracks for Children's Musical 'The Bad, The Mad and The Spooky' by stage and theatre composer Peter Kennard. She was the leading voice for the 2001 Leo Schofield "Ignite Festival" at Homebush Bay, for the relighting of the Olympic Torch, appearing with three hundred voices and three hundred drums. Marguerite also appeared alongside Antonio Vargas in the production of Lorca's 'La Casa De Bernarda Alba'. Known as 'The House Plus'.
Marguerite has worked and toured extensively the Festival circuit in NSW. She has fronted twenty piece spectacular Salsa Band 'Kechevere'. Marguerite sang with iconic Latin Rockabilly Band 'Ted Heath Goes Latin' regulars of the night club and Sydney Festival scene of the nineteen-eighties. She collaborated regularly singing with visiting Afro-Cuban musician 'Jacinto Herrera'. She became the lead singer and co-songwriter of Flamenco Latin Jazz band 'Tiramisu'. Her exposure to such a diverse range of musical and performance experiences has influenced and instructed Marguerite's own original music.
Marguerite composes and sings in her native Spanish and English. Her voice, her guitar and her songs are such as will spirit you away to places as warm, reassuring and beautiful as the sun on your face after a long cold winter. Along with her most recent collaborator Peter Urquhart, who is sublime accompanying Marguerite's songs on violin. Marguerite was awarded an Advanced Arts Diploma by the University of New England in 2015. She specialised in Music and Theatre Studies. Her original music is passionate, mesmerising and sweetly intoxicating as a languid summer in bloom.
Marguerite Montes plays an Alhambra 5P e2 classical guitar and uses Savarez 520J HT strings.
Her parents, established musicians of the Spanish Costa Del Sol Summer Festival circuit of the nineteen-sixties. included Marguerite into their act. It began one night, when as a three year old, upon waking up backstage, Marguerite walked across to her father who was conducting. Marguerite tugged on his coat tails and asked to sing the next song. Her love affair for the stage, with the public and for music was further developed by the many visiting musicians that would come to their home and would request for Marguerite to join them in their extended jam sessions. There was always plenty of food to be had and plenty of songs to be sung. These jam sessions could go till the small hours of the morning.
After relocating on the French Riviera in the early sixties, Marguerite and her family once again emigrated. This time across the world to Australia in the early seventies. It wasn't long till the family settled into performing and fund raising within the extended Spanish Communities, spread out from Wollongong to Newcastle. In nineteen eighty five the Family received an Ethnic Affairs Award for 'selfless artistic contribution and charitable acts within the Australian Spanish Community'.
In the early to mid seventies, as a thirteen year old Marguerite broke away from her family and began performing in a combination of bands and solo acts. She sang at The infamous Hurstville Rivolli supporting bands such as Radio Birdman, The Keystone Angels and Dragon. She regularly appeared solo at Martin's Wine Bar - Taylor Square, at The Booth St Dispensary- Annandale at The Sad Klown Kaffee- Kings Cross, at The Toucan Cafe- Glebe and at 'Our Joint'- Leichhardt. Marguerite was also a regular busker at Circular Quay, Central Tunnel and the top of Roslyn St Kings Cross. In the late seventies she was invited by Cabaret Conspiracy to perform at their Sunday sessions at the old pasta place known as Garibaldis. Through meeting people like Fifi L'amour, Geoff Kelso, David Argue, Deborah Conway, Vera Plevnik, Wendy Saddington, Jeannie Lewis, Janice Slater and Jack Forest aka Jack Caroleon Marguerite found herself scoring a small role in a John Duigan film, 'One Night Stand' with Deborah Conway and Kim Deacon.
At eighteen years of age, Marguerite began to work as a lead singer in inner Sydney city bands and became an in-house session singer for 'FatBoy' Studios, 'Wizards Of Oz', Emerald City Studios. She composed the music and did the voice over for award wining documentary on mental health 'It's Hard". Directed by Andrew Litchfield. Marguerite sang the vocal tracks for SBS documentary 'One Legged Dream Lover'. Marguerite also sang the vocal tracks and backing tracks for Children's Musical 'The Bad, The Mad and The Spooky' by stage and theatre composer Peter Kennard. She was the leading voice for the 2001 Leo Schofield "Ignite Festival" at Homebush Bay, for the relighting of the Olympic Torch, appearing with three hundred voices and three hundred drums. Marguerite also appeared alongside Antonio Vargas in the production of Lorca's 'La Casa De Bernarda Alba'. Known as 'The House Plus'.
Marguerite has worked and toured extensively the Festival circuit in NSW. She has fronted twenty piece spectacular Salsa Band 'Kechevere'. Marguerite sang with iconic Latin Rockabilly Band 'Ted Heath Goes Latin' regulars of the night club and Sydney Festival scene of the nineteen-eighties. She collaborated regularly singing with visiting Afro-Cuban musician 'Jacinto Herrera'. She became the lead singer and co-songwriter of Flamenco Latin Jazz band 'Tiramisu'. Her exposure to such a diverse range of musical and performance experiences has influenced and instructed Marguerite's own original music.
Marguerite composes and sings in her native Spanish and English. Her voice, her guitar and her songs are such as will spirit you away to places as warm, reassuring and beautiful as the sun on your face after a long cold winter. Along with her most recent collaborator Peter Urquhart, who is sublime accompanying Marguerite's songs on violin. Marguerite was awarded an Advanced Arts Diploma by the University of New England in 2015. She specialised in Music and Theatre Studies. Her original music is passionate, mesmerising and sweetly intoxicating as a languid summer in bloom.
Marguerite Montes plays an Alhambra 5P e2 classical guitar and uses Savarez 520J HT strings.
