This past weekend was a big one for independent music in Boston as WERS hosted its 60th birthday party and indie artists and music lovers came out of the woodwork to celebrate. Kicking off the festivities was Ryan Montbleau an OurStage artist and mainstay in the Boston indie music scene with a following that stretches well beyond our fair city. We caught up with Ryan after the show and he shared his plans for the year, some funny stories and thoughts on the industry with us. See what Ryan had to say in our Q&A below and check out his music at his OurStage fanclub:

The Ryan Montbleau Band (from left) James Cohen, Ryan Montbleau, Jason Cohen, Matt Giannaros & Laurence Scudder

OurStage and WERS are both all about supporting independent music and you’re not afraid to tout your own independence, what would you say is the greatest benefit to following an independent career?

Well, the obvious stuff, fist and foremost: you control your own destiny, you own all your music, etc. I couldn’t imagine a career where someone approved or disapproved of the music I make before I put it out. And then, in the long term, if you can stick it out, it’s just a much more natural and bona fide way to go. It’s grassroots. The roots we’ve been putting down, in a sense will never go away.

On the flip side, what has been the greatest challenge for you along the road and are there any lessons learned through your experience?

Lessons learned every day, I suppose. This is a challenging and straight-out wacky business, there’s no doubt. Doing it grass roots and one show at a time is a long road and the biggest challenge is just staying sane, keeping it together. One major lesson is that you can keep your eye on the prize, but ultimately you have to be realistic about where you are and just enjoy the trip. In that sense, your job is to go out and keep “making it” as opposed to dwelling on a day when you finally “make it.”

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