Steve Montgomery Is “Living The Dream Right Now”!
Some artists spend their careers trying to outrun the past. Steve Montgomery seems perfectly happy to take the past, plug it into an amplifier, and turn it up. With "Living The Dream Right Now", he makes a compelling case for the enduring power of guitar music, connecting the unfussy spirit of classic rock with the hooks of power pop and the rougher edges of indie rock. It is a record that feels refreshingly unconcerned with whatever happens to be fashionable, because Montgomery has something more durable on his side - experience, instinct, and the simple thrill of a great riff! After more than two decades of releasing music, that history gives the album's optimism an unexpected depth. The title "Living The Dream Right Now" might sound like a declaration of uncomplicated happiness, but Montgomery's journey makes it feel more like a hard-won philosophy. This isn't someone waiting for the perfect moment to arrive. It's an artist looking at the years behind him, the chaos around him, and the guitars still in his hands, then deciding that the present is already worth celebrating. As the opening riffs rumble, it becomes clear he isn't merely looking back at rock tradition. He's still very much living inside it, and he's having a damn good time.
Released under his SkipRock Music banner, "Living The Dream Right Now" is a nine-track celebration of guitar-driven rock that sits comfortably between classic rock, power pop, and indie-rock grit. It has fuzz, hooks, chunky rhythms, and enough melodic instinct to keep the whole thing moving, but underneath the noise is a surprisingly simple philosophy - stop waiting for life to become perfect before you start enjoying it. The song could easily have become one of those relentlessly positive slogans that sound suspiciously like they were printed on a motivational mug. Montgomery avoids that trap because the music has enough rough edges to make the optimism believable. This isn't happiness manufactured in a studio. It's the sound of somebody who has accumulated a few miles, seen life go sideways, and decided that today is still worth celebrating. That distinction matters. His voice is perfectly suited to the attitude of the song. There's a lived-in rasp to it, a weathered quality that keeps the brighter songs from becoming overly glossy. Montgomery sings like someone who has spent years around guitars and amplifiers rather than someone attempting to manufacture a retro-rock persona. The roughness is part of the appeal. Even when the melodies are upbeat, the vocal carries enough grain and weight to remind you that this optimism has been earned rather than downloaded. The whole album's musical language is equally straightforward, but straightforward should never be confused with simplistic. Montgomery understands that a guitar song lives or dies by its momentum. His riffs don't need to announce their cleverness. They need to make you move. What is likable about this record, though, is that its positivity never feels completely innocent.
Rock music has always had a complicated relationship with aging. It often gets trapped between nostalgia and the desperate desire to prove that it is still relevant. Montgomery chooses neither. He doesn't sound like he's trying to recreate 1977, nor does he seem embarrassed by the fact that guitars, drums, and big choruses still make him happy. "Living The Dream Right Now" simply accepts that this is the music he loves and asks why anyone should need a more sophisticated reason. There is real pleasure in a song that knows exactly what it wants to do. The production throughout the record also benefits from resisting excessive polish. There is warmth around the instruments, and the performances retain enough physical presence to feel played rather than assembled. The guitars are allowed to sound like guitars. The drums have weight. The arrangements leave room for the hooks to breathe. It isn't interested in sanding every rough edge into streaming-era perfection, and that gives the record a welcome sense of personality. Montgomery's greatest strength may ultimately be his refusal to overthink the emotional transaction between songwriter and listener. These songs don't require a decoder ring. They are about love, confusion, movement, celebration, getting through the strange days and, naturally, rocking. Yet the simplicity becomes its own kind of sophistication because Montgomery has spent enough time writing songs to know which details matter and which ones can be left alone. That is why the title "Living The Dream Right Now" lands better than it might on paper. The “dream” isn't presented as fame, perfection, or some distant destination where everything finally works out. It is much smaller and therefore much more convincing: having another riff to play, another song to record, another day to appreciate, another reason to turn the volume up. And maybe that's the real heart of the record. In an era when rock music can sometimes become overly concerned with explaining itself, Steve Montgomery offers something refreshingly uncomplicated: nine songs built around guitars, grooves, hooks, and the stubborn belief that having fun is still a legitimate artistic objective. Steve Montgomery isn't chasing trends or asking permission to rock. He's simply celebrating the songs, riffs, noise, and moments that still make music feel alive. So turn up the volume, let the guitars do their thing, and give this whole album, titled after the song, a listen it deserves. Support Montgomery's independent rock journey; press play, and remember - the dream isn't someday. It's right now! Listen below.
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Listen to "Living The Dream Right Now" on #Spotify -
You can check out and follow Steve Montgomery's musical journey on his website here -
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