Monte’s living his ‘Glory Days’ in Garvaghy

Imagine a picturesque log cabin in the middle of nowhere, with views as far as the eye can see. This might sound like an idyllic setting in a Swiss village or the sprawling canyons of Wyoming – or maybe even the mountain regions of Colorado. The truth is, it’s actually in Garavghy, home to US-born Bruce Springsteen look-and-sound-a-like Monte Thompson.

Now you may ask: What in under God brought a guy from the US of A to Tyrone? The simple answer is: Love – but we’ll come back to that. There’s a richer story at play, one which offers music lovers the opportunity to hear Monte next month as he takes to the stage with his band ‘Springsteen – A Tribute’ at the Alley Theatre in Strabane.

Initially named ‘Human Touch’ after one of Springsteen’s hits, ‘Springsteen – A Tribute’, are also embarking on something of a nationwide tour in the coming weeks, part of which even coincides with The Boss’s own dates in Dublin.

A child of the 60s, the young Monte (his name derived from his mum’s love of actor Montgomery Clift) was born outside Washington DC in Montgomery County. Later moving to Colorado, it was here where the young Monte began making his musical bones.

“After mum remarried and we moved to Colorado, my brother began playing guitar and, as the eight-year-old interested in what his older brother was doing, I watched my brother Michael, an accomplished musician himself,” Monte explained. “My mum sang a little and my biological dad was a drummer back in the day, so the musical gene was clearly in the blood. My brother Michael was very much ‘Don’t touch my stuff, don’t listen to my records and don’t play my guitar’. That said, as the younger brother, I frequently played Michael’s guitar and his records when he was out; needless to say there were times when I was rumbled!”

Monte’s love of music grew and he later apprenticed as a recording engineer. He can nowadays, by his own admission, play anything with strings.

“My home life was a tumultuous one in my early years, admittedly the tumultuousness was all my own doing, much to my parents’ chagrin. Staying away for weeks on end, gigging in different places, helped scratch an itch I had to go see the world. I did get into a bit of trouble during this time and, once again to my parents’ horror: I decided to join the US military.”

And so, between 1984-89 and at the tail end of the Cold War, not having the qualifications for the Air Force or Army, Monte sailed the high seas as part of the US Navy.

Despite being a military man, Monte never forgot his musical roots and was constantly writing or performing for shipmates. Following his discharge, he went to Idaho where his mother’s health had deteriorated and he was there when she sadly died.

Determined to follow his musical dreams, Monte joined a heavy metal band; he often found himself in multiple bands at a time, while eking out a living doing day jobs such as graphic designer and marketing director. But music was always a first passion. Continuing to gig, Monte later joined ‘Kite’ and the band went on to make four albums. It was here that Monte’s career in music really began to bloom and this era saw him open for huge headline acts such as Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Smash Mouth and The Wallflowers.

Love though, reared its head in 2006 and when he was in Spokane, Monte encountered an Irish girl called Pauline. He was instantly smitten.

“I met Pauline (originally from Coleraine) when she was off travelling the world and we immediately hit it off. As we got to know each other better, love blossomed and I eventually moved to Ireland to be with her.

“People often ask me ‘why did you move from Idaho to Tyrone?’ Well the obvious answer is that I fell in love – with her and Ireland. Idaho has six months of harsh winters and six months of blazing hot sun; Ireland has a much friendlier climate in terms of both weather and people. Everyone here is so warm and passionate about the place. I love it, in my little piece of Ireland.

“Another thing I love is the amount of venues available for gigs and the close proximity of them to each other. There were times back in the States that I would be travelling eight hours to a gig and eight hours back. In Ireland, which is about the same size as a lot of states, everything is closer to home.”

Perhaps amazingly, given his new front man status in a Springsteen tribute act, Monte hasn’t always been a Springsteen fan.

He explained, “I’ve always liked some of Bruce’s songs, like ‘Dancing In The Dark’, ‘I’m On Fire’ and ‘Born In The USA’, but it wasn’t until I got the call to try out for the band that I learnt much more, which was down to my band mates sometimes scary encyclopedic knowledge of the man and his music. I got to discover The Boss from scratch and how I’m a huge fan, ‘The Rising’ being my favourite song…

“The fans educate you too. Initially I used to think we were being booed at gigs but Tom, our resident Bruce encyclopedia said fans are actually chanting ‘Bruuuuce’ which happens at his gigs. I also found out his fans are called ‘tramps’ but I’m always hesitant to shout at gigs, ‘do we have any tramps in the audience?’ for fear of the reactions.”

Monte describes their show as ‘very aerobic’. Monte and the lads belt out hits for two hours solid and without a break. Monte remarked that he trains accordingly, regularly running to keep fit. He also studies Bruce’s mannerisms and songs.

He continued, “All of Bruce’s music is written from the heart, it’s all very sincere and it’s important for me and the guys to show the same sincerity and respect for Bruce’s music. I dedicate ‘Born In The USA’ – which, despite the upbeat tone, is actually a serious song about a Vietnam vet adjusting to civilian life – to any military men lost in battle.

“This is the first year the band has been able to dig in. I’m working with some of the most hard-working and dedicated musicians on the planet and that’s the hill on which I’m planting my flag. Word is spreading and impressions made; we love playing, especially local gigs, and we can’t wait to give the crowds a taste of what we have to offer.”