(upbeat music) - [Narrator] Ocean State Sessions features performances by local musicians and brings you the stories behind the songs.

Coming up tonight.

(scat singing) ♪ You're an intelligent woman ♪ ♪ You got something to say ♪ ♪ (scat singing) ♪ ♪ You're a loving woman you got no reason to hide ♪ (gentle guitar music) ♪ You used to love me then ♪ ♪ And now I'm loosing again ♪ ♪ And I wasted all your time ♪ ♪ Oh, give me back mine ♪ ♪ Well, I don't think that I could fix this if I tried ♪ ♪ Like tattoos that you grow to hate ♪ ♪ But was the best idea in 98 ♪ ♪ Sometimes it looks like I'm all right ♪ ♪ Well I assure you that I lose it every single night ♪ - My name is Chris Monty and I'm from Providence, Rhode Island.

I'm a musician and a singer songwriter, and I'm also a therapeutic musician.

I play music in Hasbro Children's Hospital and Rhode Island Hospital.

What I do is I sort of wander a unit of the hospital, kind of playing relaxing music by the nurses station.

And then I'll start knocking on people's doors and see if they wanna hear some music.

And really the idea is just to kind of relax people and kind of, including the staff, including the doctors and nurses but especially the patients.

And just sort of provide a, kind of create sort of a slightly more relaxed atmosphere in a very tense situation.

I'm happy to chat and play guitar at the same time.

And I can also walk and play guitar at the same time.

But the first gig I ever had, I put someone to sleep, right.

In a club situation, that wouldn't work.

But in another situation it's actually very rewarding to like really relax someone.

So, I just sort of like that aspect of music, as much as I like shouting into a microphone and playing electric guitar in a club.

It's kind of a nice balance.

(gentle guitar music) ♪ Oh ♪ ♪ Ah ♪ ♪ Oh, oh ♪ ♪ Ah ♪ ♪ Sometimes my mind it seems is too crafty to trust ♪ ♪ My heart too full of itself ♪ ♪ My courage gone to dust ♪ ♪ My arms are able, but what are they meant to hold?

♪ ♪ How much time you spend gathering wood ♪ ♪ Before the night becomes too cold ♪ ♪ To light the flames ♪ ♪ What am I waiting for ♪ ♪ Clouds go across the sky ♪ ♪ But come sun or rain ♪ ♪ We all must say something terrible ♪ ♪ Or speak something kind ♪ ♪ Start something unfinished but share your mind ♪ ♪ Sing your heart, play your soul ♪ ♪ The kindling is gathered but the night remains cold ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ ♪ Ah ♪ ♪ Oh, oh ♪ ♪ Ah, ah, ah ♪ ♪ (scat singing) ♪ ♪ You're an intelligent woman ♪ ♪ You got something to say ♪ ♪ (scat singing) ♪ ♪ You're a loving woman ♪ ♪ You've got no reason to hide ♪ ♪ (scat singing) ♪ ♪ You're an intelligent woman ♪ ♪ You've got something to say ♪ ♪ (scat singing) ♪ ♪ You're a loving woman ♪ ♪ You've got no reason to hide ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ ♪ Ah ♪ ♪ Oh, oh ♪ ♪ Ah ♪ ♪ (whistling) ♪ "Liberty" is an instrumental number, no lyrics in it.

And it's named after Liberty, Maine, where I wrote it.

I was staying in a cabin for about three days and came out with three songs.

And I just pieced it together a little bit by little bit, and then really practiced it hard during the lock down and the pandemic.

And ultimately recorded it around the corner from my house at the Columbus Theater.

But my wife heard that song like 5, 6,000 times as I was practicing it, trying to edit it together and piece it all together.

It's got like a real emotional resonance to it, as well as being a tricky and difficult and challenging thing to play.

But I love playing it, I find it very satisfying and it's kind of a meditative state.

It takes a lot of concentration to be there, but you don't wanna be too focused and concentrated too, or else you're not kind of enjoying it.

So it's a peculiar state of like being focused but kind of like also globally aware.

(laughs) I don't know if I can explain it any better than that.

(gentle guitar music) - I'm Ryan Jackson and I'm from Providence, Rhode Island.

Grew up in Attleboro, so Attleboro, Rhode Island, you could probably say.

I am a special ED music teacher.

I also teach privately on the side.

And I work, you know, with like angry youth and they're super fun.

And I'm, you know, I'm super into it.

Shout out to Summit Middleland High School, and to my students over at Mansion Drive.

Being a singer songwriter, you know, in sort of the idea of there's more than one way to eat a Reese's, even though there's really only one way to eat a Reese's, you know.

But you know, you get to the final product somehow one way or another.

I spend a lot of time in the car with like home recorder on just singing random things that maybe later become things.

I often write down things people say, and then try to use those later if they felt like in the moment they felt, you know, meaningful or good for any reason or bad or anything.

Whatever evokes a feeling, I guess.

And then sometimes I write the guitar parts first, sometimes it's the lyrics first.

Sometimes it's a little bit of both at the same time, you just start improvising.

The improvising one, I think is the most fun.

Where you just sort of sit down and let your tardy brain off and let it do its thing.

And you throw a recorder on and then good, bad or ugly.

And then you could start doing kind of like mining, you just mine for the good stuff and then you could pick and choose, and steal from different songs.

(gentle guitar music) ♪ This big house by the river ♪ ♪ That still stands tall ♪ ♪ We've all heard the rumors ♪ ♪ What haunts those halls ♪ ♪ And the weeds they're overgrown now ♪ ♪ Roofs caving in ♪ ♪ Somewhere in that house is where I live ♪ ♪ And somewhere in that house is where I live ♪ ♪ Forgiveness, salt and liquor ♪ ♪ Frame an old sad songs ♪ ♪ Sitting in 'em bar telling lies far from God ♪ ♪ And the cards they fall away ♪ ♪ They may just like you and me ♪ ♪ Sitting in 'em bar running from the man I used to be ♪ ♪ Oh, this time keep moving ♪ ♪ And everybody's gone ♪ ♪ I guess I didn't notice as the years passed on ♪ ♪ But now I'm taking bets with shadows ♪ ♪ Oh, why there is no one here ♪ ♪ There's no one left to talk to ♪ ♪ Or dry these tears ♪ ♪ Hell, there's no one left to see ♪ ♪ These tears ♪ ♪ Forgiveness, salt and liquor ♪ ♪ Frame an old sad songs ♪ ♪ I'm sitting in 'em bar telling lies far from God ♪ ♪ And the cards they fall away ♪ ♪ They may just like you and me ♪ ♪ Sitting in 'em bar running from the man I used to be ♪ ♪ Forgiveness, salt and liquor ♪ ♪ Frame an old sad songs ♪ ♪ Sitting in 'em bar telling lies far from God ♪ ♪ And the cards they fall away ♪ ♪ They may just like you and me ♪ ♪ I'm sitting in 'em bar running from the man I used to be ♪ ♪ But I'm just sitting in that bar ♪ ♪ Running from the man I used to be ♪ I love story telling, and so some songs that I write are sort of autobiographical, and then some of them are stories.

They're just things that I think of there are.

And I'm trying to capture an idea or a feeling.

So I was writing a song originally about a son talking to his father who had gone mad.

And was just living in this old abandoned house at the end of the street, sort of idea.

From there, it evolved into, a sort of the first person idea of transitioning from the father's loneliness to your own loneliness, I guess.

And, you know, figuring out like what that means.

And somehow, you take enough wrong turns you end up somewhere, and I guess that's really what the song is about.

Till you sort of find yourself in these moments with just your shadows and your thoughts.

(upbeat guitar music) ♪ I reckon I don't care anymore ♪ ♪ Take the rides to the kids and keep the Ford ♪ ♪ And you can take my house and my dog ♪ ♪ But you know the pictures are all I want ♪ ♪ You used to love me then ♪ ♪ And I'm losing again ♪ ♪ And I wasted all your time ♪ ♪ Oh, give me back mine ♪ ♪ Oh, give me back mine ♪ ♪ I remember every lightning storm we saved ♪ ♪ Wide eyed and trembling in the bed that we made ♪ ♪ And that lightning's gone from your eyes ♪ ♪ But I didn't see the day ♪ ♪ But I remember when you used to love me then ♪ ♪ And I just hate losing again ♪ ♪ And I'm sorry I wasted all your time ♪ ♪ But who'll give me back mine ♪ ♪ Now, honey who'll give me back mine ♪ ♪ And I remember when you used to love me then ♪ ♪ And I just hate losing again ♪ ♪ And I'm sorry I wasted all your time ♪ ♪ But who'll give me back mine ♪ ♪ Now, honey, who'll give me back mine ♪ - My name's Jenn Lombari, and I'm from Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

And I'm a singer songwriter, I play in two bands and I do my solo thing.

Well, the bands that I'm in currently are Stubborn Hearts, which is a two piece melodic punk band.

And we play around New England.

We have a couple EPS out.

We just recently recorded another one over the pandemic time.

And then my other band is Sour Punch, and we're a five piece rock and roll band.

Pretty much has the sound of like, Chuck Berry meets Joan Jett meets the Allman brothers kinda rock and roll.

It's rock and roll in its purest form, I guess.

(upbeat guitar music) ♪ Well, I don't think that I'm depressed ♪ ♪ I'm just missing you so badly ♪ ♪ Life just ain't the same ♪ ♪ And it doesn't get better gradually ♪ ♪ Well maybe it will, I just don't know ♪ ♪ You were my shadow and now I walk alone ♪ ♪ And I burnt down on this job I just can't take anymore ♪ ♪ At least I had you to come home to before, to before ♪ ♪ And I know your ghost, it always keeps me company ♪ ♪ But I just can't feel you near me ♪ ♪ And it hurts so badly ♪ ♪ I just wanna play guitar ♪ ♪ Or ride around in my car ♪ ♪ Where I can see you in the rear view mirror ♪ ♪ What I wanted to do has never been clearer than now ♪ ♪ Yeah, I burnt down on this job, I just can't take anymore ♪ ♪ At least I had you to come home to before, to before ♪ ♪ And I know your ghost, it always keeps me company ♪ ♪ But I just can't feel you near me ♪ ♪ And it hurts so badly ♪ ♪ I just wanna play guitar and ride around in my car ♪ ♪ Where I can see you in the rear view mirror ♪ ♪ What I wanted to do has never been clearer ♪ ♪ I wanna play guitar and ride around in my car ♪ ♪ Where I can see you in the rear view mirror ♪ ♪ What I wanted to do has never been clearer than now ♪ ♪ I wanna play guitar and ride around in my car ♪ ♪ Where I can see you in the rear view mirror ♪ ♪ What I wanted to do has never been clearer ♪ ♪ I wanna play guitar and ride around in my car ♪ ♪ Where I can see you in the rear view mirror ♪ ♪ What I wanted to do has never been clearer than now ♪ "Down With It" is mishmash of growing spirituality, leaving people behind, moving forward.

It's basically a song about growing.

And you know, you wanna stick by people but you gotta do your own thing.

It's the tugging of, you know, the past, the future, the present.

That song, everyone that's heard it has had a different reaction to it.

So, it means something different to everybody, I guess.

So that's good, that's what art is supposed to be.

(upbeat guitar music) ♪ Well, I don't think that I could fix this if I tried ♪ ♪ Black tattoos that you grow to hate ♪ ♪ But were the best idea in 98 ♪ ♪ Sometimes it looks like I'm all right ♪ ♪ Well, I show you that I lose it every single night ♪ ♪ And I said, "I miss you in the worst way" ♪ ♪ Old habits are hard to break ♪ ♪ Don't give up the ship ♪ ♪ 'Cause I'm going down with it ♪ ♪ So, tell me, tell me, tell me what I wanna hear ♪ ♪ 'Cause it's true and it's the truth and it's only fair ♪ ♪ It's my blood so I don't mind biting my tongue ♪ ♪ Not to ruin a good night ♪ ♪ And the warm glow of stage life ♪ ♪ To talking to strangers all night ♪ ♪ Isn't same without you ♪ ♪ No, it isn't the same without you ♪ ♪ No ♪ ♪ You are your worst revenge ♪ ♪ But you are my best friend ♪ ♪ You are your worst revenge ♪ ♪ But you are my best friend ♪ ♪ I got mediums and therapists on speed dial ♪ ♪ This is gonna take a while ♪ ♪ Seeing Cardinals and finding dimes ♪ ♪ All signs of polar skies ♪ - [Narrator] Go online to hear more music, meet the artists and more.

Visit ripbs.org.

(upbeat music)