****Letter From Monte****

A lot of you have already heard about this being my last summer performing, and for those who haven’t I am here to make it official. Since early in the year I had contemplated making 2010 my final year of performing. There are many, many reasons, life is constantly changing and in order to survive we have to adapt. In my 20+ years of performing (18 consecutive years at Nardi’s and The Sea Shell in LBI) I have made life-long friends, had the most unbelievable experiences, and have truly enjoyed every minute.

    Well…. There are some minutes I’d like to forget and some that got lost along the journey but for the most part I consider myself to be a very lucky man. I also consider myself lucky to still be able to have choices in life and to be able to control what I can, because we all know there is so much we cannot. Unfortunately not all choices are easy, and when you are a parent all choices cease to be solely about you.
    So it is with a fondness for the past, an appreciation for the present, and focus and excitement for the future that I chose this year to be my last performing. Now, I’m not dumb enough to say NEVER, and I do have some sporadic shows come the fall with my very final shows at some of my favorite venues coming soon. However, I will not be performing in any band and this will be the end of Monte and the All Stars. I will still be working in the industry with my agency Monte Entertainment so I’m not going too far. I will have a lot to do with many of the clubs and venues you frequent, and hopefully some of you already follow some of the bands on my roster.  
   Our last summer is happening as I type this! I’m hoping that a lot of you who have shared so many moments and have made it possible for me to do this for as long as I have will make a trip down to LBI this summer and say hello, goodbye, or make some more memories! THANK YOU ALL FOR ALLOWING ME TO BE A PART OF YOUR LIVES, I WILL CHERISH THE MEMORIES.