Ryan Montbleau Band Voted to the Boat

After tallying an "overwhelming" number of votes, Jam Cruise 8/Cloud 9 Productions has named Ryan Montbleau Band the winners of the Vote to the Boat contest. The band will be added to the lineup for Jam Cruise 8, the successful festival-at-sea that in 2006 sold 1,700 tickets and grossed $2.25 million.

Following the vote announcement, Ryan said, "I'm honored and delighted to get to play on the boat this year. We've been working hard for years to get to where we are as a band, and I'm psyched for the opportunity to play on the Cruise."

The band joins artists including The Word featuring John Medeski, North Missisisppi Allstars and Robert Randolph, Zappa Plays Zappa, Galactic, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Railroad Earth, and over 30 others. Jam Cruise 8 will set sail on the MSC Poesia on January 3, 2010 from Florida and visit Ocho Rios, Jamaica and George Town, Cayman Islands before returning on the 10th to Ft. Lauderdale.

(Pic: Ryan Montbleau, with bassist Matt Gianarros, playing a different boat concert, on Lake Conesus, NY, Sept 6, 2009. Courtesy Mark Klein.)