John Martine Interview
Q: Can you talk about your musical history?
A: Sure, the album title is Better With Age for a reason. I started playing guitar in the ’70s and did the usual progression. High school bands which turned into working bar bands doing covers. All of those bands included my best friend Brian Brown who the album is dedicated to. Brian lost his battle with cancer a few years ago. We were both recruited to play in an east coast hair band (Frenzy) in 1987 that had some measure of success opening for the likes of Extreme and Britny Fox among others. We generated some management and record company interest but it didn't pan out. From there I played in a few upstate NY bands and hit the wall in the ’90s and needed to take a break. Long story short I became very interested in recording and engineering and my solo album is my first release.
Q: There was a clear ’80s rock influence to the music. Can you talk about where that came from?
A: See above. Seriously, I grew up listening to and learning from bands like Boston, Bowie's Ziggy phase, Queen, Sweet, U2, Tom Petty, etc. I am definitely dating myself here but I love guitar rock and songs with hooks. Maybe that makes me a dinosaur in some regards but that's where I was musically when I wrote most of the songs on the album. I still believe that a well-crafted guitar solo can elevate a song and really miss that in most of the new stuff that I hear these days (where "these days" equals the past couple of decades).
Q: The songs on Better With Age are a full band yet it’s a solo album. Did you play every instrument? What was the songwriting process like?
A: I played almost all of the guitars, all of the keys, bass on a couple of songs and did all of the lead vocals. My collaborator Travis Eby did the bulk of the bass playing and sang a ton of backup vocals. Alex Roberts also contributed some guitar. The drums were a combination of me, Liam Rainwater and some software (don't tell anybody...wait, what?). I love layering instruments and vocals and hope that comes to the fore on the album. I wrote all of the music and did all of the arranging. I have no set process but find that my best songs pour out of me without a lot of tweaking. Lyrically there's some fun stuff but there's also a lot of scars and darkness. I hope people find some of that darkness, especially in the love songs where it isn't so obvious.
Q: What were your thoughts in regards to the aesthetics. How did you achieve the tones and textures you were able to capture in the studio?
A: A lot of angst, sweat, cursing, and some eureka moments. The entire album was done in the box (i.e. digitally) and I continue to be blown away by the recording possibilities that are now possible in a small space. I love experimenting with mic placement, different rooms and plug-ins. Recording is a never-ending learning process and I can't wait to use what I've learned on this album with my next batch of songs where I’ll be looking for a more organic sound with songs that are more raw.
Q: Are you currently playing these songs live with a full band?
A: I'd love to but most of the musicians I know these days have lives that don't revolve around gigging. I am toying with doing a couple of shows with some good players to promote the album locally where "locally" means Central Pennsylvania.
Q: What else should we know about your solo project?
A: I love that technology has advanced to the point where people like me (you kids get the hell out of my yard) have an avenue to share their music with the public at-large without playing tons of live shows. Learning the technology to the degree that you can create art is no small feat but the dividends are there if you have the acumen and desire. I'm also happy that my album was selected for review as I definitely have an old-school style that's somewhat of an outlier compared to the music I've listened to and mostly enjoyed on your site. Check out my website at www.johnmartinemusic.com for more info.
Q: Can you talk about your musical history?
A: Sure, the album title is Better With Age for a reason. I started playing guitar in the ’70s and did the usual progression. High school bands which turned into working bar bands doing covers. All of those bands included my best friend Brian Brown who the album is dedicated to. Brian lost his battle with cancer a few years ago. We were both recruited to play in an east coast hair band (Frenzy) in 1987 that had some measure of success opening for the likes of Extreme and Britny Fox among others. We generated some management and record company interest but it didn't pan out. From there I played in a few upstate NY bands and hit the wall in the ’90s and needed to take a break. Long story short I became very interested in recording and engineering and my solo album is my first release.
Q: There was a clear ’80s rock influence to the music. Can you talk about where that came from?
A: See above. Seriously, I grew up listening to and learning from bands like Boston, Bowie's Ziggy phase, Queen, Sweet, U2, Tom Petty, etc. I am definitely dating myself here but I love guitar rock and songs with hooks. Maybe that makes me a dinosaur in some regards but that's where I was musically when I wrote most of the songs on the album. I still believe that a well-crafted guitar solo can elevate a song and really miss that in most of the new stuff that I hear these days (where "these days" equals the past couple of decades).
Q: The songs on Better With Age are a full band yet it’s a solo album. Did you play every instrument? What was the songwriting process like?
A: I played almost all of the guitars, all of the keys, bass on a couple of songs and did all of the lead vocals. My collaborator Travis Eby did the bulk of the bass playing and sang a ton of backup vocals. Alex Roberts also contributed some guitar. The drums were a combination of me, Liam Rainwater and some software (don't tell anybody...wait, what?). I love layering instruments and vocals and hope that comes to the fore on the album. I wrote all of the music and did all of the arranging. I have no set process but find that my best songs pour out of me without a lot of tweaking. Lyrically there's some fun stuff but there's also a lot of scars and darkness. I hope people find some of that darkness, especially in the love songs where it isn't so obvious.
Q: What were your thoughts in regards to the aesthetics. How did you achieve the tones and textures you were able to capture in the studio?
A: A lot of angst, sweat, cursing, and some eureka moments. The entire album was done in the box (i.e. digitally) and I continue to be blown away by the recording possibilities that are now possible in a small space. I love experimenting with mic placement, different rooms and plug-ins. Recording is a never-ending learning process and I can't wait to use what I've learned on this album with my next batch of songs where I’ll be looking for a more organic sound with songs that are more raw.
Q: Are you currently playing these songs live with a full band?
A: I'd love to but most of the musicians I know these days have lives that don't revolve around gigging. I am toying with doing a couple of shows with some good players to promote the album locally where "locally" means Central Pennsylvania.
Q: What else should we know about your solo project?
A: I love that technology has advanced to the point where people like me (you kids get the hell out of my yard) have an avenue to share their music with the public at-large without playing tons of live shows. Learning the technology to the degree that you can create art is no small feat but the dividends are there if you have the acumen and desire. I'm also happy that my album was selected for review as I definitely have an old-school style that's somewhat of an outlier compared to the music I've listened to and mostly enjoyed on your site. Check out my website at www.johnmartinemusic.com for more info.