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AmbiEntrance: What were your first musical influences? How were you drawn to becoming so multi-instrumental?
Martin: My musical influences began at a very young age, where as a child I
spent many hours listening to the music from my parents vast collection -
classical, jazz, blues, gospel, gregorian chant,to name a few. Because I
grew up in such a diverse atmosphere of musical styles, there is not one
particular style or form to attribute my creativity to. I would say it is a
combination of everything.
I have always been drawn to music, as a fish is drawn to water. I cannot
really explain it, but it is simply natural for me to take an instrument
and play it. Perhaps this would explain the diversity of instruments I use
to write with. I envision a sound that I want to create and I just find the
instrument or object that will allow me to capture that sound.
AmbiEntrance: You didn't mention rock, pop or country... were you untainted by those pervasive forms? Who do you listen to for fun today?
Martin: I did also listened to country music (traditional), R&B, Motown, etc., in addition to the other styles of music that I previously mentioned. When I want to listen to other music these days, I put on a soundtrack,
classical, or other independent artists who have sent their music for me to
listen to.
AmbiEntrance: With all the nature references in your titles and American Indian instrumentation, I'm guessing you're a bit of an environmentalist... how much so?
Martin: The reason for references to nature in my compositions is because I am
drawn to the earth and the elements of wind, water, and fire. I am
mesmerized by the heavens - our universe and beyond as we know it. I work
with American Indian instruments because of the very nature of the
instruments - they are all made by hand. I care very much for our world and
the future of its existence, for protecting the environment for the future.
AmbiEntrance: Do you play live often? Given your inspirations, it seems an outdoor concert would be called for. Where would you most like to perform if you had your choice of venues?
Martin: I have not played live recently, although I do enjoy it very much. I am most interested in concert performances. An outdoor concert would be a wonderful way to present this music. A mountain retreat, by a stream, or
where there are a lot of large rocks would be ideal. I wouldn't rule out a
concert hall either.
AmbiEntrance: You're no stranger to working with other musicians... (besides playing with Steve Gordon and Edgar Perry on Ancient Power) you're now joined by Tony Levin, Coyote Oldman, Howard Givens, Jon Jenkins and several others... Do you prefer the multi-artist approach to solo work, and why?
Martin: I do like working with other artists, especially when we are all on the
same creative path. However, there are times when it is better to create in
isolation which is normally what I do. This way I can capture the essence
of what it is I'm trying to create. Then I will ask other artists to
contribute what they feel the composition needs.
AmbiEntrance: Can you tell us briefly about your collaborators?
Martin: Tony Levin, Howard Givens, Jon Jenkins, just to name a few, are artists in the truest sense. To share what we are, and who we are, with each other, is a great thing. They are my friends. It is always a pleasure to work with other artists who share the creative vision that is the driving force behind what we do.
AmbiEntrance: When working with other artists, do you record together or separately? What's your "management style" concerning others' participation with music you've written?
Martin: We usually record together, unless conflicting schedules don't allow for
that. It's better to record together so that the energy of the moment is
captured in the recording. Unless I have a specific written part to be
performed on the composition, I feel it's best for contributing artists to
record what they "feel" about the composition - the music lets you know
what it needs.
AmbiEntrance: What if someone wants to add a bit which you just plain don't like... how would you handle that situation?
Martin: So far that situation has never happened. If an artist were to contribute a part to a song that was not really going in the right
direction for that song, we would discuss the part, listen carefully to it,
and then try to figure out how it would or could fit relative to the
composition. After that, it would simply be a matter of deciding a) whether
the part would work or not; b) whether the part needed to be revised, or;
c) whether the part was even necessary.
AmbiEntrance: Tell us a bit more about the strength of stones which you wrote with Tony Levin. Five parts bass and one part electric guitar?
Martin: I wanted to create a song using only bass. The Strength Of Stones is just that. I need to clarify there is NO electric guitar in this song. Due to an error in graphics, the electric guitar part was incorrectly numbered
- that part is on the song Blue Lake NOT The Strength Of Stones. I
apologize for the mixup. There is a total of seven bass tracks on the song.
AmbiEntrance: You also write poetry in your liner notes; do your engage in other writing, or just for your CDs?
Martin: I love to write. It is from my writing that some of the ideas for songs come, either from a story, poem, or song lyrics.
AmbiEntrance: I don't hear any animal noises, but the liner notes credit you with playing the "garden weasel"? What is it and how is it played?
Martin: A garden weasel is a gardening tool used to aerate the ground for planting seeds or fertilizing. It is made of steel with very sharp spiked ends on it, and when you shake it it creates a bell-like sound, or a
ringing sound. A friend of mine, Jerry Marotta had one, and I asked him
about it because I was fascinated by the sound it made. He told me he
bought it at a gardening center, so of course I immediately went out and
bought one. (I bought mine at Home Depot)
AmbiEntrance: I hear it (the garden weasel) now (in Crossing Plateau); do you do any yardwork with it or is it strictly a musical instrument? Do you keep it with your other instruments?
Martin: No yardwork yet with the garden weasel. It is a gardening tool, but
for now I am only using it as a music instrument. It is kept with all of
the other hand instruments.
AmbiEntrance: Speaking of other instruments, what all do you play and how many do you own?
Martin: Guitar, keyboards, bass, percussion, and whatever other instrumentation I can come up with (blowing through straws, rubbing stones together, etc.)
I have a Martin D-35, various percussion hand instruments, several Taos
Drums of varying sizes, and various pieces of electronic equipment. I am in
the process of obtaining another guitar, and I am looking for a vintage
bass.
AmbiEntrance: Do you feel there is a "gender barrier" in ambient/electronic music? Why are there so few female artists?
Martin: I do not really know the answer to this question. I believe there can be a gender barrier in any career field, not just for women, but for men. I cannot speak for women in general as to why there are so few female artists in this genre of music. I think each artist creates what they are compelled
to create, and then that music ends up wherever it gets categorized. There
may be many other female artists who write ambient/electronic music, we
just don't know about them.
AmbiEntrance: Do you feel your femininity should be regarded as an integral part of your music, or ignored, or what?
Martin: Because I am a woman, femininity is a part of who and what I am, but I
do not consider that to be the driving force in my music.
AmbiEntrance: What do you have planned as far as future releases?
Martin: I have started working on a new solo project, although it is too soon to tell what direction it is going in. I will also be working with Steve Gordon on another joint project, because we had so much fun doing Ancient Power. I am currently adding some instrumentation and orchestration to a
few song ideas that Tony Levin recorded while at Spotted Peccary Studios
and we'll see where that ends up at a later date.
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