Carry On aka Gary's Song

This is the story behind my song "Carry On" from my album "Peace of Mind".

When Sarah and I first got married in 1999, she started teaching and I was playing music in "Silas".  Things were pretty tight for us financially at the time and my long time friend Steve Frew asked me if I wanted to come and work with him as a Cross Country ski instructor at a place called "Pleasure Valley" in Uxbridge, ON.

Having never really done Cross Country skiing let alone taught it to a bunch of school groups, I thought it sounded like fun so I took the job.

Pleasure Valley I quickly learned was a very interesting place.  Not only did it offer Cross Country skiing, but it was a Horse Ranch equipped with real cowboys and cowgirls, it has a climbing wall, picnic sites for company or large family gatherings, beach volleyball courts and at the time had water slides.  Not sure if that part of it is still operational.

In working there I met the bosses "Jacquie and Gary" who were both amazing people and they took me in like I was family.

Gary as I have mentioned at many of my shows over the year made a real impression on me.  I was fascinated by his love for horses and his ability to try and work with them using his own methods of horse whispering and a harnesses that didn't use a bit.

Gary and I had many conversations but the one that really stands out in my mind was when he shared the story of losing his son.

My heart broke as he shared that and although I searched for words of comfort and hope, I was at a loss in that moment.  

When I went home, I started to write the song that became "Carry On" aka Gary's Song.  It is a song of questioning and wonder.  It is kind of frustrating because it doesn't really give answers or a sense of hope.

I was given a DVD to watch by my friend Don Grunsten who is in the T.V. and Film industry.  The reason that I wanted to watch this film directed by Karen O'Donnell called "Odd Kid Out" was a) because I was very curious about the subject, exploring children with ADHD, but b) because my old friend Gary was featured in the documentary because of his horse training.

Gary has since passed away but it was so good to see him and hear his passion for horses again.  It was like therapy for me to spend a few moments with him, if even on screen.

One of my regrets is that I never did get a chance to share his song with him before he passed away.

But today after I watched the film I contacted the director to let her know about the song, and email Gary's wife Jacquie to see if I can send her a copy of the song.

I have no idea where things will head from here, but I thought I would blog about it in case anyone was interested in hearing more about the story of "Carry On".  It seems that the story continues...
Here is the link to the Documentary on ADHA if you are interested.
http://wordshopproductions.com/about/karen-odonnell-bio 

Teaching Guitar Lessons

I will be the first to admit that I am more of a singer who plays guitar, than a guitar player who sings.  Over the past year of playing many shows, I have learned a great deal more about guitar and feel much more confident on my instrument now.  But I don't spend hours a day playing guitar scales and I have  no desire to add screaming guitar solos into any of my songs.  

So recently a good family friend asked me if I would teach his son how to play guitar and my first thought was, man, if my guitar player friends heard that I was teaching they would laugh.  But as I started to think more about this opportunity, I realized that a) I love to teach, doesn't really matter what it is.  b) Compared to a person who has just picked up guitar, I know many things that I can teach them.  So I agreed to take on his son as my first student and I have spent many hours preparing for what I will teach him.  I'm a bit nervous about this, but I'm also really excited to what him develop as a young musician.  If this goes well, I will be taking more students and will keep teaching them everything I can until they need to be referred to someone who plays at a much higher level.

Here goes nothing.

Summer Music

 This Summer has been amazing for Darin Martin Music.
I have had the opportunity to play living rooms, back yards, farmer's markets, cool coffee shops, pubs, theatre foyers as seen below and with some good fortune, might have an opportunity to play in a park band shell in the near future.
My love for music has grown over the Summer as I have really started to see how audiences connect with a song as it brings them a flood of memories.
I was playing at a Pub in Annapolis Royal with my brother in law and friend "Dan Froese" and we began our last song for the night..."Have You Ever Seen The Rain" by CCR.  I watched as smiles filled people's faces and when we hit that old sweet chorus, the whole patio was filled with singers belting that familiar tune.  We finished the song just in time to be greeted with a bagpiper who was kicking off Natal Day Weekend and it was one of those special moments in the life that people remember and song writers sing about.
I have the privilege of being a singer songwriter in the great city of Hamilton where there a many of us. On any night, you can check out one of the cool venues in Hamilton and you are bound to find Scott Orr, or the Good Hunters, or Kori Pop singing their hearts out to crowds.

Last night I had the night off so my family and I went to Gage Park to hear my favourite cover band "Freedom Train" play and it was another amazing night of Summer Music.  Hundreds of people sitting around in lawn chairs and on blankets.  Many with their dog as their side, listening to great old songs and watching the Sun set off in the distance.
It's the kind of night where you want to gather all of your friends and everyone you love together because you don't want them to miss it.
I have found this Summer to be filled with those nights, and they are almost always geared around music.
Well, Summer isn't quite over yet, and I have much to do today with the release of my first video shot on my East Coast Tour, the upcoming release of our new 5 Song EP, my amazing RocketHub Supporters to give an update to, and new songs to write for a community film that is being shot right in our neighbourhood.

A Great Start To The Summer

On Thursday July 5th Geoff and I kicked off the Summer with a sold out show at the Coach and Lantern in Ancaster Ontario.
This was our first official concert working with NJ Bookings and it was a huge success.
The night was filled with great music from Nic Armstrong, lots of dear friends and a chance to meet a bunch of new ones.
We had an absolute blast from the moment we loaded in our gear to hanging out afterwards with some friends in the parking lot laughing at funny moments from the night.
It is a pretty cool feeling playing for a full room.  There is a certain energy and buzz like something amazing is about to happen.
After playing so many house concerts on my own, it was an absolute treat to have my "wingman" Geoff Laforet at my side rocking out and as always, putting on a show for the crowd.
Playing music professionally definitely has it's highs and lows, but this was one of those nights that I didn't want to end.  A night when almost everything went right and even the things that didn't were still laughable.
I felt so loved and supported by many great friends including my friends Hooper and Ronny V.  You guys have been such a source of encouragement and support and I am so blessed to have you both in my corner.  Thanks for being there and standing behind this whole thing.
Off to bed.  The East Coast Tour is only 2 days away.

East Coast Tour This Summer

So now that I have actually managed to book a few concerts in and around Halifax, I can officially announce that my family and I will be heading to the East Coast this Summer for a Tour.
My goal for this trip is to play for new audiences, make some new friends, visit family and find new inspiration for future songs or projects.
The gigs will be pretty diverse.  So far I am playing at a Coffee House in Halifax, a Church in Halifax and a farmer's Market in Annapolis Royal N.S..
Unfortunately my dear friend Geoff will not be able to join me for this Tour but my hope is to build some good networks in the Maritimes so that we can head out with the whole band when the time is right.
I will be joined some musicians along the way including my brother in law Daniel Froese http://www.danfroese.com/index.html who is an amazing musician and violinist.  I'm really looking forward to hearing my songs with some violin in them.
I will post more dates and details as they get nailed down.

Pause to Say Thanks.

I just sat down with a cup of coffee at the Cannon Coffee Co. http://www.facebook.com/cannoncoffee on the corner of Cannon and Ottawa in Hamilton.  This is a very cool little place where the towns people come and go throughout the day.
Lot's of little meetings happen here and they all seem to be cool people trying to do something to start their business of help our great city in some way.
Since being back in Hamilton lots of very cool things have been happening.  My focus so far has been trying to establish a few steady paying gigs so that I can continue to do House Concerts and Band gigs that don't always fill the gas tank.
The Band
We are very excited about what is coming up for us very soon in the band.
Geoff and I have been really starting to focus on getting our live show where it needs to be.
In the next few weeks we will be releasing our Brand New EP "Sinking Deeper" and will be shooting our first music video.
Right now I am meeting with some musical people to get some advice on next steps including a publicist who is very interested in helping us take a few steps forward.
It seems that at every stage there is one more expense involved in taking the next step but like any business, it costs you to get rolling.
So we keep on plugging and trying to come out with a bang with our new record.
Thanks for your support.
Darin

RocketHub

After several months of trying to work with a company from the United States to do an online crowd sourcing project, we fell flat on our faces and gave up on the idea.
I was so discouraged realizing that although we had gotten very close, there were a few details that wouldn't allow Geoff and I to do a project of that nature from Canada.  At least with that company called "Kickstarter".
But after more research and some encouraging words from singer songwriter and friend Jacob Moon, who had used a company called "RocketHub" for a few projects, we discovered that we still had a shot.
So we tweaked the video and created a whole new project and 2 days ago it launched with RocketHub.
If you click on this link, it will explain how it works. http://rkthb.co/6734
But this is what I was talking about a few months ago when I blogged about needing to have the middle person between and artist and a producer.  RocketHub allows us to raise money for our recording project and our friends and fans get to feel very much a part of the process of launching our music to the world.
I am once again so excited about these new songs and this new sound and really want to be able to finish this project and share the new stuff with you.
Thanks for standing by us and supporting us on this journey.

The Photo Shoot

 Today we had our photo shoot with the amazingly talented Dave Fretz of www.davefretzdesign.com and it was a ton of fun.
I have worked with Dave in the past on my "Every Time You Smile" art work but having Geoff and Dave together in the same room was hilarious.
Geoff and I laughed as Dave would react to how "freaking cool" the photos looked.  Then he would snap a quick shot of us laughing and often those turned out to be the best shots.
Dave is a true artist and a gentleman.  His photo shoots are a ton of fun and he encourages you to forget that the camera is there while he has a conversation with you.
Just so you know, these photos are not the ones that Dave took, they are snaps shots from my iphone.  Dave's shots are incredible and will blow you away as soon as we release them with our upcoming EP.
I have been keeping pretty quiet lately and working on a bunch of things behind the scenes but we are getting very close to making a few pretty big announcements about what has been happening behind the scenes and I can't wait to share that with you.

That's it for now.  More info to come very soon so stay tuned.
Peace,
Darin

A New Verse in the Song.

On Friday night at "The Garrison" in Toronto  a new verse in the song of this musical journey was written.
If you have been reading this posts and following this journey for any length of time, you will know that I am a singer songwriter from Hamilton who has been touring around with my good friend and drummer Geoff Laforet and playing songs from my acoustic EP "Every Time You Smile" http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/darinmartin
After sitting down with Gord Richards of Oak Recording Studiohttp://www.thesoundofoak.com/home.html in Toronto and doing one song, I was hooked with the new Rock direction and wanted to give it a shot.
I realize that those of you who really dig the chilled out acoustic stuff may not join us on this leg of the journey.  Like my own mother for example.   I myself was wondering if it made any sense to try this new direction.  How can an artists who has been known for his acoustic story telling style, embark on this very different style and sound?  But then I thought about one of my all-time fav artists "Neil Young" and thought,  my 2 fav songs by Neil are "Harvest Moon and Alabama" which are 2 very different styles of music and both are Neil and both move my soul.
So with encouragement from Gord and Geoff, I thought "what the heck?"  Why does an artist is who trying to reach a larger audience need to box themselves into one style or category?  Dallas Green was another example I looked to.
For years, producers have been telling me that I write big Rock Anthems but play them acoustically.  Them seem to think my voice would lend itself well to big guitars and catchy hooks.  I have partly shied away from it for practical reasons.  It is expensive to record in pro studios, it is really hard to find other musicians who will journey with you and then you have all of the ego and creative differences.  But God has blessed me with some guys who really believe in me and my ability to write songs and want to get behind this whole Darin Martin Music thing.
So on Friday night Geoff Laforet sat down to his sweet new drum kit, Gord plugged into his Half Stack, Graham picked up his 5 string Stingray and I dusted off the Les Paul and plugged into a Mesa Bogie Dual Rectorfier Roadster 2/12 combo.  On Geoff's count in, we started our first Song "My Let Down" off the fourth coming EP and it got really loud.  It was such a cool experience to hear songs that I wrote on an acoustic guitar sounding so big and full.
My heart was pounding with excitement and my ears were ringing like mad.

 But I must say, I enjoyed every minute of it.  Seeing Geoff as happy as a pig in mud behind his kit, watching the Richard's brother's running all over the stage and sharing 5 brand new songs with the fine folks from Vox.
We are working very hard behind the scenes to get some key things going very soon and have hit a few road blocks, but are trusting that these doors will continue to open.
Thanks for taking the time to read this and follow us on this journey.
Look for updates and announcements coming out very soon on facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Darin-Martin-Music/217569348255922 or at  http://darinmartinmusic.com/Darin_Martin_Music/home.html

Our First Show

If you have been following me for any length of time you would know that I am a singer songwriter from Hamilton who has been on a musical journey of discovery over the past number of years.
Many years ago I was the lead singer of a Christian Folk-Rock band called Silas and in that band, I knew where I fit.  I wrote some of the songs and sang the songs with the others in the band.  Usually in 3 part harmony.
But since that time I have tried to find my voice and my sound in music.  I think I have been trying to hard to find something instead of just letting it happen.
The truth is, I live the sound of the acoustic guitar and feel most comfortable at this point playing that.  However, every time I have entered a studio the producers have suggested that I have a rock voice and that I write rock anthems that would also suit a full band sound.
Hense my Unbroken Son EP which is available on itunes through my website. http://darinmartinmusic.com/Darin_Martin_Music/home.html 
Playing as a band is really a difficult task when you think about it.  You have
different personalities, and schedules to deal with.  Not to mention moody artists that change really effect the dynamics.  However, when you get the right fit and those 4 or so instruments come together to play a great song, it is magical.
Well, as you know I have been writing for a new 5 Song EP and have put together 5 great songs with a great band sound.  I am really stoked about this new sound.  It is an incredible gift to a songwriter to hear your songs sound so full and see 3 other guys passionately rocking out on a song together.
So after almost a whole week and a half off from playing our last show as an acoustic Duo,  Geoff Laforet (Drums), Graham Richards (Bass), and Gord Richards (Guitar) will be taking the stage at the Garrison on Friday March 16th to rock out these 5 new songs from the EP.
We are all super pumped to play out and see what kind of reaction we get to the new sound and new tunes.
Thanks for taking the time to read this blog and support Darin Martin Music.
Please come to our facebook page and click "LIKE"
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Darin-Martin-Music/217569348255922

CBC Radio

On September 23rd 2011 Geoff Laforet and I released a 5 song Indie Acoustic EP called "Every Time You Smile" and began to play those songs in restaurants, churches and lots of house concerts.  We have been trying to promote our music and build Darin Martin Music into something that reaches more people.
When I write a songs, I always go through a range of emotions from feeling like "I think I might have something here" to "This song stinks and I should never play it for anyone."
The night before my last recording day in August at the 2nd Record Studio with Engineer and producer Deni Gauthier, I sat down with my mom and wrote a song called "Waiting For You" which came together quickly and really excited me.
So when my sister informed me that CBC was having a love song contest for Valintine's day, I sent "Waiting For You" in.  After I hit send, I stopped thinking about the song and the contest and kept focusing on all of the gigs that Geoff and Graham and I had coming.  Including the one this photo at the Hershey Centre on Sunday February 12th for Faith and Family Day.  At the end of the OHL game we were asked to join Mike Gartner and Mark Osbourne at Centre Ice to sing an original song.
It is always hard to decide which song to sing but for the nature of this event I felt that "Nowhere To Hide"(Another song from our EP) had a similar message to what the event was about.  So we sang the song and were feeling super excited about all of the opportunities that we have had to play the songs publicly and meet so many cool people.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3N-CmhQnIr0&lc=0JMNpBPlTt2U9TjdCMfLpbTtsVVd7EBtj7VAz7uDzvA&context=C3c25e8eADOEgsToPDskJlyTsrj46Jp62kFYvsu2JG
Directly following the event I went home and crashed until Tuesday as I had been fighting a cold all week and was trying to hold it together for our 4 weekend shows.
On Tuesday (Valentine's Day) I finally left my house for the first time since Sunday to buy sloppy joe ingredients to make for my family for Valentine's dinner.
At around 4:10pm I started making supper and got a phone call from my mother who was crying on the other end and said..."Did you hear it?"  to which I answered, "hear what mom?"  She said, "You got second place in the Love Songs contest and they played your song on CBC radio."  I immediately got chills and started thinking about writing that song (with my mom) and playing it for a whole bunch of people and now having it played on the radio.  I didn't actually get to hear it but that fact that so many others did, is really exciting.
It really doesn't mean too much, except that a whole bunch of people listened to CBC on Tuesday and heard my song.  The producer of the show "Here and Now" emailed me directly to tell me that she and the other staff having been humming my song all day and they can't get it out of their heads.  It also means that CBC now has a copy of it and if enough people start requesting to hear it again, it could really help us as a band to reach a whole bunch of new listeners.
This is getting long so I am going to sign off for now.  Thanks for reading this and all of your support.
Darin

Leap Of Faith?

Could it be considered a leap of faith or just simply foolish for Geoff Laforet and I to take a big step in this musical endeavour to start something brand new and very fresh?
Today we walked into Oak Recording studio equipped with strong coffee (fair trade) some pads of paper and my laptop, sat down with long time friend and killer producer/engineer Gord Richards and started preproduction for a 5 song EP.
At this point we don't know what we are calling it, we don't know where the money is going to come from and we don't really know what is going to happen with this record when it is finished.  But we had already recorded one of the tracks with Gord and have heard what he is capable of and felt that it is worth the leap of faith.
There are only a few people who have heard the new track and so far the reaction has been a dropped jaw and a stunned look.  I have heard comments like "wow, this sounds like the radio" "I can't believe how big this sounds" and one of the little girls from the family we live with said "are you going to be famous?"  I laughed at that one.
If you know me, you know that I am not one to brag about my music, but I am absolutely amazed at how Gord has already been able to take our songs and help us build them with a really big sound that blows Geoff and I away every time we hear the track.
We are both very excited to make this record together and Gord is equally as excited to produce it.
We are going to work very hard to make a great record as quickly as possible and get it out to you.  Please keep checking in to this blog, follow us on twitter and facebook and help us spread the word that the Darin Martin Band is coming soon to a music player near you.
Peace, Darin

The Gap

There seems to be a big gap between starving artists who want a "pro" sounding record and a professional studio who needs to make its money somehow.
I have some close friends who have managed to build up their own studio gear and produce their own records without spending tons of money and they've been releasing great records.  Check out Scott Orr Music http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/scott-orr/id136035051and Deni Gauthier http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/worlds-apart-single/id429011531.  But for those of us who don't have the gear or sick skills required to produce our own records, the gap remains as wide as the Grand Canyon.
I have spent a ton of time this year thinking about how to bridge that gap but it is very difficult.  If only every musician had a close friend with a ton of money and a big heart to see us succeed.  It seem as though if you don't have a major record label fronting the money for you to put out great sounding stuff, you're screwed.
But what if there was a way?  What if a great producer working at a great studio (who still needed to get paid) but decided to not charge you an arm and a leg to make a great sounding record would get behind the project.  And what if there was a company or group of people who believed in a musician got behind that musician and helped him/her get to the next level?
Well, I think we have found a way.  After months of wracking my brain and almost giving up, I have been introduced to something that could help me and many other musicians in my position.
As soon as this comes together I will write the rest of the story.
Thanks so much for your support.
Darin

New in 2012 - The Darin Martin Band

While I am trying to keep my blog posts focused on personal stuff that relates to my life as a musician, I wanted to take this chance to introduce the guys who have been making up the "Darin Martin Band."

As many of you know Geoff Laforet formerly of (Thousand Foot Krutch) and I met a year and half ago and started a friendship that has become very strong.  We joke that we have played so many shows together but have never even gone to watch a movie or spent much time just hanging out.  Geoff is an amazing guy and I have a whole lot of love and a ton of respect for this man.  We are working very hard at this music thing and our hope is that we can find more time to just hang together.



Gord Richards
(Aka G-Rock) has been in my life since I started being a youth pastor.
Gord is an incredibly talented musician and performer but what many people don't know yet, is that G-Rock is an amazing engineer and producer and is producing my new album set to release in the Spring of 2012.
G-Rock was a student in my youth ministry but quickly became a very close friend of mine and someone that I love very much.  As far as playing with me goes, because he is very busy with his own budding career, he will come and go based on his availability and for that I am grateful.
It should be said (incase G-Rock read this) that Gord has been one of the biggest reasons why I have decided to go after this dream to play music.  He has always encouraged me as a song writer and has always done everything he can to help make this happen for me.

Graham Richards (kid brother to Gord) was about 12 when I met him.  He has a brilliant mind and is quite possibly the easiest guy in the world to work with.  He is organized and disciplined which works very well.  I often give him chord charts for songs I have been working on.  After he trys to get through a song using my charts, he laughs and re-writes them with the actual chords I am playing.
Graham is an amazing musician and compliments my style, personality and struggle with administration beautifully.
He too is incredibly supportive and a huge encourager for Darin Martin Music and I am trilled to have him playing with me.









So there you have a little glimpse into who these guys in our new pictures are and how the come to play with me.
As the DMB develops and schedules allow for it, these guys will be joining Geoff and I for gigs that allow it.
We may also be looking to fill in some different pieces from time to time.
Please keep following us as this develops and I will keep you posted.

Playing for a great cause

Today as I was thinking about our upcoming show on Saturday I was encouraged to watch a few videos that explained what "Light Patrol" is and what they do for at risk youth in Toronto.
After watching the videos I quickly realized that our concert on Saturday is about something much bigger than I would have imagined.  I suddenly felt a strong sense of privilege and responsibility to do everything we can as a band to help support this organization/ministry that is doing amazing things for young people.
Please take a few mins and watch these videos.

If you have watched these videos and want to respond in some way, please come out to the concert on Saturday and hear first hand as a few students who have been impacted by Light Patrol share their stories.
There is no charge for the concert and it is going to be a powerful night.
7pm at Westmount Park Church.
1483 Royal York Rd
Toronto
Ontario M9P 3B3

Writing a Song

I mentioned this on Twitter the other day but wanted to share a bit more about my last writing experience.  I think it is very common for songwriters to run out of things to say in a song or different creative ways to say it.  I haven't had that problem before, but with the move to Mississauga, learning a ton of covers and focusing on promoting my "Every Time You Smile" EP, I haven't even tried writing a song.
A few days after Christmas I sat down to have a coffee with my wife (Sarah) and my mother who had put her back out and was chair-ridden for several days.  Figuring that I had a captive audience, I share with her all that has been going on with regard to our time in Mississauga and what the future holds.  In talking about places where we have been and lived and people that we have been blessed enough to have in our lives, I started getting a feeling like I wanted to go be alone for a while with my guitar.  It's like something comes over me.  A feeling, or sensation that it is time to write another song.
I have found in the past when this happens, that the lyrics and the melody come together simultaneously and the whole shebang is done in a matter of minutes.
I was feeling kind of folky so it's pretty "finger picky" and pretty reflective.  I was also listening to Josh Ritter at the time so it probably has some of his influence in it too.
It's called "Trying to Find a Home"and it is auto biographical as we look at what and where we move to next.
Shortly after I had finished the song, I returned to my mother who had managed to move herself from her chair to the couch and sang her the brand new song.
She got teary eyed and said, "You just wrote that now?" followed by "Darin, It's absolutely beautiful" followed by, "but it needs to be longer."  "I want to hear more about this journey and it's just not long enough".  So it's back to the drawing board to add in a bridge and a bit more to the chorus.
The whole experience was pretty sweet though and I'm pretty excited to add this song into the mix of my live shows.
More on this song and hopefully a recording to follow soon.
Happy New Year to you and yours.