Saturday April 6th - Our KICK-OFF event

Finer Details:
9:30pm music will start
Pay what you can to help support the artists
Artists will alternate 30 min sets.

Featured Artists:

Myles Gardner
Marie Avery
Darin Martin

Below is a bio and some links for each of the artists.  Please check them out, buy their merch and come out and support them at the show on the 6th.

Marie Avery may have appeared out of nowhere.
Originally from Northern Ontario, her journey to find herself and her musical identity has taken her across Canada and back again, finally settling in Hamilton, Ontario in 2008.

Her own music has been taking shape since she was a teen, but publicly Marie's been busy behind the scenes, lending her vocal and keyboard skills to Hamilton bands (The Foreign Films and Dark Mean) and organizing performance events that showcase her other talents.


It's in Marie's nature to take things slowly.  To let the dust of her emotional ruins settle before embarking on any major journey.  After two years of working intermittently in the studio on her debut EP, "The Fire", Marie has emerged with a hard-won collection of 5 songs.  The songs and arrangements, built around her own piano and vocals, are at once humble and dramatic, subtle but elaborate.

There were real stakes involved in the making of "The Fire".  To enter a studio, and lay down her most personal compositions, has always been a terrifying thought for Avery.
At some point you can't hide behind your thoughts without being crushed by them, and with Marie Avery's debut EP she juxtaposes venerability with a strength of purpose and vision to create a work of whimsy, magic, and raw nerves.  Always smoldering under the surface.  "The Fire" is about the drive that moves us forward in our own journey, in our own search for freedom.

www.marieaverymusic.com
marieaverymusic@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/marieavery


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Myles Gardner is a loop based folk rocker with a linear, texture-driven songwriting style. If Myles could be any part of a summer vacation, he would be the drive home.

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Darin Martin is a singer songwriter from Hamilton Ontario.  He has been writing songs and performing for many years but he decided to pursue  music full-time in the end of 2011 with the release of his 2nd acoustic album "Every Time You Smile".

"My hope is that people everywhere will hear my songs and be able to connect with them in a personal way.  My songs are from the heart.  I write about real experiences that I encounter or observe from people around me."

Darin has seen some success with album sales and his song "Waiting For You" was featured on CBC Radio 2 where it placed 2nd in a Valentine's Day love song contest in 2012.

Darin is in a brand new Hamilton Rock band called "Otic Poets" who are just about to release their debut EP. 

www.darinmartinmusic.com 

www.facebook.com/darinmartinmusic

Introducing Acoustic Saturdays

There is a brand new Pub in town called the Stowaway Pub and Eatery at 255 James St. N Hamilton, ON and it is about to become the coolest venue in town for an intimate music experience.  With it's Funky Medieval Nautical atmosphere,  amazing food and brand new stage, it is the perfect venue to host "Acoustic Saturdays".
Starting on Saturday April 6th Darin Martin Music will be presenting acoustic concerts every Saturday night starting at 9:30pm.
I have a huge passion for local business and grass roots musicians who are trying to find their way in the sea of musical waves.  My hope with this concert series, is to blend a great venue with great music and support a local business in our efforts.
We have an amazing line up of Artists already coming together for the month of April and will be posting info for who is playing when on this blog, the Stowaway Pub facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TheStowawayPubEatery and at http://jhazzard.wix.com/thestowaway#!facilities/c66t
Please help us spread the word and come out on Saturday April 6th to experience this event for yourself.

Great Ways To Hear Great Music for Free

This is by no means a sales pitch.  I simply wanted to share a few things with my friends incase you didn't already know about a few of these.   Over the Holidays we had some friends over to watch a movie and we started talking about listening to music online.  They had not heard about "Jango" http://www.jango.com/ which is free music online.  It's cool because you can put in an artist or style you like and it will play that artist as well as others who have a similar vibe.  I use it all the time when I am tired of my own music and want to hear a specific artist.   I am working on getting my music up on Jango soon too.
Another cool resource is http://noisetrade.com/ .  Noisetrade is music that artist put up themselves to help generate a wider fan base.  It helps them by the great exposure to literally everyone who has access to the internet.  The idea is, if I posted my music up there for free (for a limited time) you my download it for free or for a tip, then you might go back and by my past album or hopefully keep tracking with my music and buy future records.
I have gotten a ton of great music from this site and been introduced to so many great artists that I may have never heard about.  All you need to do is subscribe to their email list and they send you regular emails about artists who have posted their music.  There is no catch with this one.  I have gotten a bunch of music and not paid for it, but because I am also looking to get my songs on Noisetrade, I know how it works from the artists' perspective and the tremendous benefit it has for us as well.
I just got this record by Ari Hest whom I had never heard of and am listening to it even as I type.
Thanks for following and your tremendous support.

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.