Hard to keep up

Had a really beautiful tour in early September with Saltwater Hank, aka Jeremy Pahl. Thankful to have been asked to play Koksilah Music Festival, on unceded Quw'utsen Territory.   Wound our way off the island and over to Calgary, through Victoria, Vancouver, Summerland, Vernon, Sicamous,  and then moved on and out.  I would say a picture is worth 1000 words, except that I try not to use my camera much, so I'm not that good with them.  Nonetheless...

I'll be at Folk Music Ontario this weekend, doin a private showcase in the Mavens' music room.

Archive of my last news

June 16
Audible Songs From Rockwood was longlisted for the Polaris Music Prize, which is rad. I hope that the jurors all get the liner notes, but is it corrupt to send them the liner notes? Is that considered bribery? I don't know. Here they are.

Truly had a wonderful time in Dawson City. Thanks to the KIAC Print festival for bringing me out there.

May 31

Going to the Yukon soon.

Dawson City on Sunday June 11

Whitehorse on Monday June 12

May 7, 2017
Toronto Shows have been announced. Keeping it complicated....
Three shows at three places
Thursday May 25 @ Likely General 389 Roncesvalles Avenue

Wheelchair Accessible https://likelygeneral.com/pages/hello

$15 / Doors 7:30 pm / Show 8:00

Tickets at Rotate This

Friday May 26 @ St. Matthew's United Church
729 St. Clair W Wheelchair accessible

https://www.stmattsunited.com/contact

$15 / Doors 7: 30 / Show 8:00

Tickets at Rotate This or Click HERE to buy tickets online

Saturday My 27 @ The Array Music Space

155 Walnut Ave, M6J 3W3

Wheelchair Accessible

http://www.arraymusic.com/studio/

$15 / Doors 7:30 / Show 8:00
Tickets at Rotate This or Click HERE to buy tickets online

April 8, 2017

April 3, 2017

Well, gotta hang my head down and say thank you to The Undertaker for 27 years. Here's a tribute video that a few kids in New York City made for him - they used my song The Undertaker which explored the wrestler's lack of trust and its impact on his relationships.

A Tribute to the Undertaker - A Generation of Destruction from Rob Martin on Vimeo.

March 1, 2017

A bit more about the release up there in the film...

Feb 16, 2017
Pleased to announce that I'm putting out a new record on April 21. Spent the past 3 years digging about in the archives of the Rockwood Asylum for the Criminally Insane, and came up with this:

Jeff Bierk took the Photo on the front.

Stay tuned for more information about it.

You can pre-order it at the Idée Fixe Records website HERE

November 29, 2016
Great poster from Artspace:

ah yes...

November 1, 2016

And so it is written:

as well on november 23 gonna open the release show for these freaks, Tasseomancy.

August 27, 2016
Please see notice below regarding upcoming shows.

August 2, 2016
If you live in Toronto, it's worth going to see Land of Destiny, a documentary by Brett Story from 2010 that's showing at HotDocs cinema on August 15. I wrote an original tune for it and recorded it with Dave Clarke and Paul Mortimer at Rick White's. It's a powerful account of the effects of the Petrochemical industry on the people in Sarnia who are caught in the conflict of both making their living and dying from the work it brings.

Later on I wrote this song about the parallel conflict, images from the film very much in my mind.

 


June 9, 2016
Just had a great tour with USGirls. Really great to tour those rooms with people I love and admire. Thanks Meg, you freak.
Tomorrow the record I made with my band, The Highest Order will be coming out on Idée Fixe Records. It's called Still Holding and it's mostly songs I wrote over the past 3 years, and recorded with my greatest friends. It looks like this:

From Left to Right, Joni, Rhubarb, Roxy and me.
You can buy it HERE.
We're touring the west part of Canada so, if you wanna catch those shows check out the listings here at The Highest Order Website.
Also, check out this video in the Fader ...

March 30, 2016
April shows with Chad VanGaalen and the one and only Michael Hurley - check the DATES
But also May I invite you to join me in May as I run down the west coast with USGirls?

Feb 18, 2016

If you are in Los Angeles, pick up a copy of Night Gallery's free newspaper Night Papers, for a piece I did with my collaborator and Top Photographer, Jeff Bierk

In the first week of february I had a good time at Megaphono. The hell mouth never looked so good. Nice review right here... So nice when people talk about the songs in music reviews.
 

Photo by Owen Clayton
Gonna play Idee Fixe Records (that's french, but it's the name of the label that puts out The Highest Order ) Vth (5th) anniversary party twice - once solo on February 25th, at the Horseshoe, and then with The Highest Order on the 26th at the Garrison.
Ah yeah, and I'm playing Kazoo Fest come April, opening for Chad Van Gaalen in Guelph, so that's alright. I once got kicked out of that church, but that story is for a live audience.

December 7, 2015
On December 20th, I'm playing a fundraiser for Girls Rock Camp Toronto, with the holiday wish that they go gender neutral and all children can just grow up thinking they can play rock and roll if they so feel without the burden of gender one way or another.
HERE'S the event.

And also, should mention I am playing a show with Jennifer Castle on the 21st for the Winter Solstice.

September 30, 2015
WORLD FAMOUS GOPHER HOLE MUSEUM SOUNDTRACK

That's right, I composed and recorded the soundtrack to the short documentary "World Famous Gopher Hole Museum" by Chelsea McMullan and Doug Nayler about this curious tourist attraction in Alberta. It premiered at TIFF and was really good to see in the big theatre surround sound. I made this poster for it too.

September 22, 2015
WENT ON TV (INTERNET TV) FOR JC
I got asked to talk about a wonderful album by a friend on TV for the Polaris Prize. So I said what I thought:
In the opening song of Pink City, Jennifer Castle asks the question: "Can anybody hear me?"

Today's songwriter contends with so much opposition to the craft:

There's the disaffected ear of a dominant culture that's forgotten poetry.

There's the planned obsolescence of song, expected to stream forth, perpetually new.

There are still men relegating women's voices to ornament.

And there is the fear sown by government and industry, muffling those who warn against the hollowing of the land.

The songs on Pink City both address and transcend these hostile conditions. Jennifer Castle, with voice, guitar and piano, sings together truths of the body, poverty, our part in nature, labour of all kinds, the will. The album is sometimes unsettling, sometimes friendly, oblique in form, and still direct.

And so to the question "Can Anybody hear me?" the answer is "Yes." And more people will, right now.

I would call her singular but for the fact that she sings for so many.

Friends of all genders, your 2015 Polaris Music Prize short list nominee for Pink City, the undeniable Jennifer Castle.

You should get that record.

July 15, 2015

MADE A VIDEO FOR MY BAND "THE HIGHEST ORDER"

 


And I wrote the song too.

April 5, 2015

NEW VID FOR 'DAYTON' OFF "Lost the Plot"

 

I put on my face and showed up to play, meanwhile on Coronation Street trouble abounds. If you're the kind of guy who needs to watch TV to hear music, Jeff Bierk made this video for you:

April 2, 2015

'LONESOME IN THIS GRAVE' VIDEO NOMINATED FOR THE PRISM PRIZE

 





Starring Carl Lance Bonicci, and directed by Jeff Bierk.

January 25, 2015

A BOOK: SPEAKING FLOWER POEMS

Simone and collaborator Jeff Bierk have released a poetry book for gentle people aged 0-1000. You can order it here.