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Gallery
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Latest updates
- UK Tour in May and June
- Upcoming shows
- Previous Tour Dates 2012
- USA and European Dates announced
- The Promise
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Musical friends
- Ani DiFranco Fiercely independent and influential American contemporary folk singer-songwriter, who Martyn toured with in the US over the Summer in 2008.
- Bob Harris Our favourite broadcaster and champion of independent artists.
- David Oddy Luthiers David Oddy is the maker of Martyn’s 4 string tenor guitar….It was crafted from a mahogany desk that used to belong to David’s father.
- Martin Sexton Martin is a singer-songwriter who fuses folk, funk, blues and jazz to make his own unique sound. He opened shows for Martyn here in the UK in Spring 2007 and Martyn returned to the US in Autumn of the same year to return the favour!
- Rachel Taylor-Beales Cardiff based singer songwriter whose most recent, and critically lauded, CD Red Tree was produced by Martyn. Rachel opened shows for Martyn in 2006 and her debut CD, Brilliant Blue, was released on Pipe Records.
- Show of Hands Highly acclaimed West Country acoustic roots duo who Martyn has worked with many times over the past few years, with Phil Beer, their multi instrumentalist having played on Martyn`s CDs Vegas and Whoever It Was That Brought Me here.
- Steve Knightley Martyn and Steve have successfully worked as an occasional duo since 2003, following their collaboration in Faith Folk and Anarchy with Tom Robinson in 2001/2. They recorded the CD The Bridgerow Sessions together in 2005.
- Tom Robinson Iconic songwriter and now BBC Radio 6 music presenter who joined forces with Martyn and Steve Knightley to form Faith Folk and Anarchy in 2001/2.
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Diary archives
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Other links
- David Oddy Luthiers David Oddy is the maker of Martyn’s 4 string tenor guitar….It was crafted from a mahogany desk that used to belong to David’s father.Tel 01626 334900
- Elixir Strings What strings do you use?!
- G7th Makers of the capos that Martyn uses
- Lowden Guitars Maker of the guitar Martyn has toured with for many years and the producer of many beautiful instruments.
- Martyn Joseph Fans online forum Independently run busy fan forum chatting about all things MJ – the music, the songs, the issues and lots more.
- Naomi Tydeman RI Naomi has a gallery in West Wales featuring her beautiful watercolour work. Well worth a look!
- Orchid Electronics Manufacturers of Martyn`s pre-amp.
- Steve Smith – Dla`Kwagila Steve is a contemporary Native artist based in Vancouver. He`s done some amazing work including two large installations in Vancouver Airport. Look out for them if you pass through!
Bio
Martyn Joseph is a performer like no other.
Shades of Springsteen, John Mayer, Bruce Cockburn and Dave Matthews there may be – but he stands in his own right, built on a reputation for giving what thousands have described as the best live music experience of their lives.
Another guitar laden singer songwriter he may be, but in these transient times where musicians have a seemingly inevitable disposability, the longevity of Martyn’s thirty year career suggests he has something special to offer.
Martyn’s come a long way since the days when Epic signed him after selling 30,000 copies of his self-financed album ‘An Aching and A Longing’. Since those days he has had 5 Top 50 UK chart hits and has toured with, amongst others, Art Garfunkel, Ani DiFranco, Jools Holland, Suzanne Vega, Chris DeBurgh, Runrig, Celine Dion, Shirley Bassey, Joan Armatrading, and Mark Cohn. In addition to being awarded Best Male Artist at the 2004 BBC Welsh Music Awards, he has also received many humanitarian plaudits and awards, with themes of social justice being a constant presence throughout his music. October 2010 saw the release of Martyn’s 31st album release ‘Under Lemonade Skies’, enthusiastically described by Radio 2’s Bob Harris as ‘his biggest album to date’.
Martyn’s ability to transcend preconceptions about how one man and a guitar can sound is testament to his talent and stage presence. In fact, you’d be forgiven for thinking that there’s more than one musician on stage. He continues to tour extensively on both sides of the Atlantic, building up a constantly expanding and enthusiastic fan base. The shows are intelligently constructed, Martyn presenting his audience with challenging narratives and with an intensity that hits with the power of a right hook. He tempers this with songs that comfort and speak to the soul. His great improvisation and immediate topicality lead to an organic fluidity that makes every show different. His comfortable rapport and conversation with his audiences, his sense of humour and his ability to make everyone feel at home lie right at the heart of the evenings success.
Juxtaposition is a key theme in Martyn’s work. The simplicity and the complexity of the human condition and all that it encompasses is underpinned with a heady promise of hope. There is a versatility to Martyn’s music that is hard to categorise. Many have tried, resulting in labels such as Folk, Rock, Soul, Folk Funk and Americana; all of which somehow miss the mark. But sometimes music doesn’t need a defining genre and with the ability to articulate a sense of the bigger picture, Martyn’s music and social commentary manage to empower and speak for many. His songs are pictures, and stories, and feelings all put to music and delivered by a master craftsman. Built around memories and observations alike, his work is inspired by all that’s good in the world and also that with which society often falls short. Because of this the music can often be both outspoken and challenging. Yet the tenderness with which the vocals are effortlessly wrapped around Martyn’s rich melodies gives the songs an exquisite beauty that ensures they are remembered long after the evening has drawn to a close.
Martyn Joseph. A unique talent driven by passion and love for his trade, continues to write, sing and play from the heart. It’s a road he’s been travelling for most of his life and, as he often tells his audience, ‘you keep turning up and so will I.’
“Britain`s best kept secret……a challenging songwriter and a compelling courageous live performer”
MoJo 4* review
“One of the most charismatic and electrifying performers in Britain today…tough and passionate”
Tom Robinson BBC 6 music
“One of acoustic music’s most original voices, and most forward looking of his generation of singer/songwriters”
Q Magazine
“A profound experience”
The Boston Globe
“Songs of social commentary as much as love, with a rootsy sensibility”
Time Out
“Written with craft, performed with passion”
Financial Times
“He is one of our most intelligent writers. He gets better and better like the finest of wines”
Bob Harris – BBC Radio 2
High Resolutiuon Publicity Photos
Click on the appropriate image below to download the high resolution image suitable for printing.
A4 PDF poster for download
Click on the image below to download the A4 tour poster as a hi resolution PDF image.