David Martel
Martel has turned EProlific
Photo by Morgane Bou
Of the many things written about David Martel, I think this is my favourite:
“When performance time comes, Martel's antics are muted. The passion takes hold, the showman takes over. His odd qualities are his carnival barker, the thing getting you in the door, maybe. Once you're there, it takes a smoke break and the unadorned performer stands tall, the one whose songs can stoke fires in stingy hearts, whose zeal and talent are only outdone by how damned grateful he seems to be when playing for you.”
I wrote that in 2008, typing with one hand. A month prior, an accident had temporarily crippled my right hand. Could I have begged off the assignment? Sure. But I couldn’t, because everything about David Martel, from his debut album I Hardly Knew Me, to his triumphant performance at that album’s release party and the hilarious interview we enjoyed over lunch at St-Viateur Bagel made me want to tell everyone what I knew—this guy was special.
Today, Martel’s still working on his follow-up to that record, but at present, he has an amuse-bouche for us to enjoy. In true Martel style, it’s called You’ve Heard The Best! Now Try The Rest.
“Going forward, I’m looking into finding new and interesting ways of releasing new material,” he says. “A new LP is on the way, sure, but I'm also planning on releasing more EPs, and singles in between so that there isn't a long wait for new material.” Martel allows he’s tentatively planning on releasing another EP in the fall featuring material he will record later this month.
Photo by iamdavidmartel.com
So, why has he gone all EProlific?
“I've never been the kind of songwriter who just bangs out songs, non-stop, [recording] everything and [releasing] most of it,” he says. “I'm more of a perfectionist, and I think if I work on songs, four at a time with, like, a six month [gap] in between released, the material will be solid, focused. And it keeps things fresh and moving forward.”
Perhaps the single best among Martel’s many good qualities is his sense of fun. If you’ve ever seen him perform, you’ve most likely witnessed him acting like a total nutcase onstage.
The reason this never comes across as cloying and insincere is, well, because it’s so obviously not.
“I guess that's who I am,” he says. “There's the serious side of me that likes to meet people, hang out, and talk over pints about life, the universe and everything. When I have my pen in hand, I guess what comes out is usually thought through, and maybe even pretty heavy.
“But then in public, I tend to let loose. I love to make people laugh, and be a fool when eyes are pointed towards me. I guess I've always been that way. I almost feel more comfortable onstage than I do off.”
David Martel plays @ Divan Orange on June 8, 2011 at 5 pm.
You must be logged in to leave a comment.
