NYC, Dion, Hank Williams, Everly Brothers, Johnny Cash, Harry Belafonte, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Beatles, Stones, Dylan, Byrds, Simon & Garfunkel, The Who, Traffic, Hendrix, Cream, Otis Redding, Bowie, Roxy Music, New York Dolls, Velvet Underground, Sam Cook, Miles Davis, Chet Baker, John Lee Hooker, Tom Waits, Emmylou Harris, Andy Warhol, Jean Michel Frank, Frank Lloyd Wright, Dalai Lama, Martin Luther King.
Sounds Like
Tom Petty, Mark Knopfler, Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, Elvis Costello, Chris Isaac, Rolling Stones, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, Ryan Adams, Bruce Springsteen, The Byrds.
BIO: MARTIN BUTLER
When I was 18, my band The Demons signed with Mercury Records. We were part of the New York punk and New Wave scene, which helped our debut album sell 250,000 copies. We were featured on the Live at CBGB Vol.II album and shared bills with legendary groups such as Blondie, Mink Deville, The Ramones, The Dictators, and many other great NY bands. The untimely deaths of key Demons band members led me to begin a solo career writing and producing music for radio and television, eventually winning a CLIO award for the agency as a producer. Growing up in Brooklyn, I lived near the NBC television studios and attended tapings of many of NBC's classic variety shows. Seeing so many of America's greatest musical artists live, including Ray Charles and Johnny Cash made an indelible impression on me. When I was fourteen I spoke with Johnny Cash when he was on the Kraft Music Hall show. He encouraged me to pursue a career in music and I've never looked back.
Being a New Yorker and Jimi Hendrix fan, my second recording session was exciting. I was lucky enough to be at Electric Ladyland's studio B, and played through the actual Marshall amplifier Jimi used. My first session, at Bell Sound only weeks before, was in the same studio where Buddy Holly recorded his New York sessions. I hope that the spirit of these places and the artists who made them great echo through my music, which I have endeavored to make both fresh and familiar. Moving to Manhattan at seventeen, I met Escalators/Robert Fripp drummer Paul Duskin. After The Demons disbanded we formed The Very Few, playing such legendary New York venues as Max's Kansas City, The Mudd Club and CBGB's. Paul introduced me to Talking Heads/Robert Fripp/Sparks/ bassist Busta Jones and I played on a few tracks for his solo album. The Very Few did a five song EP for Epic Records when once again, personal tragedy forced the band to break up. I then began teaching music privately and continued writing music throughout my nine year battle with a life threatening illness. Thanks to my deep passion for recording and performing, I never lost the desire to have my music heard. I've come through a very trying time as a singer/songwriter/producer with my new CD, "Watching The Days Fall". On a personal level, the album reflects the end of my arduous journey, but the universal message concerns the obstacles we all face as we travel on life's path, so I feel it's your story too. - Martin Butler
Will you will be in town Tuesday June 5th? I will be performing with Dan Torres at the Mercury Lounge 8:45pm in New York City. Hope you can make it! :)
Nice to hear from you. I think I hit your site while doing a search for television music, and "Watching the Days Fall" hooked me in. Great vocals - your stuff reminds me of Tom Petty...
