nuyorican poets cafe live 1994 - willie perdomo, dael orlandersmith, tracey morris, mike tyler, edwin torres; urban poets society - charlie dark, remi abbas, khefri riley, vannessa richards, jonzi d, akure wall, mallissa reid, roger robinson, malika b; vibe khameleons - sha-key, jasiri, jae-live, stix, t'kalla; spoken word - andrea gibson, saul williams, buddy wakefield; the pirate days - jasper, the boogie boy, chris nat, kid batchelor, madhatters trevor, norman jay, derek b, gilles peterson, femi b, brother marco; mic - mos def, black thought, krs-one, sadat x, kool keith, keithy e, bahamedia, roots manuva, demon boyz, london posse, mc noise, e-mix, jehst, jungle brothers, chill rob g; beats - dj premier, pete rock, dj mark; music - john coltrane, wayne shorter, pharoah sanders, john martyn, charles mingus, thelonius monk, clifford jordan, charles lloyd, bennie maupin, soweto kinch, eric harland, cymande, donald byrd, mizzel brothers, harvey mason, herbie hancock, the blackbyrds, roy ayers, pleasure, eddie harris, marvin gaye, talking heads; literature - f. scott fitzgerald, t.s. elliot, jeff noon, jeannette winterson, ralph ellison, khalil gibran, tony conran; art - jean michelle basquiat, victor passmore, peter prendergast, rene magritte, emile nolde, oscar kokoscka; life - ghandi, hewey. p. newton, the buddha, jesus christ and you....
eco-urban post-hip hop proto-jazz poetics in habit form - yeah! i think that just about covers all the bases. to me, language is spoken music and my poetry is an exploration of this phonemenon. from my first efforts onwards my work has shown a willingness to deal with social issues through personal perspectives and their narratives; multi-culturalism, identity, personal integrity, and the evolution of culture are all important themes for me, and i'm also fascinated by the way we build relationships with that which is bigger than us; nature, society, the universe, God...
the many environments in which i've lived provide backdrops to my work; from suburbs to inner cities and mountain villages. in my poetry the tongues of London and New York might speak a dialogue in double bass to phrase the lines of a Welsh mountain. On the quiet i'm also a killer freestyle mc; old skool to new skool to tru skool and graduate - but i don't like to brag about it. ha ha. in the last year i've also brought music to my words by playing Kalimba as an accompanying instrument.
from 1987-1994 i was active as a DJ, based in London, playing nationally and internationally in music venues and on pirate radio. In 1994 i was inspired to start writing for performance after experiencing the New York slam poetry scene. my interest in writing led me to take an MA in Literature and Cultural History in Liverpool (1997). from Liverpool, it was a short step (geographically) to Snowdonia where i've been living and working since 2001.
i've been lucky enough to collaborate with many talented artists, including; electro-acoustician rob mackay, hip hop producers skeematic, g-frequency and mr phormula, dancer sarah mumford, and the musicians in martin daws quintet.
i was was runner up in the John Tripp Award for Spoken Poetry 2007, and second in the Glastonbury Festival Grand Slam 2008. my work has been broadcast by BBC Radio, published in international journals, and been performed extensively around the UK and Ireland and more recently on mainland Europe, in the USA and Mexico.
since starting to write and perform i have achieved some modest success and been a lot of places and met a lot of fine people. i give thanks for all the experiences that have moved me closer to poetry, and so closer to myself and those around me: truly, i feel blessed to make my life and living in this way. details of the workshops i deliver are posted on a blog above. if you would like further info or to book a show please email me at thepoetmd@hotmail.com peace
hello mart great show last night,me thinks it went down a treat for the starving ears!the book looks brilliant,i am sure it will be well recieved... spk soon mate,peace...skee...
Grace is like a large Jamaican woman with a laugh like thunder, She lives in a two-storey apartment on the quiet side of town, where you visit her at twilight. No sound can be heard as you approach but the distant sound of a dog barking. As you climb the steel steps and walk down the hallway, the smell of freshly baked bread comes to greet you, seeping out from under her door.
It redeems what came before.
It draws you closer. It comforts you.
You never get to knock the door because she always gets to it first, So excited to see you again, She throws her arms around you and welcomes you in before you can say a word.
You always feel at home here. Wanted like nowhere else.
Her face beams and radiates love. She reaches down and picks up your baggage. She places it on the large wooden table in the kitchen, And slowly she works her way through it.
You watch in silence. When she gets to the bottom a tear falls from your cheek, Which she catches with her handkerchief. She places this in with the contents and closes the case once more.
She smiles tenderly as she picks it up, And carries it upstairs. You wonder what it's like up there.
She returns empty handed, And you raise your fist to strike her, But she grabs hold of your arm and pulls you in. She embraces you and you sob like a child once more.
She whispers secrets in your ear. She walks by your side and guides you.
I first met Grace when I was a young man, She introduced herself to me with a hug, And forgave me immediately.
We’ve already had hundreds of amazing entries, so to listen and vote for some of the best new music in the world, and to enter for free please visit our homepage at: www. thepeoplesmusicawards. com
Hey hey! We had a fantastic night at your book launch! Great crowd, atmosphere, artists...and your performance with the 'lucid cats' just amazing! Oh, the book doesn't look too bad either ;-) See ya soon! Andy & Sophie x
Huzzah! i shall do my best to come along and see you- of couse I do have a baby on the way which is rather restricting my movements at the moment, but I'd love to cathc up. i shall bring the earl grey-
hey hey.. not long till our next gig on the 25th sept (shameless plug i know!) would be great to catch you there.. we've got you and john booked for feb but we've changed the date to 26th of feb to fit with poetica cheers.. sophie x
As far as the 3rd goes, it's all up in the air at the minute, as we've had enough of our current venue so we're looking for a new one. We'll probably be playing on the 3rd but we aren't putting much promotion into it this month so it might well be a little quieter than previous jams. Cheers
hey martin, sorry not been checkin Myspace regularly, cos I been busy writing. thatnks for inviting me bro, 26th might be ok, tho i got a gig in mcr on 27th. let me investigate!
hehe. it's actually designed by emma fenwick so i assume the background is a photo, then she played about with a design program. i love it, it's the album cover. if i send you cost and package and posting will you mail me a copy of the book? i cannot wait!
ez martin- new stuff looks ace. hope edinburgh was fun. My books out in January, and I'll be well up for swapsies. "Got....got.....got.....NEEED.....got..."
Hey MD...I'm giggin New York too same week as you. Drop in to my set at The Bakery on the Tuesday,we'll do Under the Slates together (gotta get it together, together!)
That's weird some of my mates that you played to at the Big Green are coming over the weekend of your gig as Chris is doing some recording for one of them. I will try and get everyone along as it sounds like a good night. What time will you be on?
I'm doing well thanks. Been checking out your new tracks. I really like River Song, love the instruments they really creates an atmosphere. Is this the track you played for my mates at the Big Green Gathering last year?? Shame the Big Green wasn't on this Summer but at least it's back next year.
Im in Spain at the moment but im returning to he south west next month hopefully. I usually just did the open mics or run my own open mic nights at The Hatchet. I may restart The Hatchet when I get back but I dont know yet.
Madison Square Gardens...beatch! Nice one. I've got a couple of gigs in New York at the end of October. One venue is Pete's Candy Store in Brooklyn. They do a poetry night there. Worth checking out maybe.
gutted I'm going to miss your launch - In Canada on my hols so will drink to your success - should be in Vancouver by then so will Shout POETICA or something from a tall building, then beat box at a moose !!!
greetins mr storytimeteller just blessed my ears listening to tax,its a good'en and feelin slate as well bro,more treats to come? will see you when you hit the old father thames ways soon... peace skee...
Hey Martin... Glad to hear all's going well- will check out album when I've a mo. Did you cope ok with your edinburgh primadonnas? Trying to get hold of Steve at mo re. gigs, but no-one seems able to get hold of him so maybe he's moved to Canada or something... I'm off to Bestival to run poetry in the pissing rain, then somehow fit in moving to wales in next couple of weeks. I'm paying rent! Ps Soracha said something about me hosting Poetica on 26th- my prize from the bingo! Only to happy to do so if it's true, no probs if not... Big love, Jonny x
wow... i feel a scyophantic waffle coming on here... martin your new recordings rock! tax has always been a truly accomplished poem but ed's bboxing adds a whole new dimension to it.. what a professional sound you've created! and i love your slate poems.. must be the welsh in me.. oooh talk to me about slate baby ha ha.. sophie x
ps i must get a copy of this book/ cd could i perhaps get my grubby mitts on a copy at the book launch on sat 26th sept at poetica, bangor? well then i'll be there!
Wicked...an excellent bit of mastering..perhaps it was a good idea not to do any more takes after all....also glad I suggested the rain-stick,it worked really well...great day's work by Ed and Ben, and especially by yourself Mart, what a long long looong day for you, but well worth it !
No probs matey, allways glad to help. had a good laugh too. Chuffed you managed to get the whole album done in one day! Proper accomplishment! Tax sounds wicked too man, good job, no hiss in sight! Hope john didnt get too much hassle mixing that kalimba hiss, anyways cant wait to hear the album, its gonna be fresh as one would say! Catch up with you soonish matey, Tidy!
