Tony Martino:
Lead and Backing Vocals, All guitars, Bass, Electro-Theremin, etc..
Influences
A video/slideshow for the song "All We've Got Is Now"
This is an acoustic demo of a song I wrote as a possible theme to the upcoming James Bond film, "Quantum Of Solace." Excuse the sound quality as this was done on while on the road, and on a very basic 8-track recorder. As a long time fan of the James Bond series, it was only a matter of time before I tried writing a song about one of the movies.
Sounds Like
NEW YORK TIMES - (by Academy Award nominated songwriter, record producer, and member of the groups Fountains of Wayne and Ivy, Adam Schlesinger)
"A guy handed me a demo when I was in Chicago recently. I get handed stuff almost everyday. I try to listen to all of it. 99% is garbage. But every so often you get something that stands out. Tony Martino is maybe 20 or 21 years old; he just introduced himself, said he was a fan and gave me a CD of really ethereal, textured pop with classic melodic structure. He has obviously listened to to a lot of 1960's British music, and you can hear the Beach Boys in the stacked up vocal harmonies. He told me he was working with Ed Buller, who produced the early Suede records, and these 10-12 songs look to be the makings of an album. This is a guy with incredible potential."
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE:
"This Chicago native won me over with his hooks, keen melodies and soaring choruses.”
PERFORMING SONGWRITER MAGAZINE - (by Abbey White)
"Tony Martino is a talented artist from the Chicago area, getting an early start writing and recording in his home studio. Martino layers his melodies to create gorgeous candy pop-scapes, and he sings them with a soft fluid voice that's a surprising combination of Brian Wilson and John Mayer. He creates a lush, dreamy sound with his hook-laden guitar and keyboard playing. Though there are tinges of the Stones and the Doors, pretty pop is the main vein. He proves he has an understanding of catchy, beautiful melodies.”
STARPOLISH - (by Gail Worley)
"To grossly oversimplify things, listening to Tony Martino completely restores my faith that all new music does not suck. I don't know if I can really find an abstract comparison to do justice but imagine if, say, David Cassidy fronted The Jesus and Mary Chain around the time they did Psycho Candy. It's pure and sweet but it's also gritty. It's lucid but it's also drugged out. It's mainstream pop and underground at the same time. I just love it. It's so funny how appearances can be misleading, because when you look at Tony's picture you just think: "singer/songwriter with a guitar." But listening to his music I'd say he could easily win over fans of bands like Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. I mean, why not?"
WBCG 98.9 FM (Sarasota, FL) - (G. Michael Keating, Program Director)
"Tony Martino is an original artist with a sound all his own and a keen contemporary style.:
WQNR 99.9 FM (Auburn, AL)- (Wildman Steve, Music Director)
“Displaying a truly unique style and approach, Tony Martino doesn't 'sound like' anyone...that's what I like about him."
ILLINOIS ENTERTAINER - (by Mike Meyer)
"Tony Martino boards understated pop influences from Dashboard Confessional and The Postal Service, treating them to first-class production and a personal touch, that showcase the Phil Spector in Martino's many studio associates. Coupled with Martino's introspective and hushed storytelling, the songs parachute into their own unique blossom."
Tony Martino is a 24 year-old singer/songwriter currently based out of Phoenix, AZ. While having grown up in Chicago, Illinois, he claims that it was during the Summer of 1993 while listening to a combination of all the most popular alternative rock bands of the time, as well as his lifelong favorite group "The Beach Boys," that he felt the need to start playing an instrument and writing his own music. Fast forward to 2008, and Martino claims that he is on a personal mission to make a major impact on the modern music scene.
"I don't feel as inspired by most of the new music these days like I used to be. Lately, about the only thing I am inspired to do when I turn the radio on is to turn it right back off, at least when it comes to seeking out new music. It seems like each year there are a handful of good new songs that come out on the radio, but then those same few songs are regurgitated by about a hundred other bands that all sound like duplicates. I was fortunate enough to grow up during a brief window of time when new music on the radio seemed to be inspiring people in a special way. It was changing directions, and ultimately evolved into what was called "grunge" or alternative rock. These days most of the new music I hear on the radio just seems to blend together into one very forgettable symphony. I'd like to see that change and hopefully be a part of that change when it happens. There are still many great bands and artists playing and making new music today, including some newer ones. In reality, though, the majority of these groups or artists came out some time ago and are certainly not ripe in age or years of existence. I find myself listening to a lot of artists that many people, including myself, have only heard of because of websites like MySpace or YouTube. I think it's only a matter of time before the concept of "absolutely needing to have outstanding songs more than anything else" will once again be the top priority, at least if the industry is to ever return to what is used to be. I have a strong hunch that at some point soon, the idea that having a certain style haircut or wearing your stage makeup a certain way are the first two prerequisites in calling yourself a band, much less a good one, is no longer going to cut it. Those things are just icing on the cake. It's about the music, and that's how it should always be. But seriously, what do you expect? This is coming from somebody who has been reading Goldmine Magazine since the age of ten."
For the past five years, Martino has been growing his success one step at a time. In 2003, he independently funded his own radio promotion campaigns and released multiple singles on the AAA (Adult Album Alternative) radio format in the United States. With hardly any real internet promotion or touring behind it (Martino was just graduating high school at the time), two different songs were picked up by over 125 stations nationally, and one of these singled topped the charts as the most requested and played song on a number of different stations on the format (coming in ahead of many currently well known major label artists). Eventually, he would go on to be named AAA radio's "Artist of the Month" the second week of May, 2004, a rare accolade for an artist without a label. He was invited to perform as a radio-show guest on a numerous amount of stations nationally, as well as received countless feature articles and write-ups from radio program directors and mass media publications like The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Sun Times, Performing Songwriter Magazine, and Amplifier Magazine to name just a few. In addition to the radio success, later that same year Martino would also beat the odds by either winning or placing as a finalist in many national and international songwriting contests including the winner of the VH1 "Song Of The Year" contest for the month of August, 2004 (Instrumental), the "2005 Billboard Songwriting Contest, (rock)" as well as the 2005 "International Songwriting Contest (Adult Contemporary)." More important critical press came to Martino based off a chance meeting in Chicago with Adam Schlesinger (academy award nominated film composer for movies like "That Thing You Do," "Music And Lyrics," and "Shallow Hal," record producer, and bassist for the bands Fountains Of Wayne and Ivy) just prior to an Ivy (one of Schlesinger's bands) concert at The Double Door. Martino happened to give Adam a CD with a bunch of studio demos on it, and about a month later was surprised to discover that Schlesinger wrote about their meeting and the demos in a feature article in the New York Times, specifically citing "Tony Martino has incredible potential as an artist."
In 2006, Martino's music caught the ear of an entertainment attorney in Los Angeles, and ultimately landed Martino back in the studio to record a follow up record titled "Hope In Isolation" with Brit-Award nominated record producer and former Psychedelic Fur's keyboardist Ed Buller (Suede, Crystal Method, Ben Lee, Boo Radleys, Pulp, Tatu, etc..), based out of London. The album was produced and recorded by both Buller and Martino in Los Angeles and various studios around Chicago. Backed by the success of an extensive national tour, the single "Just Don't Know" from the album cracked the Hot 100 on the national radio airplay chart on the Adult Contemporary (Hot/AC) format in the United States in February, 2007, (another very rare feat for an artist on his own label). All throughout 2007, songs from the album (which was at the time to be released under Tony's touring group name "The Martino Conspiracy") were used in many major television shows and other significant commercial programs; some of which include the CBS primetime show "The Ghost Whisperer" (starring Jennifer Love Hewitt), MTV's popular shows "The Real World" and "Road Rules," various programs on Oprah's Oxygen Channel (Bad Girls Club, etc..), and even Hawaiian Airlines. However, at this time “Hope In Isolation” still remains unreleased to the public, as Tony parted ways with his permanent live band prior to its release and has since decided to release the album under his own name (as opposed to "The Martino Conspiracy") at some point in the future.
Martino is currently in the studio finishing up a new self-produced album, which has been titled "Slightly Defined." While he does all the guitar work on his albums, the new album will feature notable guest musicians, Steve Gillis (formerly the drummer for the hard rock band "Filter"), Andy Kubiszewski (drummer for the band "Stabbing Westward"), and Doug Corella (keyboardist for the band the "Verve Pipe"). It is expected to be released sometime in 2008, and touring will follow soon after. Fans have often described Tony Martino has having a one of a kind personality, and a distinct manner in which he carries himself on and off the stage. While he is yet again back in the studio working on the new album, Tony says he is really looking forward to getting on the road again and back in front of a live audience.
"I've been recording in studios since I was 14 years old, and as much as I love that environment, it's really a great feeling being able to make a connection with an audience in a live setting as well. It's truly unlike anything else. I feel very confident that I am going to do great things through music, and obviously I've set my sights very high as far as my own personal goals go. Honestly, when I started writing music I never had the idea of "rock star" in mind. That was never really my focus. As vain as it sounds, I've always wanted to be more of a globally recognizable icon. While music is my means of getting to that point, as a person in general, I feel like I have a lot to say. I think that's what makes my live show a bit unique, as it goes beyond just playing a song for an audience. I try to make it a motivational and inspirational event, and very often share the deepest depths of my own life with my audiences. On another note, I have no problem stating that I want my songs to be heard by as many people as possible, be it through radio, television, the internet, or any other method. Ultimately, I'd like to be part of a modern age of music that leads people back to that same feeling I used to get as a kid listening to new music, where rather than go out with my friends, I preferred to just sit at home in my room on my weekend nights listening to new artists I had just heard on the radio. There was a genuine sense in a lot of that music in that it was able to push beyond just being an auditory experience, but also, provide an outlet for a mass amount of people to feel connected to something bigger than just a radio station playing a new song. I know there are many others out there like myself that can relate to that same feeling that I believe has been absent from the music scene for quite some time. I miss that feeling, whatever it was."
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Thanks for your message and the interest of my opinion about your songs :)
I took the time to listen to your songs. And honestly... they are just great. Really, I love them... most of all "All we've got is now." An awesome song :)
It doesn't matter, that you don't sound like Jason Mraz, because your songs have their own style and an big recognition - Your music sounds different than other artists... and I really like that... :) All in all, if you release your album - I buy it :)
I wish you all the best for the future, many success with your music and I hope that many more people all over the world listen to your music.
Wonderful textures of sound coupled with your inviting voice make your songs a grand listening experience. And "Withdrawn" & "Is That So Wrong" are potential hit tunes. Thanks for the friendship.
