Modern Guitar Pioneer FELIX MARTIN To Release New Full-Length Album Next February; On Tour In The US In November
October 17, 2016, 8 years ago
Renowned as an innovator in the world of modern progressive fusion music and guitar design, Berklee alum Felix Martin is back with a 15-track full-length album of brand new music, set to release in February. Self-produced by Martin and mixed with Jamie King this year (recognized for his work with artists such as Between The Buried And Me and Scale The Summit), the album will feature compositions that Martin describes as, "clean, outside-the-box and inspired by my South American roots".
Felix Martin details the multi-faceted musical style on his new album: "For this album, I challenged myself to write every note original to my own sound and techniques. I tried to create an album that's doesn't sound like a guitar album, but rather like a band playing music that everyone can enjoy - from a metal audience to pop, from jazz to a classical audience - always keeping the technical aspects very present. It took me a year and a half to complete the writing. I spent a lot of time trying out different ideas, I ended up writing about 50 songs, and keeping just 15 for the album."
The currently untitled album will feature artwork also inspired by Martin's South American roots, set to be revealed soon. He continues, "A significant portion of the album was written in Venezuela, so I wanted to reflect that in the artwork."
Although Felix Martin's popularity first exploded in 2012 with the release of his Live in Boston album via Prosthetic Records, he originally began shaping his unique performance techniques at the age of just 13. His unparalleled ability to perform a striking genre-blend of metal, jazz, progressive, world and Latin music while nimbly executing it with 14 and 16-string guitars is what preserves Martin at the forefront of fusion music today.
Felix Martin performs and records with guitars that he designs himself, built by different manufacturers (including his most famous guitar by Skervesen). Check out all of Martin's guitars here, including those used on the upcoming album.
"If ever you happened to be at a Felix Martin gig, you'd know something was... different. Even if when you first walked in you didn't immediately notice Felix was playing a 14-string instrument, one couldn't help notice the complexity of the music, as well as the level of technique displayed." - Jay Hale, Seymour Duncan blog
This November, in anticipation of the upcoming release, Felix Martin will headline a full US tour presented by Gear Gods with special guests The Fine Constant. The tour beings on November 2nd in Houston, TX and will visit 18+ cities, wrapping up in Portland, OR on November 22nd. Martin will be joined by his live band, fellow Berklee alum Kilian Duarte (bassist, also from Venezuela) and Victor Alvarez (drummer, from Spain).
Current tour dates:
November
2 - Houston, TX - Acadia Bar
3 - Austin, TX - Dirty Dog Bar
4 - Ocean Springs, MS - The Juke Joint
5 - Atlanta, GA - Union EAV
6 - Columbia, SC - New Brookland Tavern
7 - Raleigh, NC - Neptune's Parlor
9 - Queens, NY - Blackthorn 51
10 - Clifton, NJ - Dingbatz
12 - Chillicothe, OH - Apollo's Basement
13 - Chicago, IL - Cobra Lounge
14 - SL Louis, MO - Fubar
15 - Omaha, NE - Lookout Lounge
16 - Denver, CO - 7th Circle
17 - Salt Lake City, UT - Club X
18 - Boise, ID - The Shredder
19 - Vancouver, CAN - Venue
20 - Seattle, WA - The Funhouse
22 - Portland, OR - Analog Cafe
Stay tuned for more coming soon from Felix Martin leading up to the release of his new record.
Felix Martin band:
Felix Martin - Guitar
Kilian Duarte - Bass
Victor Alvarez - Drums