Some of my favorite songs are the ones that tell a story. Being able to follow a journey while sounds lead the way will always appeal to me. There is elegant beauty in allowing my mind to paint pictures to music. Our recent discovery Alex Martin has recently put his focus into sharing the poetry of his father within his music on the recently released album Appalachian Fall.
The guitarist and composer was originally born in Brittany, France but now finds his home in Washington, DC. Alex Martin has bounced around from creative writer, to newspaper reporter, Jazz guitarist while taking it all in to build his unique style. Even though he wrote many poems, short stories, and even novels, his guitar would become his main vehicle of storytelling.
For this record Appalachian Fall, Alex Martin dove into the poetry of his recently departed father Michael Martin. The elder lived and wrote for 30 years in a Southwest Virginia mountaintop cabin that he built himself. It was a mile from the nearest road or utility line allowing the small rural community to become his inspiration.
As his father’s health declined, Alex Martin brought his music back to his dad’s Appalachia. He found a way to collaborate some of Michael’s poetry into his own songwriting on the guitar. Other talented musicians were brought in including Bumper Jacksons vocalist Jess Eliot Myhre to make the album a reality.
Welcome to the ‘Appalachian Fall‘
Starting off with “Into The Desert” lets us into this world with a spoken word delivery over soft guitar with a little Jazz touch to open up the mind. We are now on top of that Virginia mountain looking down on all that will be part of our journey. The Jazz guitar fittingly continues on “Twang” along with some other instrumentation to further the feel. Some banjo and clarinet solos strengthen that Appalachia feel as the singing of Myhre eases us into a fully relaxed state of mind.
The stories of the mountain and the people that inhabit it are told through the next couple songs “Philo Meets The Machine” and “A Lightfoot Death.” More characters are introduced on “Mr Plummer, Preacher Dan, and the Moonshiners (Philo Speaks).” These ‘unusual types’ are the true fabric of the community and are welcomed with an energetic and quick guitar pushing their stories forward. Some comparisons to “American Pie” by Don McLean can be heard.
The album closes with the title track “Appalachian Fall.” A banjo leads the way to provide some of that backwoods charm. The vocals are strong here as the protagonist looks down at the valley and shows gratitude for the world around him and how he has become a true part of it.
