JULY 19 2010
HOSTING OPEN MIC AT MARCELLOS IN MISSISSAUGA
I'll be hosting the open mic at Marcellos in Mississauga on Wednesday, July 21st. It's FREE and 19+. Sign up is at 9:30pm. We supply the sound system and a drum kit. Full bands are welcome. Please bring your amps, instruments and cables. I'll be performing 2 sets as a full band. You can check out the Facebook event for it at http://tinyurl.com/22v46j2
NEW SONGS
The songs just keep coming. I've written some new ones called "You Used To Make Love To Me", "My Best Friend" and "Just Shallow Enough". I'm hoping to record and release "The Home Demos Vol. 2" in August!
FUNNY CAMPFIRE VIDEOS
When I was back in Ottawa a few weeks ago, I had a campfire with tons of family and friends. Here's a video of Ben Giroux and I butchering "Stairway To Heaven" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgOKJG56H0I. We also had a pinata named Charlie who met a terrible fate http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABlsxCWGFZU
I've organized a rock concert/fashion show to raise money for cancer. It's called "Rock The Runway" and it takes place on Thursday, July 22nd at Home Nightclub in Toronto. There are some great bands playing as well as a ton of models...did I mention models? lol You can check out the event on Facebook at http://tinyurl.com/2elddle
NEW VIDEOS
Here are some new videos:
"Crazy" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBi-4gpAoak
"I Break Hearts" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwJhsFv6WO4
"Basket Case" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4TxAuiVZmI
JULY 8 2010
100+ VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE
I uploaded my 100th video on Youtube the other day and now I'm already at 109! That's not including my Distant Society account or my Song Of The Week account. Including those I'm probably closing in on the 200+ video mark. Click this to see all my videos http://www.youtube.com/joelmartinvids
"OUR LOVE ISN'T LOVE" FEATURED AT T.R.P.
T.R.P. Entertainment has selected "Our Love Isn't Love" as one of their featured videos at http://www.trpentertainment.com/index.html. They've worked with Die Mannequin, The Trews, USS, ill Scarlett, Dead & Divine, Anberlin, Taking Back Sunday, Sam Roberts, Our Lady Peace etc...
NEW SONGS AND CDS
I've been writing like crazy since moving to Toronto 10 months ago. It seems like I'm writing new songs every single day. I started and finished a new song a couple days ago called "Here She Stands (Broken)". I'll record a demo soon and pass you guys the link. I never feel like I'm getting enough material out so I'm going to change that this year. I released my first solo CD less than a year ago, I released "The Home Demos Vol. 1" about a month ago, I plan on releasing 3 more "The Home Demos" CDs before the end of the year as well as a live CD. Once all that is done I'll be recording my 2nd solo CD. 7 CDs in a year...think I'll feel like I'm releasing enough material by the end of this? lol Probably not!
NEW PICS
I take pictures almost everyday and upload them here http://twitpic.com/photos/joelmartinmusic. There are over 70 pics and most of them are pretty funny!
CELEBRITY CORNER
Here's a pic of my good friend Brian Melo (Canadian Idol Winner) proudly wearing his Distant Society t-shirt http://twitpic.com/1zauzv. Here's a pic of Lights and I at the Much Music Video Awards http://twitpic.com/1yo1bk
NEW VIDEOS
Here are some videos from a party I played at in Mississauga on April 24th 2010. Some of them are fine and some of them are very choppy. I have no idea why. The audio is fine for all of them though!
"Weighty Ghost" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9Wy5qSLVTQ
"Jolene" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgdOZmb2lkM
"Hotel California" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmM4TplKZDw
"The Gambler" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flCWTLCgcxE
"When The Night Feels My Song" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljrZ_O_u-7s
JUNE 17 2010
FREE CD DOWNLOAD
My new CD "The Home Demos Vol. 1" has been downloaded 150 times! Download it now for FREE at http://tinyurl.com/246zzmz.
4 CD / 20 SONG PROJECT
Now that CD #1 is done I've started working on CD #2. As of right now the next 5 songs to be recorded are "He Was A Good Man", "Girls = Drama", "Just Shallow Enough", "A World of Pain" and "I Break Hearts".
TUCKER SELECTED
YOU have spoken. Using the polls and all your feedback, I've selected "Tucker" as the first song that is officially confirmed to be on my next solo CD which will be released after this 4 CD / 20 Song project. It's been confirmed that I'll be recording at Metalworks (#1 recording studio in Canada) with Kevin Dietz (Three Days Grace/Silverchair/Alexisonfire/Nelly Furtado/The Jonas Brothers). It looks like "Tucker" will be recorded at the end of August. I'll keep you updated! In the meantime, check out a remix of "Tucker" by Jeff Blackwood at http://www.myspace.com/joelmartinmusic
NEW VIDEOS
Here are some videos from a party I played at in Mississauga on April 24th 2010:
"No Woman No Cry" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OX2wJEdc0kY
"Blink 182 Medley" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akKdTuB1u3w
"I Had Searched The World Around" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47vIt7TL1Pc
"Waiting On The World To Change" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iILkwBYi9Kg
CELEBRITY CORNER
A few weeks ago I had the chance to hang out with Glen Drover from Megadeth. Here's a pic! http://www.twitpic.com/1tp4kp. I took some videos of him playing the guitar, I'll upload them soon and pass you the links! I just found out yesterday that major label band Die Mannequin posted one of my videos on their blog...cool!
KAREOKE
A few nights ago a friend brought me out to Kareoke. It's entertaining when people can't sing. Example...this guy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udmBdx3gSzQ I decided that the best thing for me to do is look through all the songs and choose the hardest one to sing. On that note...here's my performance of Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" (Titanic) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiVpRT5hFGo. If that's not enough, here's my duet of Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGNUXGFZZLs. I've been told my dance moves are electrifying! Last but not least, here's kareoke done right! Random guy does Weird Al Yankovic's "Amish Paradise" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OwCbN4Te8E. EPIC!
TWITTER
Follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/joelmartinmusic. I'm so close to having 500 followers! I um..."tweet" exciting/funny stuff...I swear! Add me...I'll make you happy! :)
STREET TEAMS
If you'd like to join my street team or start a new one in your city, please contact me at joelmartinmusic@hotmail.com. You'd be helping to spread the word about Joel Martin and Distant Society using quick and painless methods...FUN FUN FUN! You'd be generously compensated for your time with FREE merch, concert tickets, access to exclusive content etc...I've been known to take care of my own!
MAY 31 2010
GOAL FOR THE 4 CD / 20 SONG DEMO PROJECT
The goal for this project is to release 4 demo CDs (5 songs on each) online and make them available to download for FREE. I'm then going to set up surveys online and use all the social networking sites to gather feedback. The 5 most popular songs will be re-recorded professionally at Metalworks (#1 recording studio in Canada) by Kevin Dietz (Three Days Grace/Alexisonfire/Silverchair/Wintersleep/Silverstein/Stereos/Protest The Hero/Sam Roberts/Nelly Furtado/The Barenaked Ladies/Moneen/The Jonas Brothers). Essentially YOU will be deciding which songs will be on my next CD! You can do so by selecting your fav song using the poll on the left side of the page at http://www.myspace.com/joelmartinmusic. You can also contact me directly at joelmartinmusic@hotmail.com with your feedback!
NEW VIDEOS
Here are some videos from a show in Limoges on April 9th 2010:
"Tucker" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPwhEQbWMV0
"She's Moved On" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZezqYgeiHXA
"Our Love Isn't Love" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcSU8c4PXIM
"Baby Got Back" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsnibGgm-6U
"No Woman No Cry" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6HsaNcQ7jE
STRAIGHT FROM THE FANS
My wonderful fans have been very artistic this month. Even though my new CD has only been available to download for a few hours, somehow Kelly McCormick and Tasha Mizrahi had enough time to choreograph a dance for "I Did A Bad Thing Today". Check out the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUQ5iUhFq8k. Veronica Poaps made 2 pics for me! Here's one http://www.twitpic.com/1krbs0. This next one was inspired by my new song "Tucker" http://twitpic.com/1sn7pb. She wrote "I like Tucker and this picture represents how I feel and what comes to mind when I hear it". Daniel Borbay created a new Facebook group called "Fans of Joel Martin's The Home Demos Vol. 1" which you can join at http://tinyurl.com/24upvsw
CDS ON SALE
Buy "Distant Society presents...Joel Martin" (2009)
Joel's new solo CD "Distant Society presents...Joel Martin" can now be ordered online for just $4.99 at http://www.cdbaby.com/joelmartin21
Buy "The Calm E.P." (2007)
Distant Society's CD "The Calm E.P." can now be ordered online for just $4.99 at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/distantsociety2
Buy "The Reconstruction" (2005)
Distant Society's CD "The Reconstruction" can now be ordered online for just $7.99 at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/distantsociety
FOLLOW JOEL ON TWITTER
JOEL PLAYS FOR PRIME MINISTER
He was asked to perform at Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Daughter's private birthday party 2 years in a row. After the performance Mr. Harper told him that he really enjoyed the show and thought it was extremely entertaining.
DANE COOK LIKES JOEL'S GUITAR SKILLS
The most popular comedian on the planet commented on Joel's video and posted a link to it on his Twitter page! Here's the proof:
If you still haven't seen his cover of Dane's joke song "Drunk Girl / Red Car", you can check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-nrQffeLjA. The video was viewed over 2500 times within 48 hours and Joel's Twitter account shot to over 400 followers! See for yourself at http://twitter.com/joelmartinmusic
JOEL'S IDOL PERFORMANCE SEEN BY 2 MILLION
He played an acoustic version of Sir Mix-A-Lot's "Baby Got Back" on Season 5 of Canadian Idol and it's gone on to become one of the most talked about Idol performances of all time. If you still haven't seen it you can watch it below.
Here's what the industry is saying about his performance:
"the best performance on Canadian Idol ever"
(YOUTUBE.COM)
"one of the greatest Idol moments ever. Legendary!"
(VOTEFORTHEWORST.COM)
“Amazing!”
(MYSPACE.COM)
“Top 5 most memorable moments from Season 5 of Canadian Idol”
(CTVFORUM.CA)
“The real deal”
Jake Gold (Canadian Idol judge)
“The bar has been raised this year and a performance like Joel's makes that very clear to everyone!”
Ben Mulroney (Host of Canadian Idol)
“Joel is a celebrity in my house. My wife and kids watch the Baby Got Back video everyday. Smartest thing I've ever seen. My personal favorite”
Zack Werner (Canadian Idol Judge)
“Catapulted to fame”
(The Russell Villager)
“Amazing performance”
(STICKAM.COM)
“One of the best performances on Canadian Idol ever”
(TVTHRONG.CA)
“Of all the seasons, my favorite performance has got to be the acoustic version of Baby Got Back by Joel Martin! At first I was wondering, what the hell...than he got into it more and I was in awe. That had to be the most original twist to a song that I have ever heard, and he nailed it. I had to clap in my seat after his performance”
Godson (IDOL.CTV.CA)
“It's acoustic magic and also shows us some vocal talent. He gets a standing O and it makes you wonder if maybe this isn't the way the song ought to have been performed originally!”
(REALITYNEWSONLINE.COM)
“CLASSIC. Amazing. Must see”
(IDOLFORUMS.COM)
“So smart, he killed it!”
Darrin Pfeiffer (Goldfinger)
“Awesome performance”
Jesse Wainright (State of Shock)
“So amazing!”
Bram Zeidenberg (Kickass Concerts)
“One of the funniest things I've seen in ages”
(FANPOP.COM)
“Best solo performance”
(IDOLSTALKER.COM)
“His performance of Baby Got Back was heralded by many as one of the best ever”
(La Nouvelle)
“Baby-faced Joel Martin wowed with an acoustic arrangement of the Sir Mix-A-Lot classic Baby Got Back "
(CTV.CA)
“Russell native Joel Martin, 22, prompted a standing ovation from judge Zack Werner with his earnest acoustic version of Sir Mix-A-Lot's Baby Got Back, and an "I love this job" from Sass Jordan”
(OTTAWASUN.COM)
“This years top 22 group is so good, Joel Martin didn't get in. I mean really, who sings an acoustic version of "I like Big Butts" and doesn't get in?”
(MIGUELMORRISON.BLOGSPOT.COM)
“Clever and hilarious”
Bob Baker (THEBUZZFACTOR.COM)
“It has to take balls to sing something like that”
(SPIKEDHUMOR.COM)
