Jeff Martin - Live in Katoomba 5/12/10

Some of you might be looking at the title of this and thinking to yourself 'Jeff Martin? Who the hell is that? Why does he sound vaguely familiar?' it would be because the man himself rose to prominence in a considerably successful band called The Tea Party, a band that I've always had an appreciation for. This mixed with the fact that it was a good friends birthday AND it being a Sunday night meant that I found myself being driven up the mountains by a shirtless 'thriller from Manila' driver to catch him playing at Gearins in Katoomba.

First observations and compliments must go to the venue. I've seen less reputable bands in bigger venues, I've personally played to more people than this gig ended up attracting (it wouldve ended up somewhere around the 70-80 mark I think) but it was brilliant. Situated seemingly in the middle of nowhere the drinks are cheap, and the food is top quality. Especially when you've got the munchies. But yes, kudos to Gearins, and if you ever get the chance to catch a gig there I can highly recommend it.

Whilst consuming some fine dining in the room he would be playing we were lucky enough to have him do soundcheck right in front of us, a pleasure to behold when he does it with the epic 'Winter Solstice' mixed with Crosby, Stills and Nashs 'Love The One You're With'.

To open the act was the ironically named Pear and I mean, when you see a chick come out on stage holding an Epiphone Les Paul Custom you start to think 'Boing'. When she plays some cute songs, all fingerpicked, sharing a common scale most of the time it's still alright but does nothing for the attention span. Don't get me wrong she could sing, she could play and she engaged the crowd with a pleasant gratitude, and her haircut and glasses gave off an ARIA winning 'Washington' feel but she wasn't my cup of tea. I wont forget the Portugese song, easily the most memorable of the evening. She was the right kind of support but she probably played for a bit too long. Experimentation in technique and style would help, but by the same token it's the kind of music JJJ eats up so she could be headlining tours herself in a year. Who knows.

After waiting a little longer Jeff Martin finally began, with us still in our seats and me having consumed 2 desserts. Accompanying Mr Martin this time around is Australian drummer Terepai Richmond who some people, but not myself, would recognise as the former drummer for relatively successful band 'The Whitlams'. I personally think Martin suits him better but needless to say the first few songs were laden with thick guitar melodies being strummed out of various 12-strings and subtle variations in dynamics on the drums with sticks, brushes and even open hands being used to create a vast array of sound. Given that Terepai uses the same minimal drum set up that I do it was interesting to see what he did with it. The subtle additional use of Djembes, Tambourine and other various percussive instruments gave the gig a soundscape unlike many I've witnessed, and this was just from 2 guys on the stage.

The set moved along in a nice mixture of songs I knew and songs I didnt. The dramatic and moody performance of the Tea Party song 'Requiem' was enough to have my entire body (it even felt like the top of my scalp) covered in goosebumps from the first note to the last. Beautiful. One of the things that makes Martin such an incomparable performer is haunting and moving soundscapes he creates. His voice and pitch are perfect, his influences are truly global and his talent is almost incomparable. To be able to witness his performance in such an intimate venue and an intimate way enhanced the evening a hundredfold. Not afraid to engage the crowd there was no pretense about the man whatsoever. Considering his phenomenal talent and what he has achieved over the last decade and a bit, AND the fact that he's currently working on a new project, he can still take the time to go to obscure parts of Australia and play these types of shows, and people like us are all the more appreciative of it.

Another fantastic aspect to the set was the covers, quite often placed perfectly into already existing song structures the list included Johnny Cashs 'Hurt', Joy Divisions 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' and 'Whole Lotta Love' by Led Zep. The most stunning for me though was the medley of 'Stir It Up' and 'Wait In Vain' by Bob Marley, absolutely fantastic. He must have given the work-experience-looking sound tech free reign with mixing the dub parts, even complimenting him at the end of the Marley bit and asking in jest what he'd been smoking. After 2 hours the gents walked off and took a break before returning for an epic slide encore of Black Snake Blues.


Overall, the night was truly fantastic. A drive into the Mountains with compadres is always an adventure but to see some honest, humble musicians THAT talented and THAT comfortable with their environment, in a fantastic venue in a beautiful part of the world, with amazing songs and interactions, what more could you ask for? Perhaps to shake the mans hand before leaving, to look him in the eye and thank him for an evening I'll never forget. And I did.

You can still catch Jeff and Terepai on the 'Worlds Apart Tour' at the following:
07/12 - Lizottes, Kincumber NSW
08/12 - Lizottes, Dee Why NSW
09/12 - Coolangatta Hotel QLD
10/12 - HiFi Bar, Brisbane QLD
12/12 - Jive, Adelaide SA
15/12 - Tonic Bar, Launceston TAS
16/12 - Wrest Point, Hobart TAS

I cannot recommend getting to one of these gigs enough