The Management Trust: Artists

THE MANAGEMENT TRUST ARTISTS

David Martel - I Hardly Knew Me

Before the universe was created, David Martel knew his calling was to make music. So he devised a scheme: get born, and take it from there. Those wheels were set in motion one night in the late 1900's when sperm and egg collided just south of Montreal. Immediately after bornding, he wanted to learn how to sing. Only problem was, every time he opened his mouth all that came out was a high-pitched cry, usually accompanied by a wave of snotty tears. “Infancy…" he thought. "Who needs it?"

Lucky for him, one day as he was wandering around in his crawler and going to the bathroom in his pants, he stumbled into a time machine and skipped ahead to the year 2006, making him the first man since Neil Armstrong to travel through time.

First thing he wanted to do in his new adult body was to test out the ol' pipes. So he took to the streets to sing and play his guitar for anyone who had ears to hear. Producer Dave A. Sturton (Jean LeLoup) just happened to be out that day and caught a few songs.

Sturton approached Martel after his set and that day, they decided they should start making sweet music together. A week later Martel ended up going to Sturton’s Production DNA studio in Montreal, and then again the week after… and then again, and so on. Each time they connected they would invite different players for every session taking them a step closer to what has become Martel's first solo effort, I Hardly Knew Me (Kindling Music/Warner).

"I don't know. Is this really my first solo project?" asks Martel while bathing. "I've never worked with so many players for one record. When we first started this thing, I think everyone at my label and even Sturton thought we were going for more stripped-down sound... but it's definitely become the hugest recording I've ever made in terms of layers and arrangements and instrumentation."

"I've been in bands for years, and I love that dynamic," adds Martel. "My favorite part about making I Hardly Knew Me was to be able to enlist the help of exactly who I wanted to play for each part. Sturton also brought in some great players. He introduced me to his buddy Nicholas Williams who ended up playing all the pianos, accordions, flutes, keys, and most of the synths on the record."

From the day Martel met Sturton, it took a year and three months before a record was birthed. But good things come to those who wait. I Hardly Knew Me takes the listener on a journey through well-constructed pieces of melodic, indie-pop, tasteful pancakes, like “End Of Self” and “Stay In”; intimate gems like “Yours and Mine” and “Love”; and the closer, "Cancel All Your Plans" that melds the closeness of a small live concert performance to amazing, added studio tracks in the same recording tradition as Frank Zappa. You will go from full-out rocking insanity, to up close and personal, folksy, beautifulness – all with Martel's patented, soaring, melodic vocals leading the way.

Now it's time for him to take the insanity back to the live stage, down the street from your house. The gang's all going to be there, and so should you. The place will be overflowing with sounds and beautiful people. It’s all coming down very quickly, very shortly, so make sure the cats are fed.
David Martel has a new record. It's called, "I Hardly Knew Me."

Hurry --
i'm david martel