The Astor Lounge
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Sunday night at the Astor Lounge with the great Jeff Martin was an intimate performance showcasing his unique blend of blues, rock and eastern influences in the most rawest of acoustic guitar settings. The evening began in fine Martin form, with him walking to the stage amidst the quaint lounge crowd, chuckling to himself before sharing with the crowd, “Kenny is Moses tonight, because he will be parting the Red Sea each time a guitar comes out.” The crowd eagerly laughed, in anticipation to set their ears upon his well-known plethora of tracks of the last 20 years through his solo ventures and the forever loved The Tea Party.
For those that don’t know who Jeff Martin is, shame on you! He is a man with an amazing voice, which carries incredible depth and passion with every note and lyric oozing through his charismatic charm. This was the benchmark throughout his performance last night, hypnotising the crowd. It was very easy to lose yourself with the moment. Occasionally, with a chuckle, he would prompt the crowd to clap along to the beat, eventually saying “Really? I have to ask you?” in fine Martin comical banter.
The night boasted an incredible amount of tracks from Martin’s vault of amazing works, including Requiem in tribute for a brother, Line In The Sand, Water’s On Fire and, for the romance of the Valentine’s Day weekend, I Love You, with Martin insisting on all men writing these lyrics down for their loved ones, especially the chorus. “You don’t have to sing it, just say it… Do it!”
The night came to an end with the track Release, but with the crowd’s devotion, floor stomping and insane applause for Martin, he returned to the stage, telling the crowd to “Go on, no I really mean continue…” for a eastern-flavoured encore of Sister Awake. The entire evening you were hooked, continually being drawn into every inch of Martin’s passion and eclectic musical journey.
The night’s performance was, without a doubt, incredible, the intimate setting was perfect for a one-on-one with the master himself. The performance was one of the last of his intimate shows before he embarks on a national tour to promote his upcoming solo EP, Stars In The Sand. If you are a musician you must educate yourself and go see a Martin gig, and if you’re not a musician do it anyway, it will open up your mind. Seeing Jeff Martin is an experience.
KRISTINA SIMICH
