[WM] Something you must have picked
up growing up in your father’s studio is that
everything is “fair game” in making and layering
sound during the recording process. You
exemplify this in your playing, both in the studio
and in live performance. If something calls
for “chains”, as in “Holy Water”, then it needs
chains, doesn’t it? Do you like to invent sounds?
Do you create gadgets and instruments at
home, and do you consistently tap on things at
the grocery store or places you visit?
[Martin] I’m always keeping an ear out for
what sounds unique, and not just for the sake of
being different, but sounds that I’m perceiving
already in my head and then when I hear them
in reality it’s like, yes, that’s what I was looking
for! And it’s visually how I can create that
sound. With that, when it comes to live there
are kind of two sounds you can create, one is
audible and one is not, so obviously the audible
is what you’re hearing, and the other one is just
the sound of how it looks if that makes sense,
the drama. With the chains for instance, the
raising it up and dropping it, the drama of that
to me is a sound and you get this perceived
swoosh and it actually sounds bigger than it
actually is. When you’re looking at whoever is
playing it, and you’re seeing their arm motion,
for some reason the mind kind of replaces that
with a sound.
[WM] Do you give place to improvisation and
spontaneity during a performance?
[Martin] Oh absolutely, I think there are
definitely certain fills in songs that we’ve written
and created and have started to form a history
with that song, and with that comes in certain
parts. If you go see Phil Collins or something,
and he plays “In the Air Tonight”, and for
some reason he changes that fill that we all
know at the end, for some reason something
feels wrong. So, it would be wrong to improve
at that particular moment, because there is
history there, and it’s iconic. But I’m constantly
changing kick patterns and hi-hat patterns,
and certain fills for sure throughout the song,
because for me it’s all dependent on emotion.
Night to night I might be feeling something
different, and I’ve talked a little about this with
the band, just playing from a place that is in
direct correspondence with where you are
emotionally and spiritually, all these things. There
will be certain nights where I have incredible joy
and excitement, so I play in accordance with
that so maybe it’s more joyful, bouncy stuff. The
next night for whatever reason in life I may just
be really angry, and I’ve learned that it’s okay to
play from that anger knowing that it’s worship
to God and also recognizing that this is where I
am, and I need healing for where I am.
[WM] I know that your Spring touring has
been wiped out due to the Covid-19 shutdown,
but I’m happy to see that you’re currently
scheduled to resume touring soon, and I’m
sure with those new drums! Has the band
continued to rehearse, write, and record during
this time of lockdown? Tell us about the next
We the Kingdom project releasing.
[Martin] We are currently working on an
album. We’re still trying to lock down how many
tracks it’ll have. Part of me loves older albums,
like Thriller, and I think that has like seven or
eight songs, or Boston’s self-titled has eight.
So, part of me loves that, but there are a lot of
factors that go into that. We’re working on the
album and it’s supposed to come out August
7 I believe. In between now and then, we’re
hoping to release one or two singles from the
album. We’re super excited, been hitting the
studio and pouring all that we know how to
pour into it.
I think there’s this mentality, which we definitely
had at a certain point, we were out on the
road playing shows, building momentum and
connecting with fans, and it all in an instant was
just kind of taken. That was hard, to not be
interacting with people and all of these things,
but it’s been beautiful to have the time and
the motivation to create music that will allow
people to heal from the place that we’re in, and
to bring encouragement and restoration where
it’s needed.
[WM] Martin, thank you so very much for this
time to catch up! Be safe.
[Martin] Thank you so much, Alex!
@wethekingdommusic
July 2020
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