Musician influenced by father, folk music, and Fitzgerald
Hailing from the far-off reaches of Fargo, N.D., chanteuse and folk guitarist Randi Martin said she now calls Logan her home. Chances are, if you’ve attended Poetry and a Beverage in the past two months, you’ve seen her play. Recently, The Utah Statesman had the opportunity to find out just what makes this songbird sing.
Utah Statesman: So you play the guitar and sing. Is the guitar your primary instrument?Randi Martin: Yeah. I originally knew how to play the piano first. But I basically picked up the guitar because my dad is a folk musician, so I’ve always been around guitars. He taught me how to read a chord chart, and then I just taught myself from there.US: When did you start playing?RM: I started really getting into it the summer after my freshman year of high school. I wrote my first song about some boy. It just flowed out of me – it was really weird. It was a pretty good song for the time being.US: What has influenced you?RM: Well, my dad played songs, and my mom sang classically. We always performed together. Being around my dad and hearing him play, I learned that singing with the guitar is what you did. That’s what I grew up knowing. And we actually have a very similar sound in our guitar playing.US: And that’s a folk sound?RM: Yes. But recently I’ve developed my own voice style, which is more jazzy. I like the old-timey jazz sound, but I don’t play that on the guitar. But I feel like I’m an exact mix of both my parents’ styles of music.US: Tell us about Little Wooden Boy.RM: It basically started as a ska band, Viewers Like You, which my husband Chris helped start. Then they started playing at Poetry and a Beverage acoustically as Little Wooden Boy. I’ve sung with Viewers Like You a few times – I’m an honorary member.US: And Little Wooden Boy?RM: Yes – when I sing with them, it’s Little Wooden Boy featuring The Girl. And we actually play most of my songs. It’s fun to have more instruments.US: And what’s in store for Little Wooden Boy?RM: We have big plans. We’re going to start learning a lot more jazz-type songs. We want to play at weddings and stuff.US: Do you personally have an album?RM: My dad I recorded some songs together in the studio. I have a CD that I can create and sell. It’s on my computer. I’ve made CDs before and sold them. I just haven’t done it lately.US: What music are you currently inspired by?RM: I’m definitely inspired by folk music, like James Taylor. I’m really inspired by Cat Stevens and the types of things he writes about. Joni Mitchell was a huge influence for me also – she kind of set a path for women songwriters, and I grew up listening to her. These days I listen to The Weepies. And the movie “Once” – the music from that is amazing. And Iron & Wine and Guster. But when I’m by myself cleaning the house, I listen to the Black Eyed Peas. I have a weakness for really crappy pop that you can dance to.US: A guilty pleasure.RM: Yeah. And a big influence on my singing is Ella Fitzgerald. I listened to her a lot in high school. I never put it together before, but she really had an effect on how my voice sounds now.US: What’s your preferred brand of guitar?RM: You could say I married Chris (my husband) so I could have the last name Martin, which is my favorite brand of guitar. And if we had a son, we would want to name him James Taylor Martin- Taylor is my second favorite kind of guitar.US: Is there a place where people can listen to your music?RM: Yes, I have a MySpace page at www.myspace.com/randi.US: Will you be playing any time soon?RM: Yes, Little Wooden Boy featuring The Girl will be playing at Citrus and Sage on May 7 at 7:30 p.m..US: And if you could use three words to describe yourself, what would they be?RM: Adventurous. Peculiar. Gorgeous.
Don’t forget to mark your calendars for May 7 at 7:30, folks – you don’t want to miss out on the experience of Little Wooden Boy featuring The Girl. If you are a musician who yearns to come out of the woodworks and be heard, feel free to contact Kelly at kelly.green@aggiemail.usu.edu.