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Press Release 27th April 2009

Jodi Martin announces her
'Road Testing Tour 2009'

Jodi Martin self-started her career as a singer/songwriter in her teens and is now one of the youngest 10-year veterans in the music industry today. Admired and respected across the globe by audiences and peers alike, Jodi's stunning discography boasts four records, two of which have been released on her own label Hot Bread Records to widespread critical acclaim.

An outstanding guitarist, slide player and songwriter, Jodi Martin's voice has to be heard to be believed. Her music, with its solid folk roots, has the crossover appeal of her heroes Tracy Chapman and Bob Marley.

'My childhood dream was to be a great songwriter one day, and I plan to continue working towards that no matter what...' Jodi says modestly.

Her song-writing ability was recognised early when, still in her teens, her song 'Why' was recorded on the ARIA-Award-winning album 'Homefires', by Kasey Chambers in the Dead Ringer Band.

True to her passion, Jodi has spent the last four years since the release of her acclaimed latest album '15 Minutes Out to Sea' based in Montreal, Canada, working tirelessly on her song-writing, building a grass-roots following in Eastern Canada, and studying composition with reknowned Quebec composer Louis Dufort.

The seemingly endless list of industry legends with whom Jodi has toured and played with speaks volumes of her stature: Bruce Cockburn (CAN), Michelle Shocked, Eric Bibb (US), The Frames, Paul Brady (IRE), The Waifs (AUST) and more. Indeed, it was her third national tour with Arlo Guthrie last year which brought her back to Australian shores where she has continued writing, both on her own and with some of her favourite Australian song-smiths.

'I am determined that when I release this next record it will be one that I am proud of' Jodi said.

It is this desire which inspired Jodi to launch' The Road Testing Tour'. With an ever-expanding collection of songs, Jodi is taking her songs directly to her live audiences to help with the track selection. At her recent Melbourne show, Jodi showcased her hot-off-the-press song 'Fairy Bread', which she and Jeff Lang had just written two days before in his Melbourne suburb... During the drive home, Jodi wrote two more songs ready for her upcoming Sydney show. Still writing madly in between these well-spaced shows, Jodi has personally ear-marked a very diverse bunch of cities and towns for this tour, with Byron Bay and Melbourne under her belt, and now heading to Sydney, her home-town Ceduna, then to New York and Montreal for the Northern Summer.

Sydney-siders, make sure you are at the Basement for Monday 18th May at 8pm for a very special night. The show will be filmed, and will feature two intimate sets by the dynamic Ms Martin - the first at 8:30pm showcasing her early material, and the second at 9:30pm unveiling some of the songs contesting for the new record. Stay tuned to www.jodimartin.com for updates and the album's release date.

The Basement, Monday 18 May, 8pm

Jodi Martin started writing songs when she was five. Noticing this trend, her Mum loaned her tape recorder. For a five year old child this was a momentous event, and it confirmed Jodi’s obsession with songwriting forever.

Jodi met Kasey Chambers and the Chambers family when she was sixteen. The following year, Kasey recorded Jodi’s song ‘Why’ for the Dead Ringer Band’s album ‘Homefires’ which took out Australia’s premier music awards, winning an ARIA Award for Best Country Album.

Like Kasey, Jodi spent her formative years in the remote desert region of Australia’s Nullarbor Plain. With the recording of ‘Why’, and the Chambers family encouraging her to move to the more populated East Coast, Jodi left her small coastal desert hometown of Ceduna to begin her own career as a singer/songwriter.

Four critically acclaimed albums later, the sparse landscape of her childhood still resonates in Jodi’s music and the legacy of a small town remains in her honest lyrics. Her songs are not afraid to tackle controversial issues, like her own childhood spent growing up in an area with a large indigenous population. Her story comes through in songs like ‘Riddles’ (Water and Wood) where racism is witnessed through a child’s eyes. Jodi writes frankly and incisively about everything from relationships with lovers, parents, to social justice and personal issues like abuse. Jodi strong feelings of connection to place ensure that Australian imagery weaves itself into her work.

Jodi has two major album releases in Australia, ‘Water and Wood’ (2002) and ’15 Minutes Out to Sea’ (2005) out on her own label Hot Bread Records. Her popular live album ’21 Stairs’ and an unofficial debut ‘Sandcastles’ (1997) which to date has been a limited edition release, are also available through HBR.

Jodi’s strength is her live performance and she has toured solidly throughout Australia for the past six years, playing some of her country’s finest venues, both solo and with her band. Jodi has also toured with the likes of Arlo Guthrie (US - 1998 & 2004), Bruce Cockburn (CAN), Eric Bibb (US), The Frames (IRE), Richard Thompson (UK) Joel Plaskett (CAN) and Ember Swift (CAN) and has performed at major Australian festivals including Woodford Folk Festival, East Coast Blues and Roots Festival (BYRON BAY) and Port Fairy Folk Festival.

Jodi is touring Canada from May 2006 with the release of her latest album ’15 Minutes Out to Sea’.

To check out Jodi’s MP3s, reviews, and further details,
visit www.sonicbids.com/jodimartin2
Australian publicist: Gaynor Crawford thingie@bigpond.net.au
Canadian Label Manager: Sherman Samuel 0011 1 514 212 2474 sherman@hotbreadrecords.com