About Me
"Took us all by storm", said the BBC World Service, introducing Martin Kerr to 40 million listeners, aged just 13.Twelve years later, Kerr's new album, 'I Know You're Out There' is winning accolades from around the world, including 'Best Canadian Pop Album 2007' (Toronto Exclusive Magazine).The years in between have seen Kerr travel to 30 countries with a guitar over his back. On the way he has learned Chinese, put his passport through the washing machine, and missed several flights. Thankfully, his songwriting is somewhat better organized.The album's unforgettable first single - the anthemic 'Undiscovered Geniuses' - is a tribute to the meek and the humble, and a sweet stab at the cult of celebrity. Martin explains, "When traveling round the world, aged 18, I found that there were so many people with incredible talents going completely unnoticed. Meanwhile everyone could tell you what Britney Spears was wearing last night. Since then I've been making a conscious effort to focus on local artists instead of watching MTV or reading Rolling Stone."Kerr's CD collection is populated mostly by musicians he's met on his travels, with a few favourite megastars thrown in, like John Mayer, Tracy Chapman and Jack Johnson. Like these songwriters, Kerr gives us instantly singable melodies, to brave lyrics that are cliche-free, straight from the heart, and not evading controversy. His voice however, in its power and range, puts all these stars in the shade.More seasoned listeners compare him to greats like James Taylor, Cat Stevens and John Denver, whilst the younger crowd have rarely heard a male voice of such caliber.He has primed his pipes from a young age, with his first lead role in musical theatre coming aged just 5, in a Christmas play called Snow Robin. He still sings songs from this occasionally, just to annoy his older sister. Later he pushed himself to be heard above the din of street corners, subway stations and farmer's markets, with no amplification.Playing for change and selling CDs out of his backpack paid Martin's way around the world for 5 years. Such adventures have left him with profound insights, and themes of travel and spirituality are found everywhere in his songs:"These aeroplanes don't bring me home, 'cause I'm not from this world" he writes in the soothing ballad 'Breathing', which has become a hit amongst yoga practitioners.During his time in China, Martin worked as a preschool teacher in Beijing (recording 3 albums of kids songs) and met Tara, Canadian girl who stalked him with email love poetry until he finally married her in 2005.I Know You're Out There includes several tracks about marriage, not the most likely topic for a pop-song. Kerr explains, "There seems to be plenty of songs about hooking up for the night, but not many saying something real about trying to stick together forever, except maybe by old folk singers with big beards and woolly jumpers. So I'm trying to bring a fresh voice to an old theme."The results, like the hilarious Celtic footstomper, 'My Love's Been More Than Two Hours Long' will likely have you playing the spoons with the best of the beardies. Then, suddenly sounding more like Ricky Martin, Kerr delivers the brilliantly titled 'Kryptonite Anniversary' and calls on the spirit of Santana for a wild guitar solo.With such a versatile sound, Kerr finds he is able to grab the attention of any audience that doesn't limit their entertainment to rocking out until their ears bleed or grinding the night away to a DJ.Hence he follows a rather unconventional touring model; once a month he gets on a plane with his guitar, and goes to just one city to play a full week of shows from nightclubs to elementary schools, churches to charity conventions. True to his belief in local talent, he hires backing musicians in each town, sending them songs by email to practice in advance. Often too, he invites new friends or aspiring musicians to join him on stage for one song.When asked about the record deals he's turned down, he says "I don't use a manager or a record label - I'm not necessarily opposed to it, but I haven't needed one yet. I love to collaborate, but preferably on short-term projects. Most of my tours start out with someone inviting me to visit their town, and then together we make it happen. I feel like a medieval troubadour in the digital age."This e-minstrel's recordings are available at iTunes, cdbaby.com and just maybe on your street corner.
