Barrett Martin

BARRETT MARTIN has been studying Soto Zen for almost 25 years. He also holds a master’s degree in ethnology and linguistics, but is perhaps best known as the drummer for the rock bands Screaming Trees and Mad Season, as well as being a Latin Grammy-winning drummer/percussionist, composer, and producer who has performed on over 100 Rock, Blues, Jazz, and World music albums. His work can be heard on albums by REM, Queens Of The Stone Age, Mad Season, Screaming Trees, Walking Papers, Tuatara, Blues legend CeDell Davis, and recording sessions that range from the Peruvian Amazon, to Brazil, Cuba, Jerusalem, and the Alaskan Arctic.

Barrett has taught at several universities in the United States, and has written essays for Riot Material and The Huffington Post. In 2014 he was awarded the ASCAP Deems Taylor/Virgil Thompson Award for excellence in writing. His first book, “The Singing Earth,” was released in 2017, and his second book, “The Way Of The Zen Cowboy,” was released in 2019. His solo band, The Barrett Martin Group, has released 8 studio albums to date.

His essays for Riot Material can be read here: Riot Material

His essays for Huffington Post can be read here: Huffington Post

THE WAY OF THE ZEN COWBOY: FIRESIDE STORIES FROM A GLOBETROTTING RHYTHMATIST

It has been a very creative couple of years for percussionist, composer, producer, and storyteller Barrett Martin. In 2017 he won a Latin Grammy for his album production work in Brazil; he released his first book, “The Singing Earth: Adventures From A World Of Music”, and he released his 6th solo album, “Transcendence.”

2018-19 proved to be no less fruitful, and the efforts of those years have resulted in 4 new releases, including his second book, “The Way Of The Zen Cowboy: Fireside Stories From A Globetrotting Rhythmatist”, and his first ever double album, “Songs Of The Firebird.” The new book and album can be seen as two sides of the same coin, an exercise in classic storytelling, adventurous music, and the beautiful evolution of the human spirit.

“The Way Of The Zen Cowboy” (Sunyata Books) is a new collection of short stories, 35 tales in all, which are based on Barrett’s personal experiences in environments around the world, as well as wisdom tales heard directly from indigenous elders, his grandparents, and some of the cowboys and veterans he was mentored by. These 35 stories are built around 7 themes that are highly important in the development of a human being, particularly in the dramatic times in which we live. The book also comes with a free digital download of the new double album from the Barrett Martin Group titled, “Songs Of The Firebird.”

SONGS OF THE FIREBIRD

“Songs Of The Firebird” (Sunyata Records) is composed of 20 instrumental songs that serve as a parallel soundtrack to the narrative in “The Way Of The Zen Cowboy.”. The album is also available as a CD, and in all the digital and streaming formats through Sony/Orchard Distribution. Using the same musicians from his previous “Transcendence” album, Barrett takes a more sophisticated and adventurous approach to their 7^th studio album, embracing everything from modern jazz, to Afro-Latin rhythms, to ambient and electronic music, all of which feature the best and brightest jazz musicians from Seattle, as well as special guests Peter Buck (guitarist for REM), Wayne Horvitz (New York jazz legend), and Kim Thayil (guitarist for Soundgarden). Throughout these 35 stories and 20 compositions, the reader and listener are transported through different stories and sonic landscapes across the American West, as far south as the Amazon Rainforest, and as far north as the Alaskan Arctic.

The release date for both the book and album is May 10th, 2019.

In addition to these new works, you can also hear the other 2 albums that Barrett has produced and released in early 2019: “Woven Songs Of The Amazon II: A Ceremony Of Healing With The Shipibo Shamans,” is an album of sacred healing songs from the Shipibo Shamans, recorded live on location in the Upper Peruvian Amazon. 100% of the proceeds for this album goes straight to these amazing healers.

There is also a compilation album from the Barrett Martin Group titled, “Indwell: Music For Movement.” which is a customized sequence of songs for the Nirguna Yoga Center in Albuquerque, NM. All of these albums are available online in the digital and streaming websites around the world.

Get a signed paperback of Barrett’s “The Way Of The Zen Cowboy" book along with a digital download of the soundtrack inside the book.

$25.00 (US Orders Only)

Barrett Martin

The Singing Earth Book

The Singing Earth cover

Buy

Get a signed paperback of Barrett’s “The Singing Earth" book along with a digital download of the soundtrack inside the book.

$25.00 (US Orders Only)

Barrett Martin Group

Stillpoint

Buy

Buy the new CD from the Barrett Martin Group.

$10.00

2019 The Way Of The Zen Cowboy: Fireside Stories From A Globetrotting Rhythmatist
2017 The Singing Earth: Adventures From A World Of Music

Discography

(*) Indicates Albums Produced or Co-Produced

2019 BARRETT MARTIN GROUP – “Songs Of The Firebird” (Sunyata Records)*
2019 BARRETT MARTIN GROUP – “Indwell: Music For Movement” (Sunyata Records)*
2019 SHIPIBO SHAMANS – “Woven Songs Of The Amazon II” (Sunyata Records)*
2018 BUFFALO SUMMER – “Desolation Hymns” (Silver Lining)*
2018 BARRETT MARTIN GROUP – “Transcendence” (Sunyata Records)*
2018 WALKING PAPERS – “WP2” (Loud & Proud)*
2017 LEVEE WALKERS & AYRON JONES – “All Things Fade Away/Madness” (Sunyata Records)*
2017 BARRETT MARTIN – “The Singing Earth” (Sunyata Records)*
2017 AYRON JONES – “Audio Paint Job” (Sunyata Records)*
2016 CEDELL DAVIS – “Even The Devil Gets The Blues” (Sunyata Records)*
2016 NANDO REIS – “Jardim-Pomar” (Relicario)*
2016 LEVEE WALKERS & RAQUEL SOFIA – “El Viento/Alma” (HockeyTalkter)*
2016 LEVEE WALKERS & JAZ COLEMAN “Freedom Song/Tears For The West” (HockeyTalkter)*
2016 TUATARA – “Shamanic Nights: Live In The City” (Sunyata Records)*
2015 CEDELL DAVIS – “Last Man Standing” (Sunyata Records)*
2014 TUATARA – “Underworld” (Sunyata Records)*
2014 VAUDEVILLE ETIQUETTE – “Debutantes & Dealers” (Sunyata Records)*
2013 MARK LANEGAN – “Imitations” (Vagrant Records)
2012 WALKING PAPERS – “Walking Papers” (Loud & Proud)*
2012 BARRETT MARTIN GROUP – “Artifact” (Sunyata Records)*
2012 NANDO REIS – “Sei” (Relicario)
2011 SCREAMING TREES – “Last Words: The Final Recordings” (Sunyata Records)*
2011 BARRETT MARTIN GROUP – “Atlas” (Sunyata Records)*
2010 COBIRDS UNITE – “CoBirds Unite” (Local 638)
2009 UNDER THE ROSE – “Under The Rose” (UR Records)
2009 BARRETT MARTIN GROUP – “Zenga” (Sunyata Records)*
2009 TUATARA & COLEMAN BARKS – “The Here And The Gone” (Sunyata Records)*
2008 DAVE CARTER – “Commitment And Change” (Sunyata Records)*
2007 TUATARA – “East Of The Sun, West Of The Moon” (Sunyata Records)*
2006 NANDO REIS – “Sim e Nao” (Relicario)
2006 SHIPIBO SHAMANS – “Woven Songs Of The Amazon” (Sunyata Records)*
2006 BARRETT MARTIN GROUP – “Earthspeaker” (Sunyata Records)*
2006 BOLA ABIMBOLA – “Ara Kenge” (Sunyata Records)*
2005 JACK ENDINO – “Permanent Fatal Error” (Wondertaker)
2004 ROGER GREENAWAY – “Wayt” (Independent)
2004 BARRETT MARTIN GROUP – “The Painted Desert” (Sunyata Records)*
2003 NANDO REIS – “A Letra A” (Universal)
2003 TUATARA – “The Loading Program” (Sunyata Records)*
2002 CEDELL DAVIS – “When Lightning Struck The Pine” (Sunyata Records)*
2002 TUATARA – “Cinemathique” (Sunyata Records)*
2001 NANDO REIS – “Infernal” (Warner Bros.)
2001 THE MINUS 5 – “Let The War Against Music Begin” (Mammoth)
2001 THERAPY? – “Shameless” (Ark 21)
2000 QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE – “Rated R” (Interscope)
2000 THE TWILIGHT SINGERS – “As Played By The Twilight Singers” (Columbia)
2000 NANDO REIS – “Para Quando O Arco” (Warner Bros.)
2000 THE MINUS 5 – “In Rock” (Book Records)
2000 VICTORIA WILLIAMS – “Water To Drink” (Atlantic)
2000 MARK OLSON – “My Own Jo Ellen” (Independent)
1999 STONE TEMPLE PILOTS – “No. 4” (Atlantic)
1999 MARK LANEGAN – “I’ll Take Care Of You” (Sub Pop)
1999 VARIOUS ARTISTS – “More Oar” (Birdman)
1998 REM – “Up” (Warner Bros.)
1998 TUATARA – “Trading With The Enemy” (Epic)*
1997 LUNA – “Pup Tent” (Elektra)
1997 MARK EITZEL – “West” (Warner Bros.)
1997 THE MINUS 5 – “The Lonesome Death Of Buck McCoy” (Hollywood)
1997 TUATARA – “Breaking The Ethers” (Epic)*
1997 PROTEIN – “Ever Since I was A Kid” (Hollywood)
1997 VARIOUS ARTISTS – “Flying Traps” (Hollywood)*
1996 MIKE JOHNSON – “Year Of Mondays” (Atlantic)
1996 SCREAMING TREES – “Dust” (Epic)
1995 VARIOUS ARTISTS – “Working Class Hero” (Hollywood)*
1995 SEAWEED – “Spanaway” (Hollywood)
1995 MAD SEASON – “Above” (Columbia)*
1994 MIKE JOHNSON – “Where Am I” (Up)
1993 SKIN YARD – “Inside The Eye” (SST/Cruz)
1992 SCREAMING TREES – “Sweet Oblivion” (Epic)
1991 SKIN YARD – “1000 Smiling Knuckles” (SST/Cruz)
1989 THIN MEN – “A Round Hear” (Ensign)

Film Soundtracks

2014 SAVE YOUR PLANET EVERY DAY – Documentary
2006 WOVEN SONGS OF THE AMAZON – Documentary (Green Spider Films)
2006 AUSANGATE – Documentary (Kontent Reel)
2003 THE FOG RAVENS – Documentary (Fog Raven Productions)
2001 THANK YOU, GOOD NIGHT – Feature Film (Independent)
1999 LUSH – Feature Film (Lion’s Gate)
1997 BEST MEN – Feature Film (MGM)
1997 DECEIVER – Feature Film (MGM)
1996 HYPE! – Documentary (Independent)
1992 SINGLES – Feature Film (Warner Bros.)