To celebrate the release of Barrett Martin’s “The Screaming Trees, the Greatest Band That Wasn’t” book (subject of a major SonicAbuse interview here) and his upcoming VEVO series about music around the world, Barrett Martin and Duke Garwood announce a series of intimate UK shows in May.
“Duke and I will open with a set of music from his songs, some Screaming Trees songs, and some Mark Lanegan songs. I‘ll be playing upright bass and vibes with Duke. Then I‘ll do my one man show with storytelling from my books, film clips from my VEVO world music series, and I‘ll also be playing a variety of instruments as part of the soundtrack to the films. It‘s going to be a very unique night of music and storytelling, something we don‘t do very often.” – Barrett Martin.
The quartet of UK dates are;
May 3rd London @ Bush Hall.
May 4th. Bristol @ Lantern Hall.
May 5th Nottingham @ Metronome.
May 7th Manchester @ Band On The Wall.
Tickets for the “Singing Earth with Barrett Martin & Duke Garwood tour” are available here: https://www.alttickets.com/barrett-martin-duke-garwood-tickets
Barrett and Duke will also be available after each show to sign books, albums, and CDs.
THE SCREAMING TREES THE GREATEST BAND THAT EVER WASN’T is the The Story Of The Roughest, Toughest, Most Hell-Raising Band To Ever Come Out Of The Pacific Northwest, The Screaming Trees. This is a comedy/ tragedy in 3 Acts by Barrett Martin.
In 1992, the Screaming Trees were expected to become the next big band to come out of the Seattle music scene during the heyday of grunge. Except it never happened. It wasn’t because the band didn’t have great songs—indeed, the Trees were revered for their ability to write a great song that was both artistically original and commercially viable, which is no easy task. Other Seattle bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden, were fans of the Screaming Trees, playing shows with them and collaborating on albums, long before their own bands broke through into the mainstream. That kind of success eluded the Screaming Trees, and it seemed as if there were more demons than angels in the band’s corner when it came time for the Trees to make their mark. Their songwriting skills, however, remain as their greatest legacy.
Written by Screaming Trees long-serving drummer, Barrett Martin, The Greatest Band That Ever Wasn’t reads like a Greek comedy or tragedy, depending on your viewpoint. Each of the three acts contained in this book features 11 short stories, for a combined total of 33 stories. These tales will make you laugh and perhaps even cry, which is why the saga of the Screaming Trees reads more like a great myth – one that is incredible, at times unbelievable, yet still contains volumes of humour and wisdom.
Barrett Martin is a Grammy-winning producer who recorded and toured with the Screaming Trees for over a decade. He holds a master’s degree in ethnomusicology and linguistics and has written four books about music and culture around the world, as well as several short stories that have been published in magazines and as album liner notes. His work as a producer, drummer, percussionist, and composer can be heard on over 150 albums, including several film and television soundtracks. His ethnomusicology work has taken him
to six continents and numerous countries, winning Latin Grammys and winning awards along the way. When he’s not traveling, he lives in Olympia, Washington with his wife, Dr. Lisette Garcia, where they oversee a recording studio and a music and film production company.
To order The Greatest Band That Ever Wasn’t book go to: https://shorturl.at/CELZ2
“I’m guessing pretty much anyone reading this would positively inhale Barrett Martin’s new memoir about playing drums in the pride of Ellensburg, Screaming Trees. There’s plenty about their rough and rowdy ways, and it runs from hilarious to harrowing. But, more importantly, there’s also lots about how the music got made and the Northwest musical community of the ’80s, ’90s and beyond.
And if there’s a moral to Martin’s story, it would be like William Blake said: “The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom.” – Michael Azerrad
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