Walter Martin (musician)

Martin formed Jonathan Fire*Eater with high school friends Paul Maroon, Stewart Lupton, Matt Barrick, and Tom Frank from Washington, DC. As co-writer and multi-instrumentalist, Martin played a Farfisa organ and a Gretsch lap steel guitar. The band played at clubs in lower Manhattan until being courted by major labels and eventually signed by DreamWorks Records. They released a series of EPs and singles and a full-length for DreamWorks before breaking up in 1998.

In 1998, Martin, Paul Maroon, and Matt Barrick built Marcata Recording, an analog recording studio in Harlem in upper Manhattan. Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend was their sole employee, an unpaid intern. The Walkmen recorded at Marcata on and off until the studio closed in 2006.[1]

Martin, Paul Maroon, and Matt Barrick formed the Walkmen with Martin's younger cousin Hamilton Leithauser and his friend Peter Bauer. Martin was lyricist, co-writer, and multi-instrumentalist for the Walkmen. On stage Martin played organ, piano, and bass guitar but his main contributions to the Walkmen were as composer, arranger, and lyricist.

Martin began writing his solo debut album We're All Young Together during the final days of the Walkmen. It released on May 13, 2014 and was self-described as a family-friendly album geared towards kids.[5] It was met with critical acclaim from Pitchfork,[6] NPR's All Things Considered,[7] USA Today,[8] and The New York Times who called it, “An album of joyful children’s music that is also sophisticated enough for grown-ups to appreciate.”[9] It featured guest vocals from Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs), Matt Berninger (The National), and Alec Ounsworth (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah). The album won a Parents’ Choice Silver Award and it's songs have been featured in commercials for iPhone 6, iPhone 7 plus, Google Android, and Cox Communications.[10]

Arts & Leisure, Martin's sophomore album, released on January 29, 2016. The songs took inspiration from his years as a touring musician and his background in art history. It was featured in many major press outlets, including NPR Music,[11] The New York Times,[12] The New Yorker,[13] and Pitchfork.[14] The Washington Post stated, “Walter Martin is giving art history a fun and lively tone”[15] while All Music said, “Arts & Leisure reveals Martin as a first-rate storyteller who captures the joys of new sights and new ways of thinking in songs full of life and humor.”[16]

Martin released his third solo album My Kinda Music on May 5, 2017. It was the second installment of his family album series and would go on win a Parents’ Choice Gold Award.[10] The song “It’s a Dream” was featured in a Casper Mattress Commercial in 2018–2019. On the album's release, NPR Music said, “[Martin’s albums] celebrate the best of humanity; love, innocence, joy, empathy and the wonder of existence itself. It’s the kind of music that can bring tears to your eyes from marveling at all the beauty in the world.”[17]

During a surprise performance at NPR Music's Tiny Desk Concert in December 2017,[18] Martin announced his fourth solo album Reminisce Bar & Grill. It was released early the next year on February 18, 2018 and is considered Martin's most adult-focused compilation to date. He has self-described it as his "mid-life crisis album."[19]

Martin's fifth solo album The World At Night was released on January 31, 2020. It was dedicated to his late Jonathan Fire*Eater bandmate Stewart Lupton who died in 2018 of suicide after years of battling addiction, depression, and schizophrenia.[20] Noisey said, “The World at Night is a shockingly good record. It will give you goosebumps; it will make you gasp; it will make you cry. The album feels, above all else, real.”[3] Vogue Magazine raved "The World at Night might just be his masterpiece"[21] while All Music said, “The album radiates so much care, empathy, and genuine emotion, listeners can’t help but be touched by it.”[22] It was also praised by Pitchfork who stated, "Martin isn’t naive; he’s just a romantic. At its best, The World at Night evokes the strangest part of mourning: when your eyes fill with tears but they catch the light, making everything look brighter anyway."[23]