Singer-songwriter Jodi Martin is known as a road warrior – famous with her loyal following for years of touring Australia in her Toyota van, armed with just her songs and her guitars.
Jodi’s song ‘Diesel’ immortalises her passion and dedication to touring her music and the adventures the touring life has sparked for her. And there have been some grand adventures along the way – like Jodi’s songwriting road trip from New Orleans to New York State with her hero Arlo Guthrie, which spawned Jodi’s stunning 2016 album Saltwater.
Jodi is celebrating 21 years since her debut album Water and Wood was released by the indie label Little Big Music, alongside luminary Irish stablemates Mundy and Glen Hansard’s The Frames. To celebrate her 21st year of touring and recording music, Jodi is playing some handpicked shows across Australia.
Jodi will play her favourite Americana (country-folk) and rock covers as well as world-class originals and some never-before-released songs from the vault. Be prepared for ‘heartwarming songs and hilarious stories’, in the words of The Waifs’ Josh Cunningham.
To honour her 21st celebration, Jodi has released a three-album set called The Never Settle Trilogy, which includes a collection of the best songs she wrote between the age of 4 and 21. The hilarious Tommy the Toyota is one of the highlights – an epic blues rap immortalizing her dad’s ute and its dramatic escapades!
‘The funny thing is, it’s not just 21 years since Water and Wood started this ball rolling’ Jodi states. ‘It was another 21 years before that when I wrote my first song that I can still remember! And will that song be unveiled at these shows? Yes, absolutely – I was only 4, so it will be a slightly vulnerable moment, but it’s funny.’ Jodi laughs.
Jodi’s early years of songwriting clearly paid off, because by the time she turned 16, Kasey Chambers recorded her song Why for the Dead Ringer Band’s ARIA Award winning Homefires album, inspiring Jodi to keep writing.
Jodi is touring with 'Country Mile', the second single from her 'Songs from the Little Chair' record and 21st Anniversary Trilogy. 'Country Mile' features Americana heavyweight Lachlan Bryan and the stripped-back ballad honours Jodi's parents and her Celtic ancestors.
‘Country Mile’ is steeped in Jodi’s passion for sustainable agriculture, which she shares with her forebears. Marty, the kelpie on the single cover is testament to thousands of years of their honing the art of agriculture in the rugged, wild, fenceless Scottish Highlands where they bred Scottish Farm Collie who the Australian kelpie is descended from.
The kelpie also represents a heart as ‘big as a country mile’, and the seven generations of Jodi’s family farming in South Australia since the 1860’s when her McKenzie ancestors arrived. That same decade, George Robertson from her mother’s clan brought the first black and tan ancestor of the kelpie to the continent.
On a deeper level, the single is a metaphor for the natural cycles of life and getting through when life seems too hard – a feeling familiar to many farmers, who by necessity must master resilience in the most trying of times.
The Country Mile tour launches a Kickstarter fundraiser for Jodi to record her next full studio album, produced by Shane Nicholson and more. The first three of Jodi’s beautiful watercolour painting series of song lyric quotes over her last 21 years have been transformed into sets of quality vinyl stickers, and hand-signed posters. The stunning Never Settle Trilogy deluxe CD box set and full album downloads will be offered as rewards alongside other exclusive gems.
Jodi’s engaging shows on the 'Country Mile Tour' will attest to why Jodi has become the respected songwriter and storyteller that she is - both in Australia and beyond.
TOUR DATES
20th September
ADELAIDE, SA
Christie’s Beach Sailing Club, 7:30pm
22nd September
TORQUAY, VIC
House Concert (email info@jodimartin.com for details), 2:45pm
28th September
TEMORA, NSW
Temora Hotel, 7pm
29th September
CANBERRA, ACT
Smith’s Alternative, 7pm
6th October
SYDNEY, NSW
Lazybones Marrickville, 6pm
11th October
LISMORE, NSW
Rochdale Theatre, 7pm
12th October
SUNSHINE COAST, QLD
Eudlo Hall, 7pm
Jodi Martin (ABC TV BACKROADS) has 9 records under her belt. On the back of her debut album Water and Wood, released through Grant Thomas and Gaynor Crawford's Sydney label Little Big Music together with stablemates The Frames (Glen Hansard) and Mundy, Jodi has played Australia’s major festivals and toured extensively throughout Australia and to Germany, France, the UK and Canada. Jodi kicked off her music career at the age of 16, when she wrote a song for Kasey Chambers and the Dead Ringer Band's ARIA Award-Winning country album Homefires. The Weekend Australian named Jodi 'one of Australia's most talented singer songwriters'.
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