The new studio album 'The Watcher' is pretty much finished now, as confirmed by Martin, if he can stop "tampering with it".
In the meantime, 'Meta' is now available for download purchase on the official Martin Grech Facebook page. The album consists of twenty-five tracks over the course of the Meatsuit era and early attempts at the fourth album. More info directly from Martin himself and the option to buy are at the link below.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Martin-Grech-official/358290270815?v=app_96687436973&ref=ts
The scores for the films 'Blood River' and 'Luster' are also completed.
Unfortunately there is no word yet, as to when either of these releases will see the light of day...
No other current Martin Grech news.
Open Heart Zoo era Biography from www.dtox.co.uk
Its always the quiet ones. At 19 years old, Martin Grech does not immediately give the impression of someone who has access to the most intense, beautiful and forward looking music of the day. To meet him without having heard his music is to encounter a polite, gentle, amused British born teenager, whose only hints of singularity are a predilection for black clothes and a hyperaesthetic sheen to his eyes.
All that changes the second you witness Grech fronting his live band. With his guitar slung unfeasibly low and fingers flashing double jointed over the frets, Grech's astounding rock diva vocals ride the deconstructed metal drama of his live incarnation, and immediately it's apparent that one of the frontier talents of the next guitar band generation has arrived.
In the popular parlance of the day the self-written, guitared, piano'd and sung debut album 'Open Heart Zoo' is a jawdropper. The three-years-in-the-making opus, produced and nurtured by one time Immaculate Fools man Andy Ross, is a magnificent implosion of avant-rock, reaching deep down into hellfire and soaring celestially, frequently at the same time.
Any pessimists still dallying with the notion that rock has nothing left to do in the wake of (depending on your generation) Pink Floyd/Nirvana/ Radiohead will have to go into heavy denial to deal with Grech's precocity. In the overlapping emotional textures, the switchback turns from ether to fever, in the dream meets nightmare dissolves, the insistence on mangling, sampling and involuting guitars every way, and in Martin's sublime voice, all the evidence is there that a prodigy's on the rise.
Martin Grech would have probably turned into an inspiring musician at whatever point in history he'd come into the world. Since he was born in 1982, however, and not of a retro inclination, he grew up with the contemporary Gods of experimentation and intensity as a starting point. As the age of 12, living in the 'nice', 'normal' town of Aylesbury, just outside London, he went out and bought Radiohead's 'The Bends'. The casually interested music fan was converted. A guitar and a chord book were immediately obtained and Martin disappeared into his bedroom for the 'chrysalis' phase.
Although by no means immediately confident of his voice he at least had the re-assurance that there was music in the family. His mother had been a professional singer doing popular covers (but a really good one), and now the household piano that he'd played around on as a kid loomed much larger. Tentatively Martin began writing songs. An early band was put together from local friends and gradually the songs which comprise the debut album started to form. Then the real leap forward occurred when Martin was introduced to Andy Ross and, aged 16, while still at school, started heading up to the latter's London studio to work on demos
"We just clicked instantly in terms of musically and just our personalities as well, it was a hundred percent mirror image," says Martin.
The happy circumstance of teaming up with Ross allowed Martin to explore and develop in a conducive environment. Over the three years that they worked together it gradually became apparent that these 'demos' were actually an album. The huge vistas, contrasting moods and, mass of detail within 'Open Heart Zoo' - elements which give a sense of an amazing emotional landscape unfolding - owe a lot to the freedom that Ross and Grech enjoyed.
"The way describe it is I try and be as honest as possible and being as honest as possible it's almost like just letting go, and letting anything happen, and letting whatever it is come out however deep it is or however shallow," says Martin. "And it just turned out that the gist of everything was quite serious and that it is all that kind of 'emotional' thing.
"There's loads of stuff going on that you don't know about until you start writing your lyrics and doing your vocal performances and you think 'Whoa, I'm starting to get a picture of where all this is coming from'. Because we did a lot of free lyrical stuff, which sounds really hippy, but we did a lot of, just whack the mic on and lets see what comes out."
If 'Open Heart Zoo' is an exorcism Martin Grech should be the most purged man on the planet. The opening trio 'Here It Comes', 'Open Heart Zoo' and 'Dali' ("it just sounded like a Dali picture") cover more ground than many bands manage in a lifetime, moving from dark future rock, through a snowpacked waltz symphony into blasted, cybernetic, teethgrinder metal.
Having proved that he's unafraid of the riff, Grech then shifts into a more ethereal mode, with the lilting cradlesong 'Tonight', golden voiced self-doubt of 'Push' and sweetly chiming 'Only One Listening'. Through the megariffs of 'Notorious', acoustic mantra 'Penicillin', semi-ambient 'Catch Up', the psychotically waltzing sample suite 'Twin', finishing with the keening, diaphanous closing song 'Death Of A Loved One', Grech heads out way beyond obvious rock influences.
If it was theatre you'd call it 'an imaginative tour de force'. If it was a painting it would be Munch meets Monet. If it was a movie, well, Martin admits to being a huge fan of David Lynch, as well as Tim Burton and Roman Polanski.
As it the way with prodigies, Martin is moving at such a rate that he's already written half of the next album, with probably a couple of offshoot projects and soundtracks composed in his head. He struggles when asked to name the current bands he's impressed by (with the exception of Sigur Ros), but that's most likely because, having leapfrogged a loose expressionist rock lineage that connects the Smashing Pumpkins, Soundgarden, Radiohead and Muse (with maybe accidental psychic influence from The Cocteau Twins and Bjork) he's out there on his own. No wonder he's beginning to get the feeling he's wandered into a zoo.
"The 'Open Heart Zoo' thing came from the general feeling of opening up for the first time," explains Martin. "If you do an album and if you're being honest about it, you're putting your whole self on display, even if some people can't read it, you're still on display. At the moment I'm feeling good about it, but its still a bit weird."
It would be no bad idea to have a close look at the deceptively quiet, golden voiced, guitar melting boy from Aylesbury while the bars still hold him. The rare species tend not to stay caged for long.
My Thoughts (for those who are interested...)
Ever since the first time I heard the track 'Open Heart Zoo' I have been hooked. The music video was shown on Kerrang TV and it caugh me by suprise...I hadn't really heard anything like it before. Hauntingly melodic with its waltzing piano and enchanting falsetto vocals...it was a break inbetween "Generic Metal Band A" and "Generic Metal Band B" whose video's played either side of this dark water boat journey...admittedly it was a rather "unusual" video to say the least BUT there was something about this soaking wet guy in an old boat throwing books down to his underwater self that was strangely inviting.
A few days later I had bought the album of the same name and so began my journey into all that is Grech. From the fractured rock of 'Dali' to the acoustic mantra of 'Penicillin', the album blended many styles. Electronically spliced guitars through to glitchy ambient workouts via muted piano musings this album had so much going on that it demanded further headphone inspection, where the listener could discover a whole world of buried samples and textures not immediately evident on first listen through regular speakers.
*I hope to expand this section of the site in the near future. Building up a fans view of Martin's music and why I made this site. Hopefully it will prove to be atleast partially interesting...
Albums
Open Heart Zoo
Year: 2002
Label: Island
Notes: Performed by Martin Grech and Andy Ross. Produced by Andy Ross. Mixed by Stephen W.Tayler and Andy Ross. Executive Producer: Howard Jones. Lyrics by Martin Grech. Music by Martin Grech and Andy Ross. Published by EMI Music Publishing Ltd/Copyright Control except 'Penicillin' by EMI Music Publishing Ltd. Management: Andy Thompson (Gaia Media). Sleeve Design by Ian Walden. Original Artworks by Steg.
1. Here It Comes – 5:03
2. Open Heart Zoo – 5:21
3. Dalí – 5:39
4. Tonight – 5:07
5. Push – 5:00
6. Only One Listening – 4:51
7. Notorious – 4:56
8. Penicillin – 4:48
9. Catch Up – 3:47
10. Twin – 4:41
11. Death of a Loved One – 20:51*
*Death of a Loved One is 6:54 - this is then followed by 10:04 silence before the bonus track, Ill (Demo), 3:52, begins.
Unholy
Year: 2005
Label: Island
Notes: Played by Martin Grech and Andy Ross. Produced and Engineered by Andy Ross. Mastered by Tony Cousins. Executive Producer: Rupert Hine. All Words Written by Martin Grech. All Tracks Written by Martin Grech and Andy Ross. Published by Copyright Control/EMI Music Publishing Ltd except Tracks 4,5 and 7 written by Martin Grech. Published by Copyright Control. Management: Andy Thompson (Gaia Media). Artwork and Design by Stephen Kasner.
1. Guiltless – 7:43
2. Venus – 5:47
3. Erosion And Regeneration – 5:08
4. I Am Chromosome – 5:00
5. An End – 3:09
6. Holy Father Inferior – 9:26
7. Worldly Divine – 4:55
8. Lint – 3:29
9. Elixir – 15:35*
*Elixir is 6:15 - this is then followed by 5:07 silence before the bonus track, 'Sun' 4:13, begins.
March Of The Lonely
Year: 2007
Label: Martin Grech Songs Ltd
Notes: Played by Martin Grech and Andy Ross. Violin played by Barry Wickens. Produced and Engineered by Andy Ross. Written by Martin Grech except 'Ruins' written by Martin Grech and Andy Ross. Management: Andy Thompson (Gaia Media) and Nancy McCrea (Crown Management). Cover Artwork by Stephen Kasner. Layout by John Zealey.
1. Treasures – 1:41
2. Kingdom – 3:39
3. The Heritage – 4:03
4. Ashes Over Embers – 5:41
5. The Washing Hands – 4:32
6. Soul Sirens – 5:22
7. Ruins – 3:46
8. The Giving Hands – 4:04
9. All Lovers Learn – 4:36
10. Heiress - 2:28
11. March Of The Lonely - 5:56
Singles / EPs
Dali
Year: 2002
Label: Island
Notes: Written by Martin Grech and Andy Ross. Published by EMI Music Publishing Ltd/Copyright Control. Produced by Andy Ross. Management: Andy Thompson (Gaia Media).
1. Dali - 5:40
2. Catch Up - 3:47
Open Heart Zoo
Year: 2002
Label: Island
Notes: Lyrics by Martin Grech. Music by Martin Grech and Andy Ross. Published by EMI Music Publishing Ltd/Copyright Control. Produced by Andy Ross. Mixed by Stephen W.Tayler and Andy Ross. Vocals and Keyboards: Martin Grech. Programming and Keyboards: Andy Ross. Management: Andy Thomspson (Gaia Media).
1. Open Heart Zoo (Album Version) - 5:22
2. Storm - 5:10
3. Open Heart Zoo (Video)
Push
Year: 2003
Label: Island
Notes: All Lyrics by Martin Grech. 'Push' - Music by Martin Grech and Andy Ross. Published by EMI Music Publishing Ltd/Copyright Control. 'Bliss' and 'Head Sty' - Music by Martin Grech. Published by EMI Music Publishing Ltd. Management: Andy Thompson (Gaia Media).
1. Push - 5:02
2. Bliss - 1:39
3. Head Sty - 5:25
I Am Chromosome
Year: 2004
Label: Island
Notes: Download Only. Different version to 'Unholy' version. Music video was also made available.
Tracklisting unconfirmed.
Rest In Peace EP
Year: 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th October 2004
Label: Island
Notes: Words and Music by Martin Grech.
1. Mighty Hands - 4:15
2. Gratefully Punished - 4:26
3. Father And Mother Figure - 2:48
4. Freedom, Warmth And Security - 2:53
Guiltless
Year: 2005
Label: Island
Notes: All Lyrics by Martin Grech. 'Guiltless' - Music by Martin Grech (Copyright Control) and Andy Ross (EMI Music Publishing Ltd). 'Seed of a Seed' and 'Worthy' - Music by Martin Grech (Copyright Control). Played by Grech/Ross. Produced and Engineered by Andy Ross. Executive Producer: Rupert Hine. Mastered by Tony Cousins. Artwork and Design by Stephen Kasner. Management: Andy Thompson (Gaia Media).
This single was also released as a 10" Picture Disk.
1. Guiltless - 7:48
2. Seed Of A Seed - 3:29
3. Worthy - 2:57
4. Guiltless (Video)
The Heritage
Year: 2007
Label: Martin Grech Songs Ltd
Notes: All Songs Written by Martin Grech. Produced and Engineered by Andy Ross. Violins by Barry Wickens. Cover Artwork by Stephen Kasner. Design Layout by John Zealey. Management: Andy Thompson (Gaia Media) and Nancy McCrea (Crown Music).
1. The Heritage - 3:35
2. Ashes Over Embers - 5:39
1. Do you still intend on working with Andy Ross now that you are based in the United States? Will he be the producer on any new, finished material? If not will you be undertaking the producers role yourself or do you have someone else in mind?
I love working with Andy, but it's time for me to take a step forward and learn what its like working with others, especially for this MEATSUIT project. I will be meeting with some producers eventually, but im also considering producing the next album myself...scary stuff! Iwould love to return to working again with Andy in the future as we have such good chemistry, but when it all comes back round again to the more calm material.
2. Are you looking for any kind of record deal or are you happy self-releasing your own stuff?
I can't actually fund releasing another album myself. The only options would be to release through a label or just release as a download, which is not my cup of tea, but I will if I have to.
3. Was there any particular reason(s) in your decision to move to L.A.?
I just had to get out of London for a while. New project, new surroundings. Also, if I get signed it would be better if it was over here as I would stand more of a chance of getting releases in foreign territories.
4. We've heard the myspace demo's but can you tell us any more regarding your intension for 'Meatsuit' in terms of what it will sound like? (P.S. Is it any referance to Ed Gein / Texas Chainsaw Massacre / Silence of the Lambs by any chance?)
MEATSUIT is a way for me to get out the kind of material I have been itching to make forever. I've chosen to do it under a different name because I don't think it really sits with the rest of my releases, it's almost a step back on purpose. I've always wanted to make an album that is still deep, but more commited to all things gothic and angsty which i feel i missed out on by writing such adult music in my youth. I want to capture that angsty youth and commit to doing it properly before i get too old, ha ha, there's nothing worse than when bands grow old and comfortable and still make young angsty music. The name MEATSUIT is derived from the idea that all of us wear one in the form of our bodies rather than a guy who makes a suit out of skin - The Silence of the Lambs thing is not a bad image but it's not very layered. MEATSUIT can mean alot of things. It can be an insult or it can suggest the prescence of some kind of life spark inside.
5. For the more "techy" among us, what sort of setup (hardware, software.etc) do you use to record your demo's in your "home studio"?
Well the setup I use has been evolving over the process of these demo's. Ridiculously I started with just a laptop and Garageband, no microphone apart from the inbuilt one in the Mac book. Singing into the screen, facing my $30 amp into the screen and pressing record. Then I finally got a mic and an M-Audio digital convertor and just recently I upgraded to Logic 8 as it is so cheap over here. All programmed drums and bass and I use a Fender Baritone special guitar tuned to C and then in drop tuning.
6. On a personal note, will you ever release a studio quality (official) version of the track I like to call "Blessed"? I personally love the song and am sustaining myself with the radio demo. (The lyrics are; "I think that fate brought you to me, you are the single most beautiful thing I have ever seen, you make my skin feel alive, you drain me of all inpurities")
I do have a recording of the track you're talking about. It just never made it to Unholy, same as 'The Loathsome'. I never liked the way it came out - it was nearly right but not quite there. It was never titled so let's just call it Blessed from now on ay?
Martin Grech interviewed late 2007 via Myspace.
Martin Grech Official Facebook Page
Martin Grech Official Myspace page