Interview with Martin about his new album, “The Occupation of Hope”

“CHECK OUT THIS NEW INTERVIEW WITH MARTIN PAGE TALKING ABOUT HIS IMMINENT NEW RELEASE, ‘THE OCCUPATION OF HOPE’, HIS 2nd INSTRUMENTAL/AMBIENT ALBUM“ 

1.  It’s been three years since your last instrumental album, “The Amber of Memory”; what instigated the recording of a second ambient record for you?

MP:  I really enjoyed the process of recording, “The Amber of Memory”.  It was new territory for me.  I was forced into re-thinking the way I wrote and recorded – I was out of my comfort zone as a songwriter. Deeper themes and concepts became apparent in my composing.  “The Amber of Memory” was a meditation on the theme of “impermanence”, and I wanted to continue in this vein of experimentation.

2.  What’s different about this album from, “The Amber of Memory’?

MP:  The first thing that comes to mind is that every track has its own individual story / identity; each song lives in its own universe – there’s not an over arching theme on this record.  Secondly, it’s a tougher album; it has more of an edge than “Amber”. If there is a vague theme to “The Occupation of Hope”, it’s how we mistreat animals under the banner of scientific experimentation – a pet-peeve of mine.

3. Elaborate on that?

MP:  There is a very special track for me on the album called “Laika”.  It’s the tragic story of the first dog shot into space by the Soviet Union in 1959 in Sputnik 2.  She was a stray mongrel found on the streets of Moscow by the scientists.  She was to be the unknowing first living being to be put into orbit around the Earth – with no plan to bring her back alive – it was a suicide mission. The Russian scientists wanted to see how long a living being could survive in space.  And they wanted to be the first – ahead of the Americans.  For me she is the martyr for animals enduring excruciating horrific suffering in so-called scientific labs all around the world.  Laika died quite early after launch from overheating or asphyxiation – one can only imagine the terror she felt on lift off after being nurtured by the scientists she so eagerly grew to trust.  I recorded the track cinematically – with the sounds of the preparation for launch… and then the actual lift off – and flight.  I felt it was important to create for the listener the sheer terror and confusion the animal must have experienced nearing her lonely inevitable death.  ‘Laika” will always be a very special and important song/recording for me.

4.  There are other tracks on the album that make political and social statements… I’m thinking of “Trinity” and “Mothers of Beslan”.  Can you speak about them?

MP:  Yes.  I felt, with the album’s title, “The Occupation of Hope”, I had given myself some leeway to touch upon some subjects that were historically very meaningful and poignant to me, albeit they could be deeply disturbing and thought-provoking. “Trinity” reflects on the first detonation of an atomic bomb in 1945 in New Mexico, and how the world changed at that moment.  It was like naive children playing with something they didn’t quite understand, and how the consequences would affect the world forever.

“Mothers of Beslan” is about the school hostage crisis that took place in Russia back in 2004.  It was seen as a botched rescue mission by the authorities – including negligence and corruption and excessive force; many school children were killed among the 1,128 victims.  It was a massacre.  In the aftermath, a committee of mothers of the dead children was formed to investigate the tragedy.  The group met with Putin in 2005, and continue to this day to search for answers and the truth.  I found the story heart-wrenching… but within the despair of the mothers, I also felt an incredible sense of hope and resilience. Their determination to seek the truth inspired me greatly, and I wanted to put that to music somehow – to portray their unflinching strength in the face of adversity.

5.  The album opens with an incredible rhythmic barrage, with the track, “Samatva (Soldier of Peace)”.  Can you tell us about it?

MP:  It’s definitely a track born of sheer energy!  That was a fun track to write and develop.  I was listening to some of the great Gandhi’s speeches and something he said really struck me:  “There is an indefinable mysterious power that pervades everything, I feel it though I do not see it”.  That reminded me of the power of music and rhythm.  “Samatva” is a Buddhist term meaning equanimity.  I believe there are peaceful warriors in the world – promoting peace with great energy and fortitude.  Gandhi also said, “I see myself as a soldier – a soldier of peace”. When I heard that, this song started to be born.

6.  Besides interesting rhythms, there is also great beauty in, “The Occupation of Hope” – moments of sublime melody and mood.  Can you speak a little of this?

MP:  There are tracks on the new album like “Orphan”, “Walking With My Father” and “A Last Look”, that I think touch a rich, sensual place.  Melody and harmony for me are still the ruling Gods of music.  There’s another track called, “The Partings That Will Come”, in which I feel that, melodically, I stumble upon something a little mystical.  A suspension of mood is held with a revolving sequence of melodic phrases.  I was writing about the inevitability of parting from the things, the people we love.  And I think this track has a bitter-sweet beauty about it.  I’m very proud of its outcome.

7.  I believe you played all the instruments on “Hope”, right?

MP:  Yes, I plead guilty!  Once I knew I was writing an instrumental record, the ideas came quite thick and fast, and I needed to capture the moment and instinct.  I’m very fortunate to be surrounded in my home studio by a vast array of interesting instruments – both vintage and new.  And as a great deal of my instrumental work is improvised at first, I needed to plug in what was at hand and start recording instantly. I engineer myself as well in the studio, so the progression from first idea/concept to actual execution was quite seamless.  I’m afraid the “one-man band” ethos is still alive and kicking in me, it seems.

8.  I think I can hear a wide array of influences on, “The Occupation of Hope”, from the modern classical work of Arvo Part to the synthesized work of Jon Hopkins.  Am I right?

MP:  I take it as a huge compliment that you mention both these artists.  From the first time I heard Arvo Part, I was mesmerized by his distillation of pure spirit.  He’s incredibly hard to analyze because his work is totally unique and is, at its very heart, religious devotion – a total dedication to sublime reverence in musical form.  Arvo takes the minimalism and simplicity of medieval chant song for his inspiration, and from that comes something extraordinary.  He infuses his music – his composition technique –  with mathematics as well, and as we know, numbers can be beautiful too.  When I do sit down to try and write beauty, Arvo Part’s work is never far from my mind.

9.  How did you come up with the title, “The Occupation of Hope”?  It evokes many interpretations.

MP:  I often have titles of albums written down well before I compose the music… again here with “Occupation”, this was the case.  I know in my reading, if I come across a phrase that strikes me, I get out my little black book and it’s immediately entered. I’m a lover of interesting titles – always have been.  As an avid record collector in my youth, I always gravitated toward esoteric and mystical titles, even if I hadn’t heard the music.  I was prone to buying a record with a great title and cover.  For example, “Tales of Topographic Oceans”, “Selling England By The Pound”, “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”,  etc.  Same with books and movies; titles stir the initial spark of investigation for me, and rarely have I been let down.

10. What do you hope people will take away from, “The Occupation of Hope”?

MP:  Emotion and spirit, a feeling of honesty;  A sense of something real.

Martin’s new instrumental album, “The Occupation of Hope”, will be released on November 15th.

A Kindred Spirit: David J. Knight

Well it’s not every day you bump into someone you think you’ve known all your life.  That happened to me back on November 18^th, 2017.  I was visiting a very interesting conference at UCLA called, “Sound and the Sacred” – a conference that was part of the Medieval and Renaissance Studies.  I often pop in when the conferences spark my interest, and this particular one certainly did, as it was dealing with music within sacred spaces, churches, cathedrals, etc., and I’m a sucker for choral music.  I noticed that one of the speakers had a Southampton University connection – my original hometown.  David Knight was to give a lecture on “Sensory Reflections Of San Vitale; From Sixth-Century Ostrogothic Ravenna, to Dante and Beyond”.  Now don’t ask me what all that means because I have no f—–g idea, but I did sense that I was going to learn something fascinating from my Southampton-connection man – and I did.  I was determined to meet this lad, so, wearing my ‘Saints’ Southampton football-team training jacket, I introduced myself before he spoke.  To say that we hit it off is a huge understatement; we clicked like long lost brothers.  David hails from Canada, but spent a great deal of time in my home town as an Archeologist at the City University; my memories and David’s memories of Southampton and the surrounding rural area, The New Forest, got us chatting away like family members remembering our shared linked past.  And David just happens to be the archetypal Renaissance man; his myriad of great talents touch upon music making, photography, graphic design, book authorship, historian and most everything that falls under the wide definition of Art!

Without making this too long-winded (I could write a book about this gentleman), we decided to stay in touch after the conference and, needless to say, we became great friends. The more I looked into David’s work, the more I was enchanted by it; I had stumbled upon a great creator.  When I saw some of David’s drawings, I was knocked back by his great sensitivity and finesse and feeling, which prompted me to eventually ask David if he’d draw a portrait of me (it had always been on my ‘wish list’).  He graciously agreed.  That’s what you see here:

David’s intimate rendition of ‘yours truly’ – done with pencil (a variety of different grades) and a light water wash with brush!  It now hangs in my little library room.  David then became my official ‘Painter of the Senses’ – a term I don’t use lightly.  He has been regularly providing me with mesmerizing images for my many future albums-in-the-works.  He is a profound creative experimenter and much of what he is providing me with artistically, relates to my music psychologically and emotionally.

I wanted to introduce the prolific Mr. Knight to you all today, and share with you his insightful personal portrait of me – something I’m very proud of.  You will be seeing a lot more of his visions and images in my future album releases, in particular, in my imminent new release, “The Amber of Memory”.

Please check out the links below to David’s kaleidoscope of work and interests, and please feel free to reach out to him … he welcomes inspiration.  And P.S.:  he’s about to release his own solo album of music (I’m fortunate to have been privy to hearing it come together).  The music, like the man, is universal, inspiring and beautifully challenging, and I’m still baffled – what CAN’T this guy do?  But most of all, and what counts is that he’s a generous, caring soul with a massive big heart.

So Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you…. David J. Knight – Painter of the Senses.

Cheers everybody.

– Martin

David J. Knight Links:

David’s artist page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DavidJohnathanKnight/

Artist/Author/Archaeologist website: http://davidjknight.weebly.com

Academic writings: http://soton.academia.edu/DavidKnight

Experimental publications: Fenylalanine Publishing https://fenylalanine.wordpress.com

Book publications (Vocamus Editions): https://vocamus.net/press/genres/editions-novels/cromaboo-mail-carrier

and (The History Press): “King Lucius of Britain”: https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/publication/king-lucius-of-britain/9780752445724/

3/14/07 – First Post

Well, here we are at last — my first official blog.  It does feel good to be reaching out to you (whoever you may be) after all this time!  With the release of my new album just around the corner, it goes without saying that these are exciting times for me….and what a pleasure it is to be finally one-on-one with you.

The new album, “IN THE TEMPLE OF THE MUSE”, was recorded with many of the same musicians and friends that helped me out with my first album, “IN THE HOUSE OF STONE AND LIGHT”:  Neil Taylor (Tears For Fears, and now working with Robbie Williams); Brian Fairweather (my partner from my Q-Feel days); Jack Hues (Wang Chung); and Bill Dillon (of Robbie Robertson, Sarah McLachlan, Peter Gabriel fame) all helped out on guitars.  I was lucky enough to again have Jimmy Copley on live drums.  He’s well known for his work with Tears For Fears, Go West, Jeff Beck and Paul Rogers.  So I had an excellent supporting cast, yet again, to make me look good.  The remaining instruments, and all the vocals, were played or performed by yours truly.  It was a great adventure to play everything from Spanish nylon guitar to 5-string bass to all manor of keyboards.

I also took the liberty to engineer and mix the album myself at home.  As always, my demos were the fundamental root of all the recorded songs, and I believe the rough, organic mood in which these songs were recorded shows the songs off in their true spirit.  As the new songs were very personal, I wanted a rawness and spontaneity to be present in the home recordings.  I used a great deal of vintage analog equipment to achieve this.  I’m a great believer that demos are masters, and that the studio should be a church of creativity and pure emotion, and not a sterile factory.  In many ways, that’s why I chose the title of the new album, “IN THE TEMPLE OF THE MUSE” (which, by the way, was the name of a famous book shop in London back, I believe, in Lord Byron’s, Shelley’s and Wordsworth’s time):  Many of the songs were written, and recorded in the studio simultaneously.

Anyway, the release of the new work is, as I mentioned, just around the corner.  Artwork and design, photos, electric press kits, etc., etc., are all being finalized as we speak, so …… we are nearly there.  This is the first release on my own independent label, IRONINGBOARD RECORDS, and I must say, it has been fun doing it myself….a terrific feeling of freedom.  Taking the responsibility to make choices that are usually not allowed the artists by the major (corporate) record labels, has been refreshing and rewarding – something I needed to do at this stage of my career.

Ultimately, it’s all about the songs for me – their emotions and their message.  From as early as I can remember, the song was everything … and still is to me.  Having said that, I’ll finish my first official blog and get back to the home studio, and of course to the all-important cup of tea (I am English, after all).   Thanks for listening.  Speak to you soon.

Martin.

12.8.2016 – A Letter to Love

From: Martin Page

‘Hopeful House’

Lake Everywhere

The World

Dear Love,

I’ve been wanting to write to you for some time now, … but you know how it is – busy, busy, busy.

Just wanted to say we miss you.  I know you’re busy too – my goodness, you must be spread so thin … you’re so much in demand these days.  Everybody and their uncle wants a piece of you.

So how have you been?  Rumor has it you still make appearances on special occasions.  Hey, you know that awful chap – what’s his name?  “Hate,” yeah that’s him ….. I do hope you can continue to right his wrongs.  I know it’s a big job – but only you can do it.

Yes, it’s nearly Christmas again – doesn’t time fly.  I’m praying that you’re able to spread your influence a little.  The young and the innocent, the old and the infirm, and of course, the lonely:  I’m sure they all are just longing to say hello to you personally.  And let’s not forget the terrible war zones all over the world; your exquisite acquaintance is most, most welcome and needed there.

And I just have to say, Love (and yes I’m gushing a touch here!), … whenever and wherever you appear, well, you always look so well put together, well attired, elegant – just so damn beautiful!  You never, never age, do you!  When you enter a room everybody notices you; you resolutely, magnificently “shine”.  Such charisma!

Well, I better finish now – the kettle is boiling.  I just wanted to drop you a quick line to let you know that you are always welcome to stop on by anytime.  An empty chair is always waiting by the fire.  It’s Christmas time, so please don’t be a stranger.

We so, so enjoy your company – need you, and cherish you.

Yours Sincerely,

Martin x

 

MR. BEAR CELEBRATES HIS 17TH BIRTHDAY!

Mr. Bear, the last remaining furry member of the Page family, as it were, has just reached his 17th birthday – a landmark achievement. I witnessed his birth – he was the last one of the litter to come out– the biggest and slowest one, and even at his senior age, he remains the sweetest innocent – incredibly devoted and unconditionally loving. With his proud dad and a little company, he celebrated his day with great aplomb!

Mr. Bear – IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY!

All tuckered out.

1.5.2015 – Books are Spaceships

I must have inherited my love of books from my mother, who – throughout her life – always had a book by her side.

The older I get, the more I enjoy reading.  As the world gets faster, I’m able to slow it down a little by “getting into” a good book.  It’s like stopping time for me – I can get lost for a while in some other drama, inside some other adventure – stepping back or forward in time – studying, learning, experiencing something other than my own existence – removed from the gravity of my normal daily, fast-paced routine.  As Susan Sontag has said, “Books are like spaceships”; they allow us to travel into different worlds and to escape on so many levels.  Books do that for me.… and, of course, they have also inspired many, many songs over the course of my career.

When I found the confidence to express the deeper side of my nature in my songs, books became the key to my inspiration.  “In The House of Stone and Light” was written after visiting and reading about the Grand Canyon; “The Door” (from the same album) was inspired by a book I read about the Nazi concentration camp in Treblinka; “I Guess I Will” and “Everything You Do” were fuelled by my heavy reading of Buddhist philosophy (both songs were featured in the “In The Temple of The Muse” CD).  In fact, the title, “In The Temple of The Muse” was based on an actual book shop that existed in London during the Romantic Poets period.  From the same LP, “Mi Morena” appeared to me after extensive reading of the great Chilean love poet, Pablo Neruda, and, over the years, many of my love songs have been informed by the reading of such Romantic poets as Keats and Lord Byron (I’m a sucker for the dark, melancholic sadness and sentiment that these great poets invoke).  “I Was Made For You” is a song that also pulls from that era of romance.  I love reading all manner of subjects, but history in particular has always had a tight hold on me.  I revere good songs that also allude to an actual occurrence in history – as many folk songs do.  “Story songs” based on true events (or old, traditional folklore) are not the easiest to compose – especially if you’re trying to keep it reasonably commercial (or contemporary).  Back in the 1900’s, Music Hall and Vaudeville did a wonderful job of creating songs that not only told stories of historical events, but were able to do so while still remaining entertaining and catchy – sometimes even with humor.  What skill those writers had!

Quite recently, I’ve been able to build a home library – one of the true delights of my life.  It has become a resource for many of my new songs – a laboratory I visit daily to stir the brain into creative activity.

So, in short, reading a book does a multitude of things for me:  it slows me down, focuses me, takes me away, informs and teaches me, broadens my horizons and turns me on to new song ideas and concepts.  And turning the pages of a book – with great anticipation of what the next page will reveal – is like reaching for the next chord on a guitar or piano/keyboard…. you’re never quite sure what magic awaits the eyes and ears.

Cheers.

 

– Martin

“Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend.

 Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read”.

                                         – Groucho Marx

 

“Books are solitudes in which we meet.”

                                         – Rebecca Solnit

 

 

Christmas wishes and footie pics

Hello there everybody – thought I’d share with you some candid pics (and 2 amateur video excerpts) from the Remembrance soccer game in which I recently played.  It was a special day.  Just before the match, all of the players stood in a circle and I was asked (as were a few of the other players) and honored to read an excerpt from a poem written by England’s Poet Laureate about the First World War armistice, followed by us all observing a minute of silence in memory of the fallen.  My grandfather, Arthur Richard Page, had fought in the trenches during WWI and eventually lost both of his legs from gangrene due to “trench foot” – commonly contracted then from standing for long hours in water-soaked trenches.  So, the game held special meaning for me remembering my grandfather, who, incidentally, shared the same birthday as me.  It was a 4-4 draw, which was a perfect result – a contest keenly fought with great (albeit competitive) bonhomie.

I’d also like to take this opportunity to wish you all happy holidays and a happy new year.  Thank you for your solid support and friendship.  I hope to have a new album out in 2015 (fingers crossed!) – that’s my goal!!  So, once again, let me wish you all a healthy, happy and peaceful holiday season.

Cheers, Martin.

 

Reading the poem and observing a moment of silence before the game.

 

Page with opposing team’s Goalie after game – photo-bombed by Jim Piddock, British comedic actor

 

 

 

With Barry Venison, former English International, at end of game

 

12.12.14 – Football unites Business, Hollywood and Royalty in remembrance

Originally posted by Dan Rutstein on 12.10.2014. Click here for the original article.

Figures from the US and British creative scene, Business, Hollywood and Royalty came together to play football, and to remember

Only in Los Angeles would you get a former Gladiator, a TV presenter, actors and musicians on the same football pitch as venture capitalists, bankers, tax advisors and a member of the Royal Family.

But that’s what happened here on a special day that saw football bring this disparate group together to commemorate the centenary of the Christmas Truce.

With at least half a dozen of the players losing a grandparent, or great uncle in the First World War, it was poignant to be gathering on the other side of the world to pay our respects.

On a day Prince William, the president of the Football Association who are spearheading the Football Remembers campaign, touched down on the East Coast, we gathered together on the West Coast.

Our match, which began with a reading of excerpts of the Poet Laureate’s Christmas Truce poem, was a chance for a BAFTA-backed team to join the business and diplomatic community in remembering those that fell and the power of football to unite.

The story of the Christmas Truce, thanks to matches like these and the campaign more widely, is now being told and retold to a wider audience.

The message of peace and goodwill that was generated when the warring sides left their trenches for carol singing, football matches and to trade gifts not bullets is a valuable lesson in history.

Embassies and consulates around the globe have organised events – football matches and educational seminars – to promote these messages of unity and goodwill, and of remembrance.

We did it in California by having a BAFTA/Hollywood team take on businessmen.

The game ended 4-4, giving former England international, and now California resident, Barry Venison plenty of choice from which to select his goal of the match.

Normally I spend my time working with exporters to the US and with American investors in the UK.

And I use my blogs to write about this.

And as, technically, BAFTA are involved with creative exports and the tax advisor on my team advises potential investors in the UK, I think this still qualifies.

Sport is many things to many people but today it brought a cross-section of LA society together to remember something important. Our small contribution to a global message of unity and of commemoration.

 

To view a poignant reenactment of what happened that extraordinary day in 1914, view the video below:

A Temper of Peace and an Extraordinary Commitment

A Temper of Peace and an Extraordinary Commitment

By Martin Page

Martin Page, acclaimed songwriter, has included The Huntington in his estate plans.

As a professional songwriter and artist, I’m always searching for that elusive elixir of inspiration, that spark that ignites ideas for songs. The Huntington is the place I go to open the mind, free the spirit, and break open the dam of creativity.

I was first introduced to The Huntington by my manager, Diane Poncher, around the time I was writing my first two number one hits with Elton John’s lyricist, Bernie Taupin—”We Built This City” (Starship) and “These Dreams” (Heart)—and I was immediately aware that I had found my second home…away from the busy, stressful, overactive music studios of Los Angeles.

I originally came from England, where nature—green fields and trees, the New Forest National Park—surrounded my childhood, so to come to The Huntington was a little like returning home, to a place that fed my soul with beauty and peace.

My recently released solo album was largely created in my mind while strolling The Huntington grounds. In fact, The Huntington graciously allowed me to use an image of their wonderful sculpture, “Day” by Paul Howard Manship, as the album cover. The album’s title, “A Temper of Peace” (a temperance of peace), is what I am able to attain while strolling the grounds, which I do at least twice a week. It’s where I tune my soul.

It’s rare to discover havens that feed the intellect and heal the human condition—places that offer health and wholesome reflection. The Huntington is one such unique place, and I can’t think of a better institution to support. I am extremely proud to be part of its Heritage Society.

The Huntington is grateful to Martin for his farsighted generosity.

 

 

8.27.2014 – Waiting to Be Born

It’s a curious thought – how many songs does a songwriter have inside him/her – waiting to come out – waiting to be born?

I’ve been fortunate – up to now; I’ve never suffered from “writer’s block”.  It does seem like such a terrifying debilitating disease, doesn’t it – the freezing of one’s creativity.  Horrible thought!

Of course, not having writer’s block doesn’t mean that everything you write will be wonderful – I can certainly attest to that, but just the simple fact of getting a song written and finished is, in itself, a massive accomplishment in my book.  The birth of a song is a rather miraculous deed in my mind.  How, out of thin air, can come/emerge this thing, this noise and organization of notes and harmony out of the ether, out of the void.  Pretty damn weird – this human need to express oneself in sound, melody, lyric … to formulate a piece known simply as a song … a communication of spirit, I suppose, an organized utterance – made for the ears!! … and for the soul.

For me – even at this rather mature stage of my career – I feel filled up, absolutely chock-full – even engorged to bursting point, with songs waiting to be given life.  My challenge has always been to finish the songs I’m on … rather than to let the next one spew forth.  A nice problem to have, you may say, but sometimes for me it causes a traffic-jam of songs waiting for their moment in the sun.  I can get lost in the barrage of ideas pushing to get out!  It requires diligence to stay focused on the songs at hand, and to hold back the deluge at the floodgates.

There is not a better feeling in the world than finishing, wrapping-up a song.  It’s like putting a frame on a picture or painting – suddenly the work is completed … DONE!!!  – Sewn up – locked down – ended – DONE!!!  Lovely feeling.  And only the author can really say when his or her work is done – that’s just the true law of creative work.  It’s a powerful motivating force to a songwriter to get out what he knows is fermenting, brewing inside him.  Will the next song be “the one”? an undeniable gem of excellence? the special tune for which the world has been waiting?  That’s largely what keeps us going … not knowing if the next “child” that is born of melody, rhythm and harmony is to be unique, built to last and inspire … to generate reverence and accolades.

It’s a wonderful task – the task of allowing your creative juices to flow.  But I do call it a task, because you have to constantly be working, striving, sympathetically building the architecture of a song.  Very, very, very rarely does a song appear that doesn’t require some measure of “mothering” or nurturing of sorts.

But again, how many songs do I have inside me – that I can get out before kicking the proverbial bucket?  It’s obviously un-measurable.  I’m satisfied to know and feel that there are a lot more songs inside me – straining, begging, for their liberation.

Cheers.

– Martin

“Without music life would be a mistake”

              – Friedrich Nietzche