Jim Martin (musician)

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Jim Martin
Birth nameJames Blanco Martin
Born (1961-07-21) July 21, 1961 (age 62)
Hayward, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)Guitar
Years active
  • 1979–2002
  • 2011
  • 2013
  • 2014
Formerly of

James Blanco Martin (born July 21, 1961) [1] is an American guitarist who played with the rock band Faith No More from 1983 to late 1993.

Contents

Career

In the early 1980s, Martin played guitar in the thrash metal band Vicious Hatred. [2]

Faith No More

Martin joined Faith No More in 1983, four years after the group's formation. He played on the albums We Care a Lot , Introduce Yourself , their breakthrough record The Real Thing , with new vocalist Mike Patton replacing Chuck Mosley, and Angel Dust .

Following the release of Angel Dust, Martin left the group for reasons that remain unknown. On his now-defunct website, Martin stated[ citation needed ] that The Real Thing was FNM's ideal album, both in the creative process and the subsequent touring. The musical about-face that the band took with Angel Dust, including the change in focus from guitars to vocals, did not sit well with him. [3] The extent to which Martin did or did not contribute to songwriting and recording on Angel Dust is a subject that the band for years never directly addressed, except to recognize his major influence on the track "Jizzlobber". [4]

In an October 2016 PopMatters interview, Faith No More bassist, Billy Gould, addressed the controversy head-on about whether studio musicians or Martin played on Angel Dust: [3]

"No studio musicians. He played, but the writing process was extremely difficult because he wasn't really much of a fan of the music. He wasn't really behind it. He wasn't really into it. So it was a tough process. I mean, I think, really, we realized that he wasn't going to continue while we were making that record because he was just on a different musical page."

Martin said in an interview, "My publicized 'not being into' Angel Dust was all about the way the whole process went down. There was a lot of weird pressure to follow up The Real Thing, and as a consequence, the album Angel Dust was more contrived musically than I thought was necessary." [5]

FNM fired Martin by fax on November 30, 1993, after the band had not progressed as they would have liked in rehearsals and songwriting. As an indication of the gulf that had formed between Martin and the rest of the group, they had recorded and released "Another Body Murdered" (with Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E., for the Judgment Night soundtrack) without his participation. Similarly, Martin produced and recorded material for the film Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey without the participation of other members of FNM. Producer Matt Wallace later mentioned in The Real Story (a biographical book about Faith No More) that the death of Martin's father was a factor in the guitarist's departure. [6]

On February 18, 2009, Blabbermouth [7] announced that Martin would not be participating in the rumored Faith No More reunion tour. On February 23, Mike Patton confirmed that the band would be reuniting for a string of European tour dates. [8] [9] Two days later, Gould identified the lineup for the tour, which excluded Martin. [10]

Other projects

Martin's only solo album to date is entitled Milk and Blood (1997), on which he covers his former band's song "Surprise! You're Dead", from The Real Thing.

Martin toured as lead guitarist with punk band Fang between 1998 and 2000.

In 2011, Martin joined Metallica onstage with Gary Rossington, Pepper Keenan, and Jerry Cantrell to play "Tuesday's Gone" as part of the band's thirtieth-anniversary shows. In 2013, he played guitar for the Infectious Grooves reunion at Orion Music + More festival at Belle Isle in Detroit, Michigan. [11]

Film appearance

In 1991, Martin appeared in Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey as "Sir James Martin, head of the Faith No More Spiritual and Theological Center" in the future. Martin's only lines in the film were "Station!" and "What a shithead".

Discography

As a band member

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faith No More</span> American rock band

Faith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1979. Before September 1983, the band performed under the names Sharp Young Men and later Faith No Man. Bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist/rhythm guitarist Roddy Bottum and drummer Mike Bordin are the longest-remaining members of the band, having been involved since its inception. The band underwent several early lineup changes, and some major changes later. The lineup of Faith No More consists of Gould, Bordin, Bottum, lead guitarist Jon Hudson, and vocalist/lyricist Mike Patton.

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The Real Thing is the third studio album by American rock band Faith No More, released on June 20, 1989, by Slash and Reprise Records. It is the first album to feature singer Mike Patton, following the dismissal of previous vocalist Chuck Mosley. On this album, Faith No More continued to advance their sound range, combining funk metal, rap metal and alternative rock.

<i>Angel Dust</i> (Faith No More album) 1992 studio album by Faith No More

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuck Mosley</span> American musician (1959–2017)

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William David Gould is an American musician and producer. He is best known as the bassist of Faith No More.

<i>Introduce Yourself</i> 1987 studio album by Faith No More

Introduce Yourself is the second studio album by American rock band Faith No More, released in 1987. Due to the limited availability of the first album, We Care a Lot, many, including the band, once considered this Faith No More's true debut album. Being the group's major label debut, this album features better production than its predecessor, which is most evident on this album's version of the song "We Care a Lot," which also features updated, more topical, lyrics. It is the final album to feature vocalist Chuck Mosley before he was fired from Faith No More in 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Bordin</span> American drummer

Michael Andrew Bordin is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the rock band Faith No More. He has amicably been known as "Puffy", "Puffster" or "The Puff", in reference to the afro hair style he wore in the early 1980s. The nicknames were coined by Faith No More guitarist Jim Martin, and they stuck around even after he grew out his hair and tied it in dreadlocks, a trademark look he has worn for most of his career.

<i>Album of the Year</i> (Faith No More album) 1997 studio album by Faith No More

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<i>We Care a Lot</i> 1985 studio album by Faith No More

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King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime is the fifth studio album by American rock band Faith No More, released on March 13, 1995, by Slash and Reprise Records. It was their first album recorded without longtime guitarist Jim Martin. The album showcased a variety of musical genres, with Rolling Stone calling the result a "genre shuffle". King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime spawned three singles: "Digging the Grave", "Ricochet" and "Evidence".

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Sol Invictus is the seventh studio album by American rock band Faith No More, released on May 19, 2015. It was Faith No More's first studio album following 1997's Album of the Year, marking the longest gap between two studio albums in their career, and their first release on Reclamation Records. Sol Invictus was also the band's first album since 1992's Angel Dust to feature the same lineup as its predecessor.

References

  1. ↑ Godley, Di (September 19, 1990). "Amazin' Faith". Smash Hits . Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved August 23, 2008.
  2. ↑ "Digital Videos - Episodes (TV Series) - VH1". VH1. Archived from the original on December 13, 2007. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  3. 1 2 Maçek III, J.C. (October 14, 2016). "Adding Spice Amid the Chaos, an Interview With Faith No More's Billy Gould". PopMatters .
  4. ↑ Bowar, Chad (November 13, 2012). "Ex-Faith No More Guitarist Jim Martin Breaks Decade-Long Silence to Answer Fan Questions". Loudwire .
  5. ↑ "Former Faith No More Guitarist Jim Martin Answers Fan-Submitted Questions". Blabbermouth.net. November 13, 2012. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  6. ↑ Chirazi, Steffan (1994). The Real Story. Castle Communications. ISBN   1-898141-15-0.
  7. ↑ "Guitarist Jim Martin Not Taking Part in Rumored Faith No More Reunion". Blabbermouth. Archived from the original on February 21, 2009.
  8. ↑ "Faith No More Reunion 'Confirmed' By Mike Patton's Publicist". BlabberMouth. Archived from the original on February 27, 2009.
  9. ↑ "2007: The Year in PopWatch". December 28, 2007. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Faith No More Officially Confirms Reunion Plans; Band Lineup Revealed". BlabberMouth. Archived from the original on February 28, 2009.
  11. ↑ Blabbermouth (June 9, 2013). "Video: Infectious Grooves Reunion Featuring Ex-Faith No More Guitarist Jim Martin". blabbermouth.net. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
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