Tony Martino (singer)

Last updated

Tony Martino
Tony Martino (2 May 2005).jpg
Tony Martino
Background information
OriginChicago, Illinois, United States
GenresPop, Rock, Acoustic
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, record producer
Instrument(s)Guitar, keyboard, piano, electro-theremin, programming
Years active2004–present
Website www.therarestkind.com

Tony Martino is a singer-songwriter and record producer from Chicago. Martino is also the primary singer-songwriter and producer for his new side-project formed in 2017, The Rarest Kind, [1] a group with a "revolving member" format in which he is the only official and permanent member. His songs have been featured in several television shows, including the "Ghost Whisperer" on CBS, MTV's "The Real World" and "Road Rules", and many others the Discovery Channel and Sy-Fy.. He has also received critical acclaim and other mentions in major media publications and music magazines such as the Daily Herald, San Francisco Chronicle, Amplifier Magazine, and Performing Songwriter Magazine. Martino is also known for his upfront opinions on various music-related topics. He was quoted in The Wall Street Journal discussing the controversial use of Auto-Tune recording software. [2] Academy Award and Emmy Award-nominated musician, Adam Schlesinger of the pop/rock band Fountains Of Wayne, also praised Martino's music in an article Schlesinger penned in The New York Times, stating, "I get handed stuff almost every day. I try to listen to all of it – 99 percent is garbage. But every so often you get something that stands out...This is a guy with incredible potential." [3]

Contents

Biography

Martino acts as the primary producer on all of his recordings and plays the majority of the instruments except for the drums. Some of the notable guest drummers and musicians on his solo recordings include Doug Corella of the Verve Pipe, Steve Gillis (formerly of the rock group Filter) and Andy Kubiszewski of Stabbing Westward and Exotic Birds. He has also co-produced some of his songs with Brit Awards-nominated record producer, Ed Buller (Suede, Pulp, etc.) [4] As a teenager in 2004, Martino independently secured a distribution deal through Koch Records and released multiple singles on the adult album alternative radio format in the United States where he gained enough airplay to be named the "Artist of the Month" for the entire AAA radio format, however, no tour ever commenced to support the album as Martino was still in high school at the time. [5] In 2007, Martino was part of a very short-lived band called "The Martino Conspiracy" that briefly toured throughout mid-2007 and early 2008. The band recorded one official album titled "Hope In Isolation" (co-produced by Martino and Ed Buller) and achieved national radio airplay on the Hot AC radio format with a released single titled "Just Don't Know". The single charted in the top 100 national radio airplay chart for the Hot/AC format in February 2007. Unfortunately, however, the band unexpectedly disbanded while in the middle of the tour and before the album was ever officially released. [6] In late 2009, Martino was selected by ASCAP as only one of only fourteen up and coming songwriters out of several hundred submissions nationally to partake in their prestigious annual Lester Sill Songwriter's Workshop. [7]

Due to injury, Martino was on hiatus from the music industry from late-2010 until re-emerging in late 2016 with news of new music. In late 2017, debuted a new music video for a song called "Just A Ride We're On" that was briefly available on Youtube under the project name "The Rarest Kind" and of which the online music blog "A&R Factory" gave a positive review. [8] As of March 2019, Martino is in Nashville recording the debut album for a new project called "The Rarest Kind, " [1] with some of the early tracks having already been mixed by renowned engineer/producers Mark Needham (Imagine Dragons, The Killers, Fleetwood Mac, etc.) and Brian Malouf (Michael Jackson, Pearl Jam, Madonna, etc.), and with Brad Pemberton, formerly of Ryan Adams & The Cardinals, guesting on drums. Martino is also writing songs for other artists. [9]

Discography

Studio albums

Unofficial Releases

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Hi-Fi</span> American rock band

American Hi-Fi is an American rock band formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1998. The band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Stacy Jones, lead guitarist Jamie Arentzen, bassist and backing vocalist Drew Parsons, and drummer Brian Nolan. Prior to the group's formation, Jones was well known for being a drummer in the successful alternative rock bands Veruca Salt and Letters to Cleo. American Hi-Fi has a close relationship with Miley Cyrus, whose band shares two members with American Hi-Fi. The group has a mixed musical style that includes influences from pop-punk, alternative rock, and power pop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin Hayward</span> British musician, lead singer and guitarist of the Moody Blues

David Justin Hayward is an English musician. He was the guitarist and frontman of the rock band the Moody Blues from 1966 until that group's dissolution in 2018. He became the group's principal vocalist and its most prolific songwriter over the 1967–1974 period, and composed several international hit singles for the band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne Preven</span> Musical artist

Anne Preven is an American songwriter, musician, and record producer. As a member of the alternative rock band Ednaswap, she co-wrote "Torn" which was covered by Lis Sørensen (Danish), Trine Rein (Norwegian), and then Natalie Imbruglia (Australian) whose version became a worldwide number one airplay song, spending 11 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay Chart in the US. "Torn" has sold an estimated four million copies, it is certified platinum in three countries, and was declared the "number one radio single of the 1990s" by radio personality Rick Dees. As a songwriter, Preven has collaborated with some of the music industry's top artists including Madonna, Beyoncé, Katy Perry, Sinéad O'Connor, Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Jordin Sparks, Zac Brown Band, Pnau, Andy Grammer, Lea Michele, Pixie Lott, and Westlife.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelly Willis</span> American country music singer-songwriter

Kelly Diane Willis is an American country music singer-songwriter, whose music has been described as alternative country and new traditionalist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Just the Girl</span> 2005 single by the Click Five

"Just the Girl" is a song by American rock band the Click Five. It was released on June 13, 2005, as the first single from their debut studio album, Greetings from Imrie House (2005). The band formed in Boston and were managed by talent scout Wayne Sharp, who assisted in signing the band to Lava Records. "Just the Girl" was composed by songwriter Adam Schlesinger, best-known for his work with Fountains of Wayne, as well as his career in film and television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toby Gad</span> German songwriter and producer (born 1968)

Tobias "Toby" Gad is a German music producer and songwriter based in Los Angeles. He is known for co-writing songs including John Legend's biggest hit, "All of Me," the fifth-highest certified single in RIAA history, and for co-writing and producing "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Fergie and "If I Were a Boy" by Beyoncé. Other notable works include "Skyscraper" for Demi Lovato, "Who You Are" for Jessie J, "Untouched" for The Veronicas, "A Year Without Rain" for Selena Gomez & the Scene, "Don't Hold Your Breath" for Nicole Scherzinger, "Love You More" for JLS, and "I Do" for Colbie Caillat.

Kill Kenada is a British rock music group from Bognor Regis, England, formed in 2001 and inspired by Fugazi, Pavement, Sonic Youth, Pixies, Urusei Yatsura, At the Drive-In, and others. The band's name is a reference to the character Shotaro Kaneda (Akira). The name Kill Kenada was chosen by accident, when lead singer Tim Smithen accidentally misspelled Kaneda, and the incorrect spelling has been maintained.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Despedida</span> 2010 song performed by Daddy Yankee

"La Despedida" is a single by Puerto Rican reggaeton singer Daddy Yankee. It is the third official single released on August 4, 2010 from his album Daddy Yankee Mundial. The official remix of the song features American singer Tony Dize. This song resembles his other song ¿Qué Tengo Que Hacer?. The music video also resembles his other song's music video Llamado de Emergencia.

<i>Oh! Gravity.</i> 2006 album by Switchfoot

Oh! Gravity. is the sixth album by the San Diego based alternative rock band Switchfoot. It was released on December 26, 2006. It was Switchfoot's last album released through Columbia Records and Sony BMG.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goldspot</span> American band

Goldspot is a New York–based band. Founded by singer/songwriter/producer and television and film composer Siddhartha Khosla, the group has since received critical acclaim for its debut album Tally of the Yes Men (Tally) and second album And The Elephant is Dancing. The band released its third full-length, Aerogramme, in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ivyrise</span> British rock band

Ivyrise is a British rock band originating in Portsmouth, England formed by Ben Falinski in 2009.

<i>New 80s Musik</i> 2008 studio album by Jack Lucien

New 80s Musik is the debut album of British singer Jack Lucien. It did not chart in the United Kingdom and briefly appeared on the charts in France and Spain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denny DeMarchi</span> Canadian musician (1962–2020)

Denny DeMarchi was a Canadian musician best known as a keyboardist and singer-songwriter. He was also a guitarist, backing vocalist, audio engineer and record producer. DeMarchi played with the Irish band the Cranberries during their reunion tour (2009–11), and also performed with Dolores O'Riordan as her keyboardist and guitarist during her solo world tour in 2007. He played the signature keyboard notes for the 1990 No. 1 Billboard hit song "More Than Words Can Say" by the band Alias, which features his brother, Steve on guitar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milow</span> Belgian musician

Jonathan Ivo Gilles Vandenbroeck, known professionally as Milow, is a Belgian singer-songwriter. Milow released his debut album, The Bigger Picture, in 2006 on his own label Homerun Records. The fourth single from that album, "You Don't Know," became one of the biggest hit singles of the year in Belgium in 2007, and The Bigger Picture stayed on the Belgian album chart for 110 weeks. However, it was not until his second self-released album Coming of Age in 2008, that Milow achieved major commercial success all over mainland Europe. The album peaked at number three on the German Album Top 50 chart, at number four in the Swiss Album Top 100, and peaked in the top twenty of many European charts. The album reached platinum in Germany and Switzerland, it reached gold in France, the Netherlands, and Belgium, and it sold over 500,000 copies in mainland Europe and Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harvest Home (song)</span> 1982 single by Big Country

"Harvest Home" is the debut single of the Scottish band Big Country. It was first released as a single in September 1982 and later included on the band's debut album The Crossing in re-recorded form.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Ostrander</span> American singer-songwriter

Joshua Keith Ostrander, also known as Mondo Cozmo, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is now based in Los Angeles, California. His solo music has been described as "chorus-heavy folk-rock."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brett Eldredge</span> American musician and producer (born 1986)

Brett Ryan Eldredge is an American country music singer, songwriter and record producer, signed to Warner Music Group Nashville. Eldredge has had five No. 1 singles on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, three of which came from his debut album, Bring You Back: "Don't Ya", "Beat of the Music", and "Mean to Me".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MNEK</span> English singer, songwriter and record producer (born 1994)

Uzoechi Osisioma "Uzo" Emenike, professionally known by his stage name MNEK, is an English singer, songwriter and record producer. He has been nominated for a Grammy and a Brit Award, and has received the ASCAP Vanguard Award. His writing and production credits include H.E.R., Jax Jones, Zara Larsson, Little Mix, Dua Lipa, FLO, Sugababes, Clean Bandit, Julia Michaels, Craig David, Christina Aguilera, Becky Hill, Selena Gomez, Years & Years, Kylie Minogue, Beyoncé, Hailee Steinfeld, Madonna, KSI, Mabel and Twice.

The Rarest Kind is the pseudonym for the new pop rock project formed in late-2017 by Chicago-based Songwriter/Producer Tony Martino. Martino's songs have previously been featured in television shows such as the "Ghost Whisperer" on CBS, MTV's "The Real World" and "Road Rules", Discovery Channel's "Dr. G: Medical Examiner" and many others. He has also received critical acclaim and other mentions in major media publications and music magazines such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Daily Herald, Amplifier Magazine, and Performing Songwriter Magazine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parmalee</span> American country music band

Parmalee is an American country music band consisting of brothers Matt Thomas and Scott Thomas (drums), along with their cousin Barry Knox (bass) and Josh McSwain (guitar), who is a best friend since childhood. They are signed to the Stoney Creek division of BBR Music Group and have released three studio albums: Feels Like Carolina,27861, and For You. The band has made eight entries on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts, with three number one singles on the latter: "Carolina" in 2013, "Just the Way", a collaboration with Blanco Brown, in 2021, and "Take My Name" in 2022. Two more singles have reached the Top 10: "Close Your Eyes" and "Already Callin' You Mine".

References

  1. 1 2 "Official Website of The Rarest Kind! | News". The Rarest Kind. May 1, 2014. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  2. "The Battle Over Bionic Vocals". Wsj.com. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  3. Schlesinger, Adam (July 3, 2005). "MUSIC - PLAYLIST - Finally, Def Leppard Without the Pretensions - NYTimes.com". New York Times. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  4. "Chicago's MARTINO CONSPIRACY Embarks On Nationwide Tour @ Top40-Charts.com – Songs & Videos from 49 Top 20 & Top 40 Music Charts from 30 Countries". Top40-charts.com. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  5. "Tony Martino". www.myspace.com. Archived from the original on September 5, 2008. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  6. "Site Disabled – FreeServers". Shawn-m-perry.freeservers.com. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  7. "Silly Songwriters!". Ascap.com. December 1, 2009. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
  8. "The Rarest Kind - Reminds Us That Bad News Shouldn't Stop Us". October 15, 2017.
  9. "Music Morsels – Indie Band Spotlight 4/2007". Musicmorselsonline.com. Retrieved August 4, 2014.