http://davidmartinezmusic.com/blog.html The David Martinez Band: Blog Jannis' PHPRss class - http://www.jannis.to/ Fri, 05 Nov 2010 06:09:33 -0700 http://davidmartinezmusic.com/blog.html/grandpa_i_will_miss_you_forever

On Friday, October 29th, my family and I lost a man who I will always hold in high regards, my grandfather, Cayetano Aguirre Martinez. He was born on August 7, 1922 and was a dedicated family man. I admired this man because of his bravery in serving the Second World War and his work ethic. I have taken these virtues and have tried to instill them into my life the best I can.

I’m up here in the Dallas-Fort Worth area as a semi-finalist in a songwriting contest for the Texas Independent Music Expo and readying myself for a solo acoustic performance tomorrow night at Opening Bell Coffee. I think of all I have accomplished over the last four years as a musician and the people I have built special relationships with and then I go into my mind and know none of this would be possible without my family, including my grandparents who played an instrumental role.

I can remember as a child, Gramps would work all day then come home and work around the house. I was probably pretending to be Ace Frehley and putting on a Kiss show on the front porch or climbing up something. I would sing “Do You Love Me” and he stand there and look at me and smile. Those things you sometimes take for granted, but as I reflect, they meant the world and told me in my mind, keep doing what you are doing.

I remember the stories he told me of growing up during the Great Depression and how he had to start working at 11 years old to help the family put food on the table. 11 years old!! He never complained, blamed anyone, and just kept paving the way to build the best for his family. This is something you can’t put a price on.

As I take a deeper look into it, I find I do the same thing in my life. People praise me; some people tell me they are not interested in my work. One thing I do know is that I’m going to keep singing my song. You can try and squash my dreams but the only one that can stop me is myself. I think of a song I wrote called “The Otherside”. The Chorus states, “I stop myself from being what I want to be/the obstacles are around I should go over them/then I’ll see what’s on the other side/I can keep on chasing/What is mine.” It sounded kind of cliché at first, but then I thought, this is ME. I am standing in my way. Gramps came to mind and I kept the words. I’m glad I did because there are tons of people who have written me and have let me know what those lines mean to them. It astonishes me, but I believe we all need that push, God knows I did.

I guess all I’m really trying to say is that I miss my Grandfather with all my heart and I have felt very vulnerable since his passing. I thought I could handle it and keep going on with my daily life, but then it hit me hard. I know I will get stronger as time goes on because that is the only way he would have it. I still can’t help myself to feel sad, but as I move forward, I will always carry him in my heart. He and my Grandmother are one of the major reasons why I am the man I am today. Whether, it is my undergrad or graduate degrees or the fact that I have a career working as a teacher or a career as a musician. Gramps would still tell me, you can do more and I do and I will use my music to spread positive vibes to this world.

Dear Grandpa,

Thank you for all you have done for me in my life and know that all your teachings and beliefs have been taken and will be passed to people who come across me in my life. I love you and Grandma with all my heart and I’m glad you are now with her. God bless and Rest In Peace.

Love
David]]> http://davidmartinezmusic.com/blog.html/grandpa_i_will_miss_you_forever Fri, 05 Nov 2010 06:09:33 -0700 The Official David Martinez Band Website - The David Martinez Band - Blog http://davidmartinezmusic.com/blog.html/2009_year_in_review_david_martinez_band
Fast forward to 2009, now The David Martinez Band is in place and going strong. We have Joseph Flores on lead guitar, Johnny Ramos Jr. on drums and percussion, and Johnny Mitchell on bass guitar. Each player is phenomenal in a sense that they each bring their own identity to the music that is on the record and I feel grateful to have these guys for we are a family. We must also send shout outs to our supportive families and Eduardo Garza Jr, Nicholas Martinez, Felipe Valdez, Mark Arispe for helping us out with our shows. John Paul, we haven’t forgot about you either and we thank you for your tremendous enthusiasm and support.

In January of this year, we played a CD release show at Disc Go Round and that was our first taste in front of a crowd. We then had the fortunate luck of landing a gig opening for Bob Schneider. That gig helped expose The David Martinez Band sound to people who hadn’t heard of us.

We then had the fortunate opportunity to work with Russell Sanders from April till September. Rusty is a great human being with a special heart and we cherished our time with him including his faith in God, his loyalty to his family, and his commitment to the band. We played some great shows together this year, including our first gig in Austin, Texas at Momo’s. Thank You Rusty!!!!

We then got great news and found out we were one out of four bands picked to play the legendary KLRU studios in Austin, Texas for Land Shark Lager’s Battle of the Bands 2009. Playing that stage was an overwhelming honor due to the legends that have graced that stage. You walk into the place and you see the photos of Willie Nelson, Ray Charles, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Johnny Cash, Etta James, and many more. Not to mention, Pearl Jam had graced that stage less than a week before. The people from Rhapsody, Land Shark, and Austin City Limits crew were amazing and their hospitality went beyond the level we expected. We got to play with other great Texas acts that included Rabbit’s Got The Gun, Brittnee Belt, and Inner Frequency. In the end, a great band from Minneapolis, MN, Chester Bay took the grand prize. Even though we came in 9th, we were the only small market band to play any of these events and we will always cherish the time we had to participate in an event like this. Look for footage from this event in 2010.

We spent the remainder of the year doing some acoustic shows and perfecting new songs that have been written. We plan to have about 25 songs in the arsenal and 90 percent of them being original. We would also like to thank Peter Hay of Twin Vision out of NYC for helping us get the word out. As a result, you can hear The David Martinez Band in markets across the country. As for 2010, we are looking at big things and we know that it will even be a better year than 2009.

Plans for the New Year include getting on the festival circuit, as well as attending a few conferences to expose the band to a broader range of people. We also plan on heading back to Los Angeles and working with Leroy Miller on a new record. I have grown so much as a musician and the band has grown and added their own blend to the music. We look forward to getting out and playing more gigs and building on the relationships we have built over the past couple of years. Thank you to everyone who made this a great year for The David Martinez Band

Thank You
David Martinez, Johnny Ramos, Joseph Flores, Johnny Mitchell]]> http://davidmartinezmusic.com/blog.html/2009_year_in_review_david_martinez_band Tue, 22 Dec 2009 12:21:32 -0800 The Official David Martinez Band Website - The David Martinez Band - Blog