Babs and J.A. were born in San Diego, CA, but didn’t meet until college in Oklahoma. The two created the beat of the heartland by combining Babs’ Smoky Vox and JA’s Clawhammer Rock. Now the duo rocks original music for you one city at a time! Read more about the only duet providing Smoky Vox and Clawhammer Rock.
Babs
Babs Martin was born in San Diego, CA, raised on Route 66, and currently resides in Oklahoma. She is a lyricist, vocalist, and musician. Babs released her first trial CD "New Castles and Dead Dreams" 2008 as a limited edition. The following year in 2009 she officially released "Awake in Fog" which achieved international recognition. In 2010 she teamed with J.A. Martin to create a new style and their Psychodelic Circus CD was released in March, 2011. In March 2012 the duo released their new EP, Whiskey & Water. Babs' albums and singles have been featured on several radio shows in the US and Canada. She has performed her hard hitting works in several establishments around The Villiage in NYC, the WordRock Festival in Hoboken, NJ, Memphis, TN, Tulsa, and other cities in Oklahoma.
Babs started singing blues, swamp rock, and rockabilly in bars when she was three. She went on to sing contemporary Gospel solos and duets during her teen years. In her twenties she picked up Folk music on an acoustic rhythm guitar, then with the influence of J. A. Martin she gravitated into Old Time Mountain music. On vocals and rhythm guitar, she backed up J.A. Martin's clawhammer banjo and the two played various jam scenes across Oklahoma. In 2008 Babs learned to play the keyboard to accompany her solo pieces on her Awake in Fog album and tour. On the Psychodelic Circus album and tour she sand, played keyboard, frame drum, and other percussion instruments. In 2012 she will be on tour sharing her new EP, Whiskey & Water. Babs' vocals have been compared to Grace Slick, Jim Morrison, Nico, Lou Reed, Bobby Gentry, Courtney Love and P.J. Harvey.
J.A.
J.A Martin was born in San Diego, traveled all around the US, and currently resides in Oklahoma. His music lessons began on the piano at the age of seven and he received guitar lessons at the age of 11. At the age of 15, he taught himself to play bluegrass banjo. The following year at the age of 16 he began lessons to learn more bluegrass rolls then discovered the drop thumbing, pull-offs and double hammer-ons sounds of clawhammer banjo and was hooked. During this same year, John began building banjos and worked in a music store. By the age of 17 he was competing in banjo fiddle contests on the west coast and winning categories in traditional banjo. J.A also taught banjo lessons out of various music stores during these years. At the age of 19, J.A. recorded on a PBS documentary about the California Gold Rush. From there he began college as music major. J.A. couldn't major in banjo, so he went his own direction playing for himself and appreciative audiences on street corners and municipal parks – judging his fame by the amount of quarters in his case.
J.A. played clawhammer banjo on several tracks on Babs’ early albums. On their 2011 album, Psychodelic Circus, he applies the clawhammer techniques and traditional mountain tunings on customized electric guitars to achieve an outlaw of complex sounds. In 2012 on Babs' new EP Whiskey & Water, J.A. added warm fuzz , driving beats on a license plate stomp box, and his early punk influences. J.A. always incorporates off beats and double time rhythms in the melody line to drive his music constantly forward. When asked if he reads music J.A. replies, "Not enough to hurt my playing."
Babs and J.A. Martin continue to record and perform. They have been compared to Doc Boggs meets Jim Morrison, Keith Richards playing for Nico, Lux and Ivey of the Midwest, Uncle Dave Macon meets Ray Davies. Check out their music and catch a live performance, you won't be disappointed.
