Jeff Martin & The Armada

I have long been a fan of Jeff Martins Musicianship, from The Tea Party to his new project, The Armada. Rich in story influenced from the far corners of the Earth, his music takes me aways to other lands, where mysticism and magic overcome me and leave me longing for more. Such is the power his music has over me, that you can even begin to guess at how excited I was to find out that he was performing live in little ol’ Hobart. I was unfortunate in missing out on seeing him earlier in the year due to work, but nothing was going to stop me this time round as I seemed to count down the days and hours in my mind, like a child does for Christmas, with each day seeming to drag with anticipation. It was well worth the wait.

Starting the night with Morocco, the crowd was instantly under his spell, enchanted by his voice and the array of foreign instruments that graced the stage. Many songs from both The Armada & Tea Party were played, including Sister Awake, one of my personal favourites. In the middle of one track, Jeff preformed a rendition of Nine Inch Nails’ Hurt, while in another, Joy Divisions’ Love Will Tear Us Apart wept from his heart-felt voice.

As part of an upcoming live DVD / Documentary, the night’s performance was recorded and filmed with much attention payed to the sound quality, because, as Jeff Martin put it, he “Cared”. The over all experience was just breath-taking. After a moving tribute to the Melbourne Bushfire victims of Black Saturday, the Armada returned to the stage to play an encore of Black Snake Blues that seemed to echo on in the ears and minds of all present.

Not wanting it to end, it did with the announcement that the Armada would return for a meet a great, so I loitered around, heart fluttering with excitement in wanting to thank Jeff personally for one of the most important pieces of music in my life – Heaven Coming Down. After what seemed like another eternity, they came out and with charm and appreciation, greeted their fans, posing for photos and signing autographs. When it came to my turn, I could feel my body tremble with emotion, not like that of being starstruck, but with what it ment to thank this Poet, this amazing Musician for what he had given me with his song. He hugged me, and kissed me on the check as I struggled to hold back the tears. He understood, even as I, a stranger to him, poured out my heart to him in 17 seconds. 17 Seconds is all it Takes, Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpking wrote, and that is true because that is all the time in the World to truly see inside someone heart if you are willing to.