MARTIN LUCAS - THE CELTURIAN
An acoustic warrior with an acoustic guitar as his
weapon, Martin Lucas – aka The Celturian - has been
captivating audiences with his unique musical style.
The Birmingham-based self-taught musician, who has
also been dubbed the Celtic Jimi Hendrix, has raised
the popularity of Gaelic-themed music to new levels
by pioneering its performance on acoustic guitar.
With no margin for error, Martin relies on concentration
and muscular fingers for his continuous solos
that veer from heartfelt melody to frenetic flurry.
Having experimented in the Celtic format since the
1990s, his style involves using the entire neck of his
Takamine guitar in fast reels, using open tuning with
up to three capos or more to present a richer range
of chords.
Brought up in the 1960s, a musical career was far
from his mind when at the age of six his father walked
out on the family, leaving him with a banjo. Not knowing
what to do with it, he swapped it for a Mickey mouse watch.
Learning later that his father used to play the banjo in George Formby style pub gigs and that his mother played
piano in church, Martin began to learn trombone on an instrument loaned to him by his school.
His interest in the guitar began as a 13-year-old when he would listen outside a local pub to a live band that was performing
there and then gaze through the window at the instruments on display in a music shop that the band ran.
Bringing up Martin and his two brothers on a meagre income made it impossible for his mother to afford to buy him an instrument of his own.
But his luck changed when his elder brother Paul took his first job and bought himself a guitar. After nearly a year
of remaining unplayed, however, the instrument landed in Martin’s hands - with two of its six strings missing.
Determined to master it after his brother had failed to do so, Martin began to teach himself simple one and two
string tunes before progressing to buying music books - and the missing two strings.
Leaving school in the 1970s for his first job a driver for a pet charity, Martin made some costly mistakes buying
new guitars. So he checked out what the stars were playing and bought an Eko Ranger six-string acoustic guitar
as used by Glen Campbell, and later a 12-string version.
After watching the country singer playing an Ovation Balladeer guitar in 1976, Martin spent £600 from his next
job as a builder to buy one for himself. It remains one of the favourites in his collection.
In the 1980s Martin visited Dublin where he first became interested in Irish music – an interest that was to develop
in the 1990s when he began studying the Celtic format for acoustic guitar.
Performing and recording experience followed as a lead guitarist in a band formed by his brother Lee. When it split
up he joined another one also formed by Lee that gave him the opportunity to play Celtic acoustic guitar solos.
Working a new Takamine limited edition 1996 acoustic guitar, Martin’s solo acts brought him to the attention of the
likes of ex-Move star Trevor Burton for whom he went on to provide gig support.
Martin surged into the new Millennium with his first album, Inspirations, which he supported with Midland gigs and radio and guest appearances.
.
A pioneering album in terms of placing the acoustic guitar at the focus of the music rather than as an accompaniment
to singing, Inspirations first encapsulated his innovative approach to music using open tunings.
It enabled him to exploit the full potential of the instrument,especially in performing melodic music in fast flurries
with layers of treble and bass undertones.
His second album of original music, Stages, followed in 2002, and a third, Earthly Elements, in 2004 by which time
he was performing to audiences of 5,000 at Celtic festivals across the UK. He now has 12 albums to his credit.
In 2006 Martin’s music took off in America, with a concert at the Sidewalk Cafe in New York receiving a rapturous response.
The Celturian – Martin’s own word to help define his music - is now taking his Celtic acoustic format to new heights
with the recording of a new album, Samurai Rose, in collaboration with singer-songwriter and martial artist Fay
Yvonne (Fay Goodman). The all-original work, produced with the musical backing of Rick Wakeman and studio support
from Louie Nicastro, producer of The Stranglers, is due for release in June 2010.
Fay has produced three albums of solo work – Kokoro, Creative Spirit and Head in the Clouds – that successfully
fuse her interests in music and martial arts.
Please contact: Jasmine at GOODMEDIA LIMITED on +44 (0)121 693 9390
or Fay on +44(0)7976 426463
email:
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