Song Of The Week: 11/11/18

Song: "Ramble On"

Artist: Kevin Martin

Album: "This Is Rock Anthems"

Year: 2006

Place Of Origin: Elgin, Illinois

Years Active: 1985 - present



WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

Who knew that Led Zeppelin were such big "Lord Of The Rings" fans?! The song's lyrics were influenced by the famous J.R.R. Tolkien novel. The vocalist is on a journey to find the girl of his dreams and when he does finally find her in Mordor, the evil Gollum steals here away from him! The version of "Ramble On" I chose for my song of the week is a 2006 cover of the song by Kevin Martin, of Candlebox fame. The original version of "Ramble On" can be found on the classic "Led Zeppelin II" album which was released in 1969.

KEVIN MARTIN DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2003 - The Possibility Of Being (Tympanic Records)

CURRENT STATUS OF KEVIN MARTIN:

While Kevin Martin was born in Illinois, his musical roots began in Seattle, Washington. In 1990, he and drummer Scott Mercado set out to form a band. Add guitarist Peter Klett and bassist Bardi Martin and Candlebox was formed. While not 100% a "grunge" band, Candlebox still managed to catch that wave of the early 90's grunge explosion. Songs like "Far Behind", "Change" and "You" put Candlebox on the map but by 2000, with three albums under their belt, Candlebox was in a bit of a tailspin as a band. When Kevin's contract was terminated, he decided to part ways with the band and form his own band, the Hiwatts. Kevin Martin & The Hiwatts was essentially a Kevin Martin solo project. The band put out one full length studio album, 2003's "The Possibility Of Being", which featured the songs "Enemy", "If We Could" and "Thoughtless Innuendos". When Candlebox released their greatest hits package in 2006, the band convinced Kevin to rejoin and Candlebox set out on a tour to support the album. While Candlebox is still alive and well, releasing music and performing live shows, Kevin Martin has been involved in some other projects as well. In 2008, he provided vocals on the Tantric song "The One", which appeared on the Tantric album "The End Begins". In 2010, Martin formed a band with the guys from Live called The Gracious Few. That band has released one album together. 2011 saw Martin provide vocals on the Century song "Oak God", which can be found on their "Red Giant" album. In 2013, Martin along with Sevendust drummer Morgan Rose and Zakk Wylde of Black Label Society created the single called "The Pride", released under the band moniker The Infinite Staircase. The song turned out to be a surprise rock radio hit. This prompted Martin and The Infinite Staircase guys, minus Wylde, to work on new music under a new name, Le Projet. So far, the band has written three songs together. A lot of times when you hear a singer's voice, right off the bat you know who he is or what band he plays for. When you hear Kevin Martin, you instantly hear Candlebox. Perhaps that makes it hard to do any other projects because his voice is so synonomous with Candlebox. Candlebox was always looked at as the little brother of the grunge bands. They never got the respect of the legends, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and Alice In Chains. I can see why. They just weren't as good as those bands. But, they had their moments. "Far Behind" is a great song. Some have said it's a tribute to Martin's friend Andrew Wood, the late singer of Mother Love Bone who died of a drug overdose. I look at Kevin Martin's vocal style to be more in line with Wood than that of Eddie Vedder or Chris Cornell. But he also has some bluesy Robert Plant in him too. The dude's got a pretty damn good voice is all I'm saying! Maybe this new project he's working on, Le Projet, will be something to check out. How would Candlebox, Sevendust and Black Label Society mesh? Well, the song "The Pride" provides a pretty good picture of what this collaboration could be all about, and it could be very sweet!

TEN KEVIN MARTIN SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Enemy
2. The Pride (w/ The Infinite Staircase)
3. Thoughtless Innuendos
4. If We Could
5. Gathering Stones
6. Wax Paper Mache
7. Ramble On (Led Zeppelin cover)
8. Walk Away
9. Tears Of Africa
10. Favorite Stranger