Marth's Trouble:
Five years ago, Martha's Trouble, an Americana folk/pop duo, released a nationally, critically acclaimed album, “Forget October.” Since, the duo has all but been quiet, touring the country, writing and record- ing, preparing for the next leg of their epic adventure. On February 1, 2011, Martha’s Trouble will re- lease the much-anticipated “Anchor Tattoo” the duo's tenth self-released album.
The past five years have been crucial for the duo. In addition to sustaining a career in music, Jen and Rob Slocumb started a family and are raising their two children – Wilson, 5, and Emery, 3. The time between albums allowed the couple to focus on their family and spirituality, both setting the tone for their release of “Anchor Tattoo.”
The new album, “Anchor Tattoo” takes the duo back to their roots, bringing back their signature sound – an Americana/folk album with pop essence – that made them touch so many when they first came to the music scene 12 years ago.
“I think we went through a discovery process trying different things over the years and landed on what I would say our strength is,” Jen said. “But it took some trying. I think that’s good though. You try differ- ent things and you come to a place where you belong, where you fit. That’s what we did. And now we are stronger than ever.”
“Our fans can expect a very fresh, honest, uplifting album. It's very true to ourselves,” Jen said. “It's who we are. We are not trying to be like any other band or trying to be like the next trend in music. I think our fans who like us 'live' as a duo or trio, will like this record. It is still a fully produced record, but it's not overdone. We were able to spend a lot of time with it and it is our most thoughtful, mature record to date.”
The Release of the 10th Album – “Anchor Tattoo”
The duo was recently featured on Billboard.com, coinciding with the release of their new album, “Anchor Tattoo.” Here's a taste from the interview (read the full article):
An A&T commercial on TV of late finds a less-than-enthusiastic contest winner scoring “an entire day with '70s rocker Edgar Winter,” as she's informed by a radio announcer, at which point Winter suddenly appears (keytar in hand) in her living room.
Despite the (self-deprecating) singer's plea for appreciation, the contestant not-so-subtly opts for a more desirable prize.
Thankfully, not all musicians are met with such apathy when affording the opportunity for an up-close, intimate performance.
For Martha's Trouble, audience interest has even been great enough to warrant an entire tour of fans' homes.
The Auburn, Ala.-based husband-and-wife folk/pop duo – Rob and Jen Slocumb – devised the “At Your House Tour” as a unique way to promote its 10th album, the self-released “Anchor Tattoo,” issued earlier this year. The jaunt began in September, reaching as far north as New England, and runs through the last week of November.
“This summer, we were driving, I think from Alabama to Ontario, just always brainstorming different ways that we could promote our new record,” Rob said at a recent visit to Billboard's New York offices. “We had this idea: what if we announced to our fans, 'We want to come play in your living room.'
“(We thought), let's just throw it out there and see what happens.”
The response? Un-Edgar Winter-like.
“More dates than we could actually do,” said Rob.
“The whole idea is to bring this new record into somebody's living room. (For $200, which can be split among attendees), the host(s) invite 50 of their closest friends, some of whom may never have heard of us before.
“It's just a great, informal atmosphere.”
“Going into someone's home, you're in their personal space,” added Jen. “But, people have been so gracious.” Read the rest of the article on Billboard.com
