There is something amazing about going to a big concert and hearing the music of one of your favourite artists with a backing band, and having all the songs sound just like they do on your favourite records. I find it equally amazing, however, to also get the opportunity to sit in a smaller space and to see one of my favourite artists perform a more intimate, sometimes more acoustic, show in a room that prioritizes listening. The Carleton is one of the best spaces for this in Halifax, and I was so pumped to get to see Christina Martin’s show there on March 24th, 2019. Martin’s lyrics are especially poetic, so this venue is especially conducive to being able to really listen to them and to be immersed and taken away by the storytelling in her songs.
Martin was joined onstage by her husband, musician and East Coast Music Award Nominee for Producer and Studio Engineer of the Year, Dale Murray. They began the set with “Lungs Are Burning” from Martin’s 2018 album Impossible to Hold, a song inspired by Canada’s opioid crisis. The song plays a lot with the idea of reaching for something, reaching out to fill ourselves up with something we need, but also suggestive of reaching out to connect with someone else, reaching for help, reaching for understanding and acknowledgement. She then sang the title track from Impossible to Hold, a sort of love song to someone that you have only seen, but never met: a rockstar, a hero. I love the idea of someone being “impossible to hold,” that their essence, their influence, their larger-than-life presence, cannot be contained, it can’t be owned by any one person, it’s like light washing over everyone and everything. She then sang a soulful rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love” that beautifully showcased both her sultry lower register and the gorgeous higher register of her voice. We were then treated to a brand new song (although she stressed we were not the very first audience for it), which came to her in the form of a dream about a future music video, in which it sounds like she was basically cast as The White Witch of Narnia in a Dystopian future. The song beautifully doubles as a story about the exasperated end of a relationship, and also a dismal portrait of the exasperated relationship we all currently have with our environment.
“Keep Me Calm,” and “Always Reminding” from Impossible to Hold and “I’m Gonna Die” from 2010’s I Can Too are all, in their own ways, different vignettes of the various manifestations of Anxiety. “Keep Me Calm” is a love song to the person who helps to stabilize his or her partner’s penchant for panic and stress and how their relationship strengthens as they navigate difficult situations together. “Always Reminding,” similarly, is about being reminded, or reminding yourself, that you’re stronger, more capable, and more loveable than most of us often give ourselves credit for. It’s about staving off self-doubt for a minute and having a flash of self-empowerment. Martin told a beautiful story about the origin of “I’m Gonna Die,” which came from witnessing the young daughter of her partner at the time having a panic attack, and Martin obviously emphasized ardently with her. The lyrics to this song are beautifully stream of consciousness, representative of how our thoughts spin and escalate when we reach that level of Anxiety. Martin partners with CMAH, The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto for all of her shows, and lets her audience know both about what kinds of resources are available for those who are struggling, and also how people can help support these kinds of organizations that help people in our communities. There is nothing didactic about Martin’s songs, the poetry, musicality, and artistry of each is paramount, but in her deeply thoughtful and empathic lyrics, her message is clear.
“When you’re scared of the darkness/let it hold you/wrap its arms around/show you the light” is the opening stanza of “When the Dark Meets the Light” from Impossible to Hold. It’s evocative of the creative process, of the extreme joys and fears inherent in dedicating your life to work that forces you to examine your deepest thoughts and emotions, your weirdest ideas, and all the self doubt that comes along with them. She then sang “Puppet Museum” from 2015’s It’ll Be Alright, a song with terrific electric guitar riffs and some of her most vivid and imaginative lyrics to date, including this beautiful bit of poetry: “5000 puppets dance nightly on rooftops/you dream to release them in your puppet museum/ you said, people will pay to see my display.” In the chorus Martin belts, “More than Paris, New York or Venice/How many women and men/Paid hungry to game with you/They’d pick up your accent and take you back home” and, musically, her voice just soars, and the whole song comes together in goosebump-rendering bliss. “Winter” from Impossible to Hold, a much slower ballad, is also a brilliant showcase for all the gorgeous shades of Martin’s voice.
From I Can Too Martin also sang “Hello” and “Picture of a Sadman.” “Hello” also has a heart rending backstory, and is about the somewhat tentative, somewhat unsure, ways we try to connect with someone who has suffered a great trauma, or is in the throes of a deep grief. “Picture of a Sadman” is really reminiscent of Bob Dylan and tells the story of someone worrying about someone who is struggling that she just can’t reach. She also sang “Marina” and “Secret Song,” from Sleeping with a Stranger (2012). “Secret Song” has an extremely catchy pop hook and deliberately vague lyrics. “Marina” is one of my favourites, a song about restlessness set against the backdrop of the heat of Austin, Texas.
The show ended with a fun sing along of Carole King’s “You’ve Got a Friend,” which is another benefit to The Carleton, as it encourages these connective moments between the artists and the audience. I absolutely recommend checking out The Carleton for their evenings of music; the serving staff is terrific, the ambiance is cool, but not at all pretentious or intimidating, and they host some of the hottest names in Canadian music, like the lovely Christina Martin. If you don’t own all six of her albums, I recommend you take a jaunt over to this sweet store and pick them up today.
You can check out The Carleton’s upcoming performance schedule HERE. The Carleton (1585 Argyle Street, Halifax) is open 4:00pm-11:00pm Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 4:00pm-1:00am on Thursdays and 4:00pm to 2:00am on Fridays and Saturdays. They’re closed Sundays and Mondays, unless there is a show scheduled. For reservations please call 902.422.6335. You can Follow The Carleton on Social Media: Facebook. Twitter. Instagram (@Carletonhalifax).
Christina Martin returns to Halifax on May 30th, 2019 at The Syrup Factory for a House Concert. Tickets are $30.00. For more information please visit this website. She also has shows coming up April 12th, 2019 in Fredericton, New Brunswick, April 13th in Florenceville-Bristol, New Brunswick, April 14th in Kingston, New Brunswick, April 20 in Oxford, Nova Scotia, April 27th in the Musquodoboit Valley, Nova Scotia, among many others. For more information about these dates and the rest of Christina’s Tour, CLICK HERE.
Christina Martin’s music is available from her Online Store, digital copies are available on iTunes or for streaming on Apple Music or Spotify.
Follow Christina on Facebook. Twitter. Instagram (@XtinaMartinMusic).
