Artist Bios

BARRETT MARTIN GROUP - The Barrett Martin Group was formed in 2004 as a collaboration between drummer and composer Barrett Martin and his jazz musician friends in New Mexico and Washington states. Now together almost a decade and solidified as a tight recording and performing ensemble based in Seattle, "The BMG" as it is known has released 5 studio albums, all of which can be found streaming on the Sunyata Records page. The band has also been featured in a few film soundtracks, but they are most famous for their soul-stirring, dance-inducing performances which can stretch upwards of 4 hours in length. Their newest album "Artifact" was released on May 15th 2012 and features an expanded line up that includes a Hindustani vocalist and some of Seattle's top jazz players.

DAVE CARTER - Trumpeter and composer Dave Carter got his start in the early Seattle music scene playing with jazz giants Bill Frisell, Wayne Horvitz, and the composers collective founded by Barrett Martin and Peter Buck known as Tuatara. Dave later migrated to Barrett's own jazz group as the lead horn player, but he also made his first great solo album in 2008 titled, "Commitment And Change." The album, which features Barrett Martin on drums, has a sound and feel that harkens back to the catchy melodies of early Miles Davis and Freddie Hubbard, sprinkled with enough modern touches to make the album sound contemporary. The album can be heard streaming and purchased as a CD or digital download on the Sunyata Records page.

CEDELL DAVIS - American Delta Blues legend CeDell Davis is a unique figure in the world of Delta Blues. Having seen the legendary Robert Johnson play when he was only a teenager, CeDell later played alongside Johnson's protege Robert Nighthawk, serving a ten year apprenticeship as a singer and slide guitarist that would launch him onto the Blues world stage. His 2003 album, "When Lightnin' Struck The Pine" was made when he was already 74 years old and features an all-star line up of rock musicians who gathered to pay tribute to this Delta legend including, Peter Buck, Barrett Martin, Scott McCaughey, and producer and percussionist Joe Cripps. "When Lightnin' Struck The Pine" is a rollicking party of a Blues album and every song is a hit. The album can be heard in streaming audio, and can be purchased as a CD or digital download on the Sunyata Records page.

MANUEL OQUENDO - Manuel Oquendo, who performs under the stage name Megman, is a New York-based composer, electronic artist, and DJ. He met Barrett Martin in Santa Fe, New Mexico several years ago, when both musicians were "hanging out in the desert" and they discovered the practice of Zen as both a spiritual path, as well as an artistic approach to making music. The resulting collaboration developed into recording sessions in Santa Fe and New York, creating their first album of trance like grooves, exotic percussion, and electronic soundscapes that takes the listener on a mystical aural journey. Sunyata Records is proud to be releasing their debut album in late 2012, with live shows to follow in 2013.

THE MISSIONARY POSITION - To Be Announced Soon

SCREAMING TREES - The Screaming Trees rose out of Ellensburg, WA in 1985, and later moved to Seattle, WA where they become a musical institution in the now legendary Seattle alternative music scene. The Trees went on to make 7 albums for SST Records, Sub Pop, and Epic/Sony, and their final, unreleased album "Last Words: The FInal Recordings" is available here on the Sunyata Records page. The last album features the 1990s line up Mark Lanegan, Gary Lee Conner, Van Conner, and Barrett Martin, as well as special guest appearances from Peter Buck and Josh Homme.

TUATARA -Tuatara is a Seattle-based composers collective started by Barrett Martin of Screaming Trees, Justin Harwood of Luna, Peter Buck of REM, and the extraordinary saxophonist Skerik. The band formed in 1996 and expanded to include a 10 piece ensemble known for their cinematic compositions that conjured both jazz and world music styles. It is not surprising that many of their songs ended up in film and television soundtracks and the entire Tuatara catalog can now be heard in streaming audio, and is available as both a CD and digital download on the Sunyata Records page.

WALKING PAPERS -Walking Papers is a blues-rock band formed by Jeff Angell and Barrett Martin, two long-serving veterans of the Seattle music scene. Jeff previously sang and played guitar for the bands Post Stardom Depression and The Missionary Position, and Barrett, a drummer and multi-instrumentalist, played for grunge pioneers Skin Yard and Screaming Trees, as well as the super groups Mad Season and Tuatara. Duff McKagan joined Walking Papers to play bass, and Benjamin Anderson joined to play keyboards. Mike McCready has been known to join the band on stage as the lead guitar player.

WOVEN SONGS OF THE AMAZON - In 2004, Barrett Martin did anthropology fieldwork in the Peruvian Amazon, working on both a documentary film and a soundtrack about the Shipibo people and their famous singing shamans. The result of this work became the film and CD titled, "Woven Songs Of The Amazon", and the resulting music can be heard streaming, as well as purchased as both a CD and a digital download on the Sunyata Records page.