The Chris Martin Trio

GUFF had a chance to catch a wicked set of blues with Chris Martin and the Trio at Bearly’s House of Blues during the 2013 ECMA’s. - Guff Magazine

Chris Martin is a soul from eras past.

The Halifax-based frontman plays a mix of blues and rockabilly with his band, the Trouble Shooters.

“I really believe in the esthetics of the old blues and R&B and rockabilly, especially from the ’50s,” he said. “I really love playing vintage instruments and playing music in that old style.”

Martin’s prized possession is an old Gibson acoustic guitar. It has been in his family for 45 years, ever since his grandfather bought it for his mother in Toronto. The guitar was around Martin’s house while he was growing up and he said some of the first songs he heard were played on it.

He also has a collection of “funky old guitars that might have been sold in the Sears catalogue a couple generations ago.”

“They might not be perfect, but there’s a certain something that helps you express a bit of attitude, I think,” he said.

Martin is in the process of recording a new project with a more stripped down feel. The album, called Paper in the Breeze, will be released sometime this spring. He’s playing with a trio of performers and will be bringing that group to St. Andrews. It’s his first time visiting the seaside town.

Martin said show goers can expect a lot of energy, standard rock ’n’ roll and blues songs, paired with his original work. He’ll be bringing an upright bass player and drummer with him, so the show will have a real rockabilly feel.

“When people see the energy coming from the performer, then they’re usually pretty inclined to give it back and the band feeds off that energy,” he said. “That’s usually the thing I’m trying to create with any given performance.”

Martin said people should dance, let go of their troubles and live in the moment. - Here Magazine

Video footage and interviews shot and executed by Ian Kean and Mat Barkley at NSMW in Liverpool, NS. Live performances and interviews with Chris Martin, Orchid's Curse, Scientists of Sound, and Gypsophilia. Also featuring The Blackrats. - Guff Magazine

An acoustic rendition of Rollin' & Tumblin' - B-Rad Media

....Next up was “The Troubleshooters”, a bluesy rock and rock band that really got the groove going and brought out the burlesques girls for the first time. With everything from saxophone to great guitar licks these guys rocked The Manhattan here in Moncton, while the lovely gals of burlesque performed in front of them. Vocalist Chris Martin provided mc duties for the gals as they took to the stage with great flair, style, and to raucous applause. Hitting us with a blues/rock style that had everyone dancing and grooving for a great part of the night.

- Refrain Music

Trouble Shooters played a bee-bopping, swinging set of Chuck Berry tunes. They nailed that shit to the wall. The vocalist had the perfect old-timey rock & roll voice and the horn section was off the hook. The rhythm section also kept thing hammered down, with drums as steady as a freight train. The band started off with a cover of Chuck’s “School Day” while the super-sexy burlesque dancer Miss Magenta, treated the audience to a jaw dropping strip tease. As the videographer it was hard to concentrate on the filming while Magenta danced, she was as mesmerizing as Chuck berry is Awesome. The Trouble Shooters threw a few originals our way as well, including a sweet riff off of the old Blues standard “Sweet Home Chicago” called “Sweet Home Nova Scotia”. If you have a chance to see the Trouble Shooters, take it! - Noisography

A night of Live Music by The Trouble Shooters & Burlesque performers - Noisography

Photographer Melanie Titus blogs about The Trouble Shooters - Melanie Titus Photography

Five years and counting for The Trouble Shooters

The ever-growing rockabillies celebrate and look forward to a new album.
by Allison Saunders

This time of year isn't just a holiday hullabaloo for The Trouble Shooters, it's their anniversary too. Five years ago on Boxing Day Chris Martin and his then three-piece outfit played their first gig and since then they haven't just been growing older, they're also getting bigger. The now seven-piece band will kick off year five recording their second album, incorporating a more rhythm and blues sound into their straight-up rockabilly roots. "It's a cool moment for the band to make it this far. Living in Halifax with so many bands, they don't all make it to the five year anniversary," says Martin.

Wed Dec 22, The Seahorse Tavern, 1665 Argyle Street, 10pm, $5 - The Coast