The Rarest Kind

“Tony Martino is an original artist with a sound all his own and a keen contemporary style. Our phones lit up for ‘Until We Meet Again’ within days of adding the track from New Beginnings. Way to go Tony!”
—G. Michael Keating, PD/MD, WBCG Punta Gorda/Port Charlotte/Venice, FL

- G. Michael Keating, Program Director at The Beach 98.9 in Sarasota, Florida

“Tony Martino is an original artist with a sound all his own and a keen contemporary style. Our phones lit up for ‘Until We Meet Again’ within days of adding the track from New Beginnings. Way to go Tony!”
—G. Michael Keating, PD/MD, WBCG Punta Gorda/Port Charlotte/Venice, FL

- G. Michael Keating, Program Director at The Beach 98.9 in Sarasota, Florida

“Displaying a truly unique style and approach, Tony Martino doesn't ‘sound like’ anyone...that's what I like about him.”
—Wildman Steve, Director of Music Programming, WQNR Auburn, AL

- —Wildman Steve, Director of Music Programming, WQNR Auburn, AL

“Displaying a truly unique style and approach, Tony Martino doesn't ‘sound like’ anyone...that's what I like about him.”
—Wildman Steve, Director of Music Programming, WQNR Auburn, AL

- —Wildman Steve, Director of Music Programming, WQNR Auburn, AL

"Tony Martino is a talented 21-year-old from the Chicago area, getting an early start writing and recording in his home studio and playing shows since the age of 10. Martino layers his melodies to create gorgeous candy pop-scapes, and he sings them with a soft fluid voice that’s a surprising combination of Brian Wilson and John Mayer. He creates a lush, dreamy sound with his hook-laden guitar and keyboard playing. Though there are tinges of the Stones and the Doors, pretty pop is the main vein of New Beginnings. Lyrically, Martino explores life situations and relationships with honesty and angst. He proves he has an understanding of catchy, beautiful melodies in this powerful debut album." —AW



- Performing Song Writer Magazine

"Tony Martino is a talented 21-year-old from the Chicago area, getting an early start writing and recording in his home studio and playing shows since the age of 10. Martino layers his melodies to create gorgeous candy pop-scapes, and he sings them with a soft fluid voice that’s a surprising combination of Brian Wilson and John Mayer. He creates a lush, dreamy sound with his hook-laden guitar and keyboard playing. Though there are tinges of the Stones and the Doors, pretty pop is the main vein of New Beginnings. Lyrically, Martino explores life situations and relationships with honesty and angst. He proves he has an understanding of catchy, beautiful melodies in this powerful debut album." —AW



- Performing Song Writer Magazine

"To grossly oversimplify things, listening to Tony Martino sing “Can’t Get Through” completely restores my faith that all new music does not suck. I don’t know if I can really find an abstract comparison to do this performance justice but imagine if, say, David Cassidy fronted The Jesus and Mary Chain around the time they did Psycho Candy. It’s pure and sweet but it’s also gritty. It’s lucid but it’s also drugged out. It’s mainstream pop and underground at the same time. “Can’t Get Through” is a perfect showcase for Tony’s heady voice and hypnotic, swirly guitar playing. The arrangement is lush and atmospheric and the mix is awesome. I just love it. It’s so funny how appearances can be misleading, because when you look at Tony’s picture you just think: “singer/songwriter with a guitar.” But listening to his music I’d say he could easily win over fans of bands like Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. I mean, why not?" (Gail Worley)
- www.StarPolish.com

"To grossly oversimplify things, listening to Tony Martino sing “Can’t Get Through” completely restores my faith that all new music does not suck. I don’t know if I can really find an abstract comparison to do this performance justice but imagine if, say, David Cassidy fronted The Jesus and Mary Chain around the time they did Psycho Candy. It’s pure and sweet but it’s also gritty. It’s lucid but it’s also drugged out. It’s mainstream pop and underground at the same time. “Can’t Get Through” is a perfect showcase for Tony’s heady voice and hypnotic, swirly guitar playing. The arrangement is lush and atmospheric and the mix is awesome. I just love it. It’s so funny how appearances can be misleading, because when you look at Tony’s picture you just think: “singer/songwriter with a guitar.” But listening to his music I’d say he could easily win over fans of bands like Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. I mean, why not?" (Gail Worley)
- www.StarPolish.com

"This Chicago native won me over with his hooks, keen melodies and soaring choruses.
Can't Get Through and Until We Meet Again are soaring pop, and Deception, and Dreams are vital rockers." (Sauk Valley News)
- Sauk Valley News

"This Chicago native won me over with his hooks, keen melodies and soaring choruses.
Can't Get Through and Until We Meet Again are soaring pop, and Deception, and Dreams are vital rockers." (Sauk Valley News)
- Sauk Valley News

He says The Beach Boys’ “I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times” sums up his life, and he calls Brian Wilson a “genius” who has heavily influenced him. By his own estimation, he recorded his debut album, New Beginnings, three or four different times, in six or seven different studios, with nine or 10 engineers. He is also the producer of credit on the CD, on which he wrote all the lyrics and music, sang every note and played every instrument except drums. The first time he performed in public, he was in eighth grade and too chicken to actually sing. On June 5 and again on August 21, he’ll be singing at a pair of concerts in Florida to help welcome the troops home from Iraq, and both President Bush and his brother, Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida, will be on hand to watch him.

He is Tony Martino, and he won’t be 21 until November 16.

Tony is a quick study. He picked up a guitar for the first time nine, maybe 10 years ago. His first song, a corny little tune called “City Girl,” got written when he was in eighth grade, and he figures he started writing real songs a couple of years later. By the time he was a junior in high school, Tony had suffocated through a lifetime of Catholic school and had already started recording in professional studios. Four years later he’s in college and New Beginnings is getting played on radio stations from Boston to Florida, out to Colorado and down in the Virgin Islands.

“Married Man” is the second single from New Beginnings. His ’60s influences are evident here, subtly, and its crunchy guitars are a striking contrast to the first release, “Can’t Get Through,” which brings up strong recollections of Alan Parsons’ Eye In The Sky album. In fact, you’ll be reminded of Alan Parsons—particularly Eric Woolfson’s crystal clear voice—in several places on Martino’s CD, and it serves him quite well, notably on “Until We Meet Again” and “Frozen In Love.”

Stations Playing:
WMFO Medford/Boston
WMNF Tampa
WBCG Punta Gorda/Port Charlotte/Venice, FL
KAXE Grand Rapids, MN
KDNK Carbondale, CO
WQNR Auburn, AL
KFAN Fredericksburg, TX
KPCW Park City, UT
KSLU Hammond, LA
KVNF Paonia, CO
KZMU Moab, UT
KZRC Bay City, TX
WBZC Pemberton, NJ
WIVI St. Thomas, Virgin Islands
WMKY Morehead, KY
WOCM Ocean City, MD
WOLV Houghton, MI
…and many more!

- Triple A Radio

He says The Beach Boys’ “I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times” sums up his life, and he calls Brian Wilson a “genius” who has heavily influenced him. By his own estimation, he recorded his debut album, New Beginnings, three or four different times, in six or seven different studios, with nine or 10 engineers. He is also the producer of credit on the CD, on which he wrote all the lyrics and music, sang every note and played every instrument except drums. The first time he performed in public, he was in eighth grade and too chicken to actually sing. On June 5 and again on August 21, he’ll be singing at a pair of concerts in Florida to help welcome the troops home from Iraq, and both President Bush and his brother, Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida, will be on hand to watch him.

He is Tony Martino, and he won’t be 21 until November 16.

Tony is a quick study. He picked up a guitar for the first time nine, maybe 10 years ago. His first song, a corny little tune called “City Girl,” got written when he was in eighth grade, and he figures he started writing real songs a couple of years later. By the time he was a junior in high school, Tony had suffocated through a lifetime of Catholic school and had already started recording in professional studios. Four years later he’s in college and New Beginnings is getting played on radio stations from Boston to Florida, out to Colorado and down in the Virgin Islands.

“Married Man” is the second single from New Beginnings. His ’60s influences are evident here, subtly, and its crunchy guitars are a striking contrast to the first release, “Can’t Get Through,” which brings up strong recollections of Alan Parsons’ Eye In The Sky album. In fact, you’ll be reminded of Alan Parsons—particularly Eric Woolfson’s crystal clear voice—in several places on Martino’s CD, and it serves him quite well, notably on “Until We Meet Again” and “Frozen In Love.”

Stations Playing:
WMFO Medford/Boston
WMNF Tampa
WBCG Punta Gorda/Port Charlotte/Venice, FL
KAXE Grand Rapids, MN
KDNK Carbondale, CO
WQNR Auburn, AL
KFAN Fredericksburg, TX
KPCW Park City, UT
KSLU Hammond, LA
KVNF Paonia, CO
KZMU Moab, UT
KZRC Bay City, TX
WBZC Pemberton, NJ
WIVI St. Thomas, Virgin Islands
WMKY Morehead, KY
WOCM Ocean City, MD
WOLV Houghton, MI
…and many more!

- Triple A Radio

"In the transcontinental debut flight that is Hope In Isolation, The Martino Conspiracy board understated pop influences from Dashboard Confessional and The Postal Service, treating them to first-class production and a personal touch from vocalist/ guitarist Tony Mart-ino. The blue skies of “Just Don’t Know” add peppy horns that showcase the Phil Spector in Martino’s many studio associates. Coupled with Martino’s introspective and hushed storytelling, the song parachutes into its own unique blossom. "

-Mike Meyer - Illinois Entertainer (3/30/07)

"A guy handed me a demo when I was in Chicago recently. I get handed stuff almost everyday. I try to listen to all of it. 99% is garbage. But every so often you get something that stands out. Tony Martino is maybe 20 or 21 years old; he just introduced himself, said he was a fan and gave me a CD of really ethereal, textured pop with classic melodic structure. He has obviously listened to to a lot of 1960's British music, and you can hear the Beach Boys in the stacked up vocal harmonies. He told me he was working with Ed Buller, who produced the early Suede records, and these 10-12 songs look to be the makings of an album. This is a guy with incredible potential."

By Adam Schlesinger
(As a songwriter and bassist for the New York bands Ivy and Fountains Of Wayne, Adam Schlesinger has probed the expressive possibilities of the pop song, crafting miniature dramas with wit and catchy hooks. A prolific songwriter (academy award nominated) for film and television, he is currently writing songs for a musical adaptation of the John Waters movie, "Cry Baby." Last week Virgin Records released Fountains Of Wayne's "Out Of State Places," a two-CD collection of new and unreleased material. Speaking recently with Joel Topcik, Mr. Schlesinger discussed what he has been listening to and why:) - New York Times (7/3/05)

"A guy handed me a demo when I was in Chicago recently. I get handed stuff almost everyday. I try to listen to all of it. 99% is garbage. But every so often you get something that stands out. Tony Martino is maybe 20 or 21 years old; he just introduced himself, said he was a fan and gave me a CD of really ethereal, textured pop with classic melodic structure. He has obviously listened to to a lot of 1960's British music, and you can hear the Beach Boys in the stacked up vocal harmonies. He told me he was working with Ed Buller, who produced the early Suede records, and these 10-12 songs look to be the makings of an album. This is a guy with incredible potential."

By Adam Schlesinger
(As a songwriter and bassist for the New York bands Ivy and Fountains Of Wayne, Adam Schlesinger has probed the expressive possibilities of the pop song, crafting miniature dramas with wit and catchy hooks. A prolific songwriter (academy award nominated) for film and television, he is currently writing songs for a musical adaptation of the John Waters movie, "Cry Baby." Last week Virgin Records released Fountains Of Wayne's "Out Of State Places," a two-CD collection of new and unreleased material. Speaking recently with Joel Topcik, Mr. Schlesinger discussed what he has been listening to and why:) - New York Times (7/3/05)