It’s 7:00 AM on a Saturday morning and I’m 8 years old. My whole body is vibrating and my heart pounding is pounding out of my chest. Noah’s on the drums again!
Who’s Noah?
Noah Martin is a local rock & roll artist who’s also my cousin. We grew up together.
Noah started learning how to play the drums at just 3 years old so waking up to him on the drums was a regular occurrence. At 4 years old, he started learning the guitar, following in the footsteps of his father, Chris Martin, who has also been a guitarist and drummer since childhood. Our parents tell stories about taking Noah and me to his shows when we were babies. Imagine a dark room with flashing lights, people dancing to the music that’s so loud you can feel it in your toes; then picture two babies sleeping peacefully in the back. That was our childhood! It’s no wonder Noah started wanting to be just like his dad so early on. He remembers his dad showing him how to play “A Hard Day’s Night” on the guitar, and that’s when he realized music was what he wanted to do. Just like Dad.
Now, at 21 years old, not much has changed for Noah when it comes to music. He’s currently in a band that goes under the name “Noah Martin” with his dad Chris and best friend Carson Miller. He’s released quite a few songs on Apple Music and Spotify.
Jamming Out (With Dad) at Club Congress
Noah’s current band recently headlined at Club Congress, a local venue in downtown Tucson. His dad used to play Club Congress back in the day with his own band and Noah said it was surreal being able to play in a band with him at the same venue.
I was in the audience that night and it was exhilarating. I arrived early, and the thick, smoky air hung in the room and surrounded me like a warm. There was a band already playing with a decent crowd of people twisting and turning to the music. I maneuvered my way through the crowd to our group, my Doc Martens sticking to the floor with each step. I should’ve brought a hair tie. Noah was in that crowd, bouncing up and down. He gave me a big sweaty bear hug when he saw me. I asked him how excited he was to be playing in such a cool venue. “Fucking pumped!” I knew it was going to be a great night.
Watching them perform is always fun but Noah was pulling out all the tricks that night. One of Noah’s best performance weapons is his bright red, curly hair. His firey head violently shakes to the rhythm while he bounces up and down shredding on his guitar. When singing, you can see the emotion in his eyes and hear the passion in his nasal tilt. Chris is a madman on the drums, his drumsticks are a blur as he jams out in the back. Carson is the most mellow of the two but still thrashes around on stage like no one is watching.
Hands in the air, I’m a puppet on strings letting the beat guide my body as I become one with music. They played songs from Noah’s most recent album and some new ones he’s working on as well. My body was covered in sweat by the end of the set and not all of it was mine. The three of them created such wild energy I thought the stage was going to catch on fire at one point.
Watching Noah perform is one of my favorite things in the world and watching him grow as an artist and performer has truly been an honor. I always leave his performances on a high wanting more. Fortunately for me and many others, he is constantly creating songs and will continue to release and perform them for his growing Tucson audiences.
A Multi-Instrumentalist Worth Checking Out
His most recent solo work is a six-track EP called In Due Time. This album is full of emotion and the songs just make you want to dance. What makes this album so unique is that all the instruments are played by Noah. The lyrics, the drums, the guitar, it’s all Noah. I asked him what drives his passion for creating music and he told me he wants to create songs that people can relate to and escape in, even if it’s just for a few minutes.
I personally love this album and one of my favorite songs is called “Indigo”. It’s got a jazzy, euphoric vibe to it that makes me want to close my eyes and sway to the rhythm. The guitar, however, comes in for the chorus and you remember this is a rock n roll song. The fast-paced, hard guitar strokes, and beat of the drums create an out-of-body experience and my body loses control and lets the music take over. The song then slows back into its vibey mood and completely entrances me. There’s also a great guitar solo in there that Noah absolutely crushes. I like to listen to this song laying down with my eyes closed and let my imagination take over.
Noah put out an awesome music video for one of his songs called “Blowout” a couple of years ago with his dad and bassist Nick Augustine. This video feels like something the Jonas Brothers might’ve put out if they were a little cooler and more punk rock. It was filmed in Noah’s garage and has scenes of Noah being chased through the desert, a forest, and, of course, downtown Tucson by a girl. The garage scenes are dark, with only fairy lights and red and blue LEDs. It’s edited so when some scenes switch they basically melt into each other. It’s very professional and fun to watch. My favorite parts of the video are the close-up shots of Noah’s fingers flying across the neck of the guitar while strumming alongside perfectly.
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Sasha Wisdom is majoring in Psychology and minoring in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Arizona.