Pigface is a tough band to pin down. With a constantly-shifting lineup that reads like a who's-who of industrial and hard rock, it's always a surprise to see who'll show up to play on each new album, or even each night of a tour. The one constant, the man at the center of the band, is drummer/producer/impresario Martin Atkins.
Martin's credentials as a drummer are impressive: he's played with Public Image, Ltd., Ministry, and Killing Joke. He plays drums in Pigface, but he also produces, which involves managing musical contributions from around the world. The new Pigface record, 6, features members of KMFDM, Atari Teenage Riot, Apollo 440 and Zeromancer, among others.
You may know Martin as Suicide Girls' Tour:Smart columnist, offering advice and stories to bands who are looking to hit the road successfully. He also teaches classes on touring and music marketing at Columbia College in Chicago, and he's currently starting up his own hands-on school, Revolution Number Three, where students learn about the music business by working in the music business.
Martin is clearly excited about the new album and the new school, but, considering that he literally wrote the book on touring (it's called Tour:Smart), it shouldn't come as a surprise that he seems most charged up about going on tour. As he explained to Suicide Girls, absolutely anything can happen at a Pigface show. Lineups and stage sets that change every night might not make journalists or sound engineers happy, but Martin Atkins is loving every minute of it.
Click HERE to read SuicideGirls' interview with Martin.
Hey Dogwood! My name is Jon and I'm working for Invisible Records this summer. Cool article, thanks a lot for spreading the word.
ReplyDeleteLet me know if you want me to keep you updated with what's going on with Martin (and if there's any areas that particularly interest you). Hit me up at jon@invisiblerecords.com
Thanks again, cool blog! Have a good weekend.
~Jon