John Martyr & the Messengers, was formed in 2008 by experienced musicians with very different musical backgrounds. Having first performed as an acoustic trio, the band secured a full line-up with bass and drums early in 2009. They have since performed live at clubs and festivals around Norway, released the single and music video, Io, and are currently working towards their debut release.
John Martyr & the Messengers combine folk instruments with droney electric guitars and dreamlike ambiences, and lyrics where heartfelt sincerity appears alongside a morbid sense of humour - Bloody fates, religious fear, bizarre visions and a longing for the divine are recurring themes, creating a universe of its own, archaic while strangely familiar at the same time. You may find John Martyr & the Messengers difficult to categorise musically. Appalachian traditions along with other folk music are obvious influences, as are the more modern drug-fuelled gloom of Townes Van Zandt and the murder ballads of Nick Cave.
A somewhat eccentric starting point has not prevented the band from creating music accessible to a large and varied fan base and has lead to great interest and anticipation from the music business. On record their sound is complex and coloured by a variety of folk instruments, while live you'll experience the songs stripped down and performed in a louder and rawer electric version. With the forthcoming album and touring schedule, John Martyr & the Messengers hope to conquer new horizons and state their relevance in the Norwegian music scene as well as internationally.
Members:
Knut Åkra - Vocals, mandolin
Christian Totland - Guitars, banjo, mandolin etc.
Anders Vaage - Guitars, banjo, mandolin, dobro, harmonica etc.
Nicola Trier - Bass
Remi Sjo - Drums