Album Notes

Born in a caravan park in Australia's Outback, Martine Locke has literally emerged from nowhere. Her name, chosen from a phone book, today evokes these responses from music reviewers:

"sharp, powerful, skilled voice" - The West Magazine
"brash and powerful" - The Australian
"a virtuosic, magical guitar player" - X Press Magazine


Masterful guitar combined with a captivating voice and witty, acerbic humor, Martine Locke spent her early career, singing and speaking in high schools around Australia. During this time she released, "Superstars". Recorded on her guitar in one take, the songs received airplay on a local radio station that was inundated with people requesting copies and asking 'who was that' for two hours after they were played. Inspired by interest, Martine went on to record "Living in this Moment", her first CD which sold over 8,000 copies and launched her career as an independent artist.

In 1996, she formed the award-winning Australian duo, The Velvet Janes. Releasing 4 CDs on her own label, they hit the Australian charts, enjoyed commmercial and public radio airplay around the world, opened for artists such as Ani Di Franco, Arlo Guthrie and The Cowboy Junkies, and have toured the US and Australia, playing festivals and clubs nationwide.

Martine launches her second solo CD, titled "FLY" in the US this fall. With her stylistic signature of driving acoustic guitar and lyrics more piercingly honest than ever,"FLY" ranges from sultry to rock to acoustic with an edge.

Continuing with the success of running her own label (selling 80,000 CDs to date),"FLY" will be released on Passionfruit Produce. Maintaining artistic integrity is what it is all about.

Martine has taken a step above the singer-songwriter phenomenon and offers her listeners something more with this release, a sense of surprise and discovery. Simply put, she's independent by name, and independent by nature.