Athens-based "Sad Boy Folk" Artist is Excited to Share His Unique Sound
by Aya Cathey
RJ Martin is used to standing out.
RJ Martin is a senior at Ohio University working toward a major in music production.
Photos by Sophia Daugherty Munoz.
“There’s not a lot of artists like me in Athens, so sometimes I’ll open for a band with a different style,” Martin says. “There won’t always be people who connect to my songs; I’m an odd one out. But that’s okay, I love what I do, and I wouldn’t change that.”
Martin, a “Sad Boy Folk” artist, is an Athens-based singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He describes his style of music as indie-folk and is heavily inspired by musicians such as Shakey Graves, Bob Dylan and Green Day.
In April of this year, he released his first EP, Don’t Wait. The EP features four songs: “Ashes,” “ Chihiro,” “Midsummer,” and “Interstellar Love Songs.”
“Ashes,” his most prominent song on the EP, was written about his cousin who passed away in 2018. He recorded most of the acoustic guitar on the EP using his late cousin’s guitar. The rest of the EP explores abstract themes of death, passing on, and genesis.
“Chihiro” is about traversing a world of spirits, and “Midsummer” is about the loneliness experienced after being laid in your own grave. “Interstellar Love Song” follows a slightly different theme, but its message is about the feeling of genesis: to embark on a new beginning.
“Ashes” and “Midsummer” were both created as demos before he was signed to Brick City, an Ohio University student-run record label, and was given the opportunity to release his full EP.
“I had no idea when I’d release or finish them, but knew I wanted to,” Martin says. “Writing these songs were part of a big healing process and kind of a proverbial sigh of relief, once I finally finished.”
During the songwriting process, Martin writes his music and melody first so that it is easier to set the lyrics to a rhythm already in place. For the structure of the songs, he looks for inspiration from other artists and engineers that he enjoys.
“Often, I’ll hear listeners call my songs 'chill' or 'soothing.' Which is okay, but I don’t make music for people to fall asleep to,” Martin says. “I want my music to evoke an emotional experience, one where people feel impacted by simply listening to a single line or melody.”
While he usually has a more drawn out writing process, he recently started experimenting with many different melodies and lyrics all at once. His newer pieces were originally inspired by a particular story he wanted to tell, but by the time he was done writing, his ideas had completely changed.
“It happens without me noticing,” Martin says. “Sometimes it’s frustrating, but more often than not, it’s pretty cool to see the idea grow through the lyrics.”
As a part of his capstone project, Martin signed with Brick City in the fall of 2019. While his spring showcase was cancelled due to the pandemic, he recently performed in Fall “Quaranstream,” a studio session for OU’s All Campus Radio network , or ACRN, and at the Brick City Pre-Game party on Twitch.
“During quarantine, there were many times where I felt unmotivated to write songs,” he says. “Life fuels my inspiration, and when the days became monotonous, it was hard to create music. But I’ve been looking forward to this project since I was a freshman. Although things are different this year, it’s been great so far.”
Outside of the industry, Martin’s musical ambitions don’t stop. He is an OU senior and music production major working as a music director for ACRN. The station is primarily folkrock and entirely staffed and operated by students.
As a director, Martin is responsible for curating fresh tunes for the new music rotation.
“ACRN is more than just a college radio station,” he says. “There’s something there for everyone, regardless of their experience level, whether it be writing, music production, graphic design, marketing, advertising, or even social media management. If you love anything that has to do with music, there’s a place for you here.”
Gilly Faut, a promotion director at ACRN, describes Martin as “a folk singer-songwriter with an authentic acoustic style.” Faut is a vocalist and junior at OU studying music production.
“Martin is hardworking, talented, and genuinely nice to be around,” she says. “He’s a great person to talk to and I think that’s reflected in his music. It’s comforting.”
Martin is also not afraid to take a stand for what he believes is right.
Last spring, he and his friend Reese Clutter produced and mixed songs for the local band Gorilla Party. Three months after working with the band, a survivor of sexual abuse spoke out against Tyler Tompkins, a member of the group. Martin and Clutter knew they wanted to make a statement supporting survivors of sexual abuse, but decided it wouldn’t be enough. They decided to donate the proceeds of their work to My Sister’s Place, a domestic violence agency in Athens. Martin and Clutter believe harassment is a huge problem in the music industry, and they want to continue making the community a better and safer place for creators and fans.
“These problems can’t afford to be glossed over,” Martin says. “If you don’t recognize the issues and speak up about them, you’re only allowing them to get worse.”
Martins experiences at Ohio University have helped make him into the musician he is today.
Martin also played in the indie-rock band, WMN, with drummer Jordan Latas and frontwomen Bailey Panzeca and Taylor Swann. Jordan Latas, a Columbus-based guitarist and drummer, is a senior studying music production at OU. Panzeca and Swann are vocalists, guitarists, songwriters, and recent graduates of OU. Back in 2019, Panzeca enlisted Martin and Latas for her bedroom pop project. Latas played drums for the band and Martin played bass.
“RJ is so freaking talented. I love 'Don’t Wait,' it has this soft, beautiful, folksy sound, and it’s distinctive to his style,” Panzeca says. “That’s one of the best things about him, he stays true to his own, and he genuinely loves what he does.”
Although Latas and Martin’s music styles are quite different, with Latas leaning more towards psychedelic rock, the two are great friends. They have also worked on several studio sessions and are incredibly passionate about their craft, both as bandmates and solo artists.
“You can meet him once and tell RJ is a genuinely good dude,” Latas says. “It takes a kind-hearted, talented person like him to write sad music that feels good. And he does it so well.”
From writing songs in his bedroom to becoming a wellknown musician on campus, OU has played a huge role in Martin’s journey. He thanks his professors for the networks he has built and accredits OU’s music department to make him a more well-rounded artist.
“There’s something about going into the studio that is unexplainably amazing,” he says. “I get to learn from experienced professors and musicians and create a long-lasting network. It’s simply a different world.”
As for the near future, Martin hopes to release an album soon. His time at OU has encouraged him to explore several career interests after graduation, including scoring films, and songwriting or producing for other artists and bands.
“There’s a lot I’m looking forward to exploring, in music and in life,” he says. “But I mean, I would love to be a rock star.