Roll of the Dice is a short interview format with a variable amount of questions. A pair of dice is rolled and the total, between 2 and 12, is the amount of questions we can ask. All questions are given to the interviewee(s) at once, and no follow-ups are allowed. The interview may be lightly edited for content and clarity.
Charles Martin could have sat back and coasted on the accomplishments of his father Jason in Starflyer 59, but instead he formed The Rocky Valentines and dropped the hauntingly beautiful little pop-rock album Erase. To celebrate the album release, Charles joined TGEFM for a Roll of the Dice and interview.
Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. Congrats on the upcoming release of Erase. What can you tell us about yourself and the record for readers just discovering you?
I’ve always loved writing guitar riffs and playing drums in bands, but never really thought I would end up singing on my own songs. Up until about 2 years ago the vocals were always the missing link for me. So at the time my dad told me I should give it a shot. And ever since then, things have changed drastically. It’s almost hard for me to remember when I wasn’t singing my songs. Because now that’s my automatic reaction when I have a riff brewing in my head. So with all this being said, I am very thankful to have my first full length record coming out on Velvet Blue and Tooth and Nail Records. These songs all have the type of vibe I’ve been wanting to incorporate into a record for a while.
Your father was a member of Starflyer 59. How did that growing up with touring musician affect your choice to enter music. Beyond your father’s work, what album or band or significant singles made you go “Yeah, this is what I want to do.” Not just an influence but who or what was the catalyst?
By the time I was first introduced to playing music, my dad had already not been touring for years. So that aspect didn’t really affect my willingness to want to pursue music. It all started when I got my first drum set on Christmas at 11 years old. I had no intention of playing any instruments whatsoever, and I ended up waking up to a little Gretsch drum kit that morning. I was surprised beyond belief but super excited at the same time. A couple weeks after slowly learning the basics to the drums, my dad showed me a Black Sabbath song called “N.I.B.” I had only heard their famous classic “Iron Man” before then, so this was the first time for me. And the second I heard that dark opening riff, I knew that I wanted to pursue music and start playing guitar like this. Something about the feel of that song just clicked with me. The whole thing felt right. So though my music taste has changed a lot over the years since then, I would still say that Black Sabbath was my first major influence. My second to last song on Erase labeled “Beer Keg” was definitely inspired by Black Sabbath.
How have you coped with the high bar your father set? Is there an additional pressure when you’ve got family on the same label, in the same scene?
Even though the bar has been set pretty high with my dad being on the same label as me, I have coped with this fact pretty well lately. This is because my dad has been very supportive since the very beginning of The Rocky Valentines. For each release he’s been willing to help me get my songs to their full potential. Whether
it’s producing, getting his bass player to play on my stuff, or tracking the instruments thoroughly. He’s always helped me dial in tones and get things sounding nice. But as far as the songwriting, sometimes I will listen to my dad’s music and just shake my head. It feels impossible at times to write anything even half as good as the songs he wrote. However I’ve come to accept that everyone’s music is a little different, and that there’s always going to be people you look up to and strive to be. At the end of the day I’m just thankful for the gifts God has given me musically.
We’ve all got a few, what is your biggest regret? A gig you turned down, advice you didn’t take, what one thing do you wish you handled differently as a musician?
One of the biggest things I regret as a musician was not realizing what I had at one point in my life. Before Covid hit us, I played drums in a band called Lacker. We had been playing lots of shows in Orange county and had a lot of music coming out. It was a special group. But at the time I was feeling very stressed and burnt out from our schedule. I was the only one who could drive, so I had a lot on my plate with the transportation and everything else. I was beginning to not find it fun anymore. Then low and behold just like every other band, all our shows ended up getting canceled due to the virus. I was sort of relieved at the time to be getting a break, but had no idea this was going to be much longer than 2 weeks. As time went on, me and my other 2 bandmates kind of drifted away. Covid just changed the dynamic because we had no shows to practice for. So in a nutshell, I wish I could have appreciated what I had at the time. We were all in high school, didn’t have jobs, and had a cool thing going on. Sometimes in life you don’t realize what you have until it’s gone. But on a positive note, I know for a fact that I would have never started my own band if Lacker had continued. So even though I lost something, I for sure gained something at the same time.
What have been some of the most memorable moments or experiences as a professional, touring musician so far? What’s been the most unexpected? The weirdest?
One of my most memorable experiences was when my band got to play at the observatory right at the beginning of 2020. It was a sold out show, and there was a lot of high energy that night.
One of our obligatory questions in these interviews also tends to be the one I have found most important on a personal level. Who are some bands on your radar that TGEFM readers may not know about, but you think they should?
Charly Bliss
The Orwells
Now that the world has its hands on the new record, what’s next for The Rocky Valentines?
Once the new record is out, we’ll be starting right over again on a 2nd full length. On this record I’m going to have an old buddy playing some leads on it to change the vibe a little. We’ve played for a long time together, and I thought it would be cool to get a new set of ears for the upcoming songs.
What do you wish I asked about or that you had more of an opportunity to speak about during this interview?
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed’s musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he’s self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/
