Jeff Martell called himself a “New Age Psychedelic Folksinger.” The Northampton singer/songwriter filled his life with music, whether it was performing solo or with bands across New England, working with the Green River Festival since 2001 (festival director Jim Olsen called him “our field captain”), or practicing the devotional yoga known as Kirtan, which involves call-and-response chanting.
Last January, Martell was on Route 20 in West Springfield, driving to a gig in New York, when he was killed in a head-on collision. He was 50.
Local musicians are coming together to celebrate Martell’s life and spirit at an event called “Jeff Fest,” to be held at the Pines Theater at Look Park in Florence Aug. 4 — Martell’s birthday — from 6:30 to 10 p.m. Gates open at 5 p.m. Kids 12 and under have free admission. In the case of rain, the event will move to a tent at the park’s Garden House.
The event is a fundraiser for the Jeff Martell Scholarship Fund at Greenfield Community College (a school he attended), and the remarkable lineup of performers, all of whom had a personal connection to Martell, is a testament to his involvement in the community and his deep love of the Valley music scene.
The Rev Tor Band hosts the all-star, all-friends, musically diverse night, scheduled to include And the Kids, The Nields, LuxDeluxe, The Lonesome Brothers, Heather Maloney, The Boxcar Lilies with Jim Henry, The Gaslight Tinkers, Thee Arcadians, Star Drooker, Heart Centered Kirtan with Libby Volckening, Dead Collective, East Creek, Harp, Trevor Healy & Adam Bosse, Drew Lopenzina, Selfish Steam and others.
Singer/songwriter Heather Maloney experienced Martell’s support, encouragement and positivity at every Green River Festival she played, noting his “huge smile and ability to make me feel so ‘taken care of’ as an artist,’ ” she said in an interview last week. “He had that incredible combination of being both deep and approachable. He could lead people to bliss at a Kirtan and then rock out to some classic rock anthem. I think that’s the kind of person I would like to be. … I wish I’d had the chance to be around him to take notes.”
Stephanie Marshall of The Boxcar Lilies said Martell was the first local player she met when she moved to the area, and they both wound up on the founding committee for the Franklin County Musicians Cooperative (also known as COOP Concerts) in Greenfield, created to bring local musicians together and to serve the community.
“We created a summer concert series that continues to thrive today at the Greenfield Energy Park on Thursday nights. Jeff had his hands in so much of the community and he brought so much experience, talent and wisdom into the COOP,” Marshall said in an interview last week. “He was a good man, a talented musician, and a person who really cared about his community. He had an infectious smile and a great sense of humor and his presence is deeply missed by so many.”
Singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist and Gaslight Tinkers member Peter Siegel moved to the Valley about 20 years ago and saw Martell often at area venues.
“His presence onstage always radiated one of an old-school elder,” Siegel said. “As I became embedded in the traditional music scene over the years, and involved with the Country Dance and Song Society, I saw a professional side of Jeff that was kind, knowledgeable, and helpful. A call to CDSS about a grant would mean a warm conversation with Jeff, walking through a complicated process. Although we never ‘hung out,’ the web of our friendships overlapped in a way that made me feel a kinship to him. We knew all the same people, did many of the same things and nodded and greeted each other at Green River Fest, the street, or a party. Jeff touched so many lives in so many ways; personally, professionally, and inspirationally. So missed.”
Musician Dave Hayes (known to tens of thousands in the Valley as “The Weather Nut”) first met Martell at the Green River Festival in 2014 and they later connected on Facebook.
“He asked me to do a Kirtan gig once, but I couldn’t swing it, and never did end up playing with him,” Hayes said. “He was a real community guy, a very loving soul, and I think the biggest impact he had on me was this year at his tribute at GRF. They did a Kirtan chant in his honor, and the refrain was ‘Let it go.’ Singing that refrain over and over, over three simple chords, brought tears to my eyes, because it made me realize how much of the pain in my past I’ve held on to. Ever since that chant, I’ve been reminding myself to let it go, and it lightens my load. So I feel like he’s helping me from the beyond. A super sweet dude, kind-hearted music man.”
Ken Maiuri can be reached at clublandcolumn@gmail.com.
For more information, visit jefffestnorthampton.com