Anywhere is Home
Peter Barnes Martin is a singer-songwriter and multi-genre musician based in Pacific Grove, California, making acoustic music that draws upon jazz, folk, and bluegrass sounds to confront the shared moments of our experience.
Originally from Rochester, New York, Peter grew up in a family that performed music at family gatherings, fondly remembering playing bluegrass with his father and uncle. After studying with Bob Sneider, the jazz guitar chair at Eastman School of Music, Peter pursued a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies at Michigan State University from 2015-2019. During this time he studied in Randy Napoleon's guitar studio, toured with the Jazz Orchestra I, and placed as a semi-finalist in the Wilson Center Guitar Competition in 2018 and 2019. Pursuing his dreams, Peter moved to New York City after college and performed with artists such as Benny Bennack III, Tony Glausi, Luther Allison, Evan Taylor, Liany Mateo, and Zach Adleman. He left NYC during the COVID-19 lockdowns and made the life-altering decision to move west with his wife to Monterey, CA.
In Monterey, Peter established himself as a vocalist, full-time musician, and original recording artist, releasing his debut album Anywhere Is Home in 2023 and touring the West Coast to support it — performing over 160 shows annually since establishing himself in Monterey. Since then he has opened for John Hiatt and Marty Stuart at the Golden State Theatre, won Best Song at the Cambria Song Contest Finals, and been invited by Ineffable Productions to consider opening slots at larger venues across Northern California.
His second album, The Lake, arrives November 2026 — a 14-track meditation on building a life without losing yourself to it. Accompanied by music videos, a live release recording, and a series of community workshops, the project extends beyond music into a companion book of the same name, exploring the philosophy behind each song through personal essays and bandstand stories. It is the most honest work he has made.
When he is not performing or recording, Peter teaches guitar at Hartnell College, books the Carl Cherry Center's Portraits in Song songwriter series, and loves spending time with his wife and two dogs exploring the California coast and wilderness.