Anywhere is Home
Peter Barnes Martin is a full-time multi-genre musician from Rochester, New York, based out of Monterey, California. His composition and performance is influenced by indie folk, alternative and jazz genres and can be compared to artists such as Benny Sings, Nick Drake, Jack Johnson, Kings of Convenience, and Chet Baker. Peter’s act is characterized by its improvisational ability, seasoned experience, versatility, and down-to-earth stage presence.
In his high school years, Peter was a member of the Eastman Youth Jazz Orchestra and studied with distinguished Jazz guitarist Bob Sneider. Upon graduation, he began his studies at Michigan State University as a part of the Jazz Studies program. During this time, he studied with renowned guitarist Randy Napoleon. Internationally, Peter has placed as a semi-finalist in the Jazz Genre of the 2018 and 2019 Wilson Center Guitar Competitions.
Peter moved to New York City in the summer of 2019 and quickly found himself performing regularly as a go-to jazz guitarist for many ensembles. He performed with artists such as Benny Bennack the third, Tony Glausi, and Richard Cortez. The arrival of COVID-19 meant the end of Peter’s chapter in New York City and he returned to Rochester, New York. During this time, he kept busy teaching and performing online and blending his love for many styles of music, such as Folk, Jazz, Neo-Soul, and Singer-Songwriter, to create his own sound.
Upon his fiancée’s acceptance to the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, Peter moved west to Monterey, California in January 2021 and grew a full calendar of performances in a variety of settings throughout the central coast to further develop his original compositions and vocal performance. In August of 2022, he toured once again with the Joseph Herbst Sextet in North and South Carolina. During this time, Peter broke ground on recording nine of his original songs in Washington, D.C.
In March 2023, Peter self-released his debut album, 'Anywhere is Home,' and subsequently promoted on a 10-date tour spanning from San Diego, California to Seattle, Washington. In addition to this tour, Peter performs regularly throughout California with a total of 166 gigs in 2023. In 2024, Peter will be releasing his second project “The Lake” as a series of singles from September 2024-2025 and looks forward to working with new venues and festivals interested in developing artists.