About That Song: Martin Zellar
About That Song #23
In our special series, singer-songwriter Sarah Morris interviews artists about the songs that shaped them.
Hi! I’m Sarah Morris. I’m wildly in love with songs and the people who write them. There have been a few songs in my life that have been total gamechangers—songs that made me want to be a songwriter and songs I’ve written that made me feel like I am a songwriter. About That Song is a space where I can learn more about those pivotal songs in other writers’ lives.
In the 23rd installment of this series, I connected with Martin Zellar! He’s had a huge impact locally and nationally as frontman of Minneapolis alt-country pioneers Gear Daddies and as a solo artist. We talked about the turning-point songs in his songwriter journey, as well as one of my favorite tracks from his new album.
Martin Zellar. Photo credit: Carolyn Beaudot.
Sarah: Hi Martin!! It’s so nice to meet you here—congratulations on your new album, Head West. Between your solo endeavors, and your work with the Gear Daddies, I’m excited to learn a little bit more about a few of the songs that have played an important role in your journey as a songwriter. Do you remember the song that you heard that made you want to be a songwriter? Tell us about that song.
Martin: “Runaway” by Del Shannon. I can vividly remember the moment I first heard it. I knew then and there that I wanted to be a songwriter, but I didn’t believe it was something a kid from a small town in Minnesota could do. Writing a song seemed like something only special people could do, and I certainly didn’t feel special.
Sarah: Oh, that is such a dreamy song to have begun your songwriter journey. A masterclass in pop songwriting. Such iconic instrumentation, melodies that will never leave your ear, harmonic moves that surprise, lyrics that everyone can understand, the repetitive hook. I absolutely can understand hearing that song, wanting to be a part of something like that, and also considering it as unattainable—something that must be happening to other people in some far-off land (Hollywood?!).
Once you made the leap past those beliefs and began writing, did you feel like a writer immediately? Was there a song you wrote that gave you an “a-HA! I AM a songwriter!” moment? Tell us about that song.
Martin: I certainly didn’t feel like a songwriter immediately. I remember listening to Born To Run in middle school and having a breakthrough. The stories that Springsteen was telling seemed familiar and relatable. It demystified the process for me. By 17, I was writing reasonably good songs. I wrote “She's Happy” when I was 17, which made the Gear Daddies’ first album. It’s still one of my most requested songs at live shows. I have to say that it feels like a cover after all these years.
Martin Zellar. Photo credit: Davin Brandt.
Sarah: I think it says so much about Bruce Springsteen’s writing that he’s able to set such a high bar for writing, and make it seem accessible, within the same songs. A song making an album feels like a reasonable time to say “hey! I AM a songwriter!” That same song continuing to be requested some 30-plus years later affirms that you were onto something, at age 17 no less!
Head West is your first album in 11 years. You’ve mentioned being unsure, prior to the pandemic, if you’d release another album. Did you continue writing throughout the space between albums? Was there a certain song that you wrote that sparked the idea of recording an album again? Could you tell us about that song?
Martin: I never stopped writing songs. I just wasn’t sure I wanted to bother recording and releasing them. The silver lining to the COVID downtime was that it provided uninterrupted time to think, read, and write. Suddenly, songs just started coming to the surface. And they were songs I knew I wanted people to hear. I don’t think there was any song in particular that turned a lightbulb on.
Sarah: Uninterrupted time is an elusive thing. I’m glad that that space was generative for you, and I’m certain your many fans are as well. You’ve got this super cool duet on the album with Presley Haile, “Better Off Apart.” Did you write the song intentionally as a duet? Or was that choice made in the recording process?
Martin: Yes, it was written as a duet. I watched the relationships of more than a few friends fall apart over the COVID shutdown, and it might go back to that uninterrupted time to sit and think. I guess some of those friends decided they’d be happier moving on. That’s conjecture, of course. I’ve been happily married for 33 years, so I wasn't drawing from personal experience.
Sarah: Conjecture and imagination and wondering often seem to lead to songs that might not be our exact stories, while still ringing as truth. Thank you so much for visiting About That Song, Martin, and congrats again on your new album.
Listen to “Better Off Apart”
Head West Album Credits
Produced By Martin Zellar
All songs written by Martin Zellar (Wilson Dean Music/BMI)
Mixed & Mastered by Wilson Zellar
Cover Photos: Carolyn Zellar-Beaudot
Guitars & vocals recorded at Cruz de Piedra Studio, San Miguel de Allende, GTO, MX. Engineered by Wilson Zellar, assistant engineered by Owen Zellar
Additional recording at Carleton Artists Lofts, St. Paul, MN. Engineered by Wilson Zellar
Additional recording at The Zone Studio, Dripping Springs, TX. Engineered by Pat Manske
Drums recorded at Boom Island Recording, Minneapolis, MN. Engineered by Greg Schutte
Principal Players:
Dominic Ciola: bass
Scott Wenum: drums, percussion, backing vocals
Martin Zellar: vocals, harmonica
Wilson Zellar: guitars
Additional Players:
Clementine Zellar-Beaudot: percussion on The Road Led Here
Brian Beken: mandolin & banjo on The Road Led Here
Randy Broughten: pedal steel guitar on Anyone but Me and Boats Slowly Sinking
Ali Gray: backing vocals on We Ran Wild, 40 Years Along & Head West
Presley Haile: vocals on Better off Apart, backing vocals on Boats Slowly Sinking
Geoff Queen: mandolin, pedal steel & lap steel on Goodbye Wild Bill, pedal steel guitar on 40 Years Along, lap steel guitar on Texas Just Won’t End
Pat Manske: Percussion on Big City Man
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sarah Morris. Photo credit: Tom Smouse.
Sarah Morris is a superfan of songs and the people who write them, and a believer that certain songs can change your life. A singer-songwriter / mama / bread maker / coffee drinker who recently released her fifth album of original material, she’s been known to joyfully sing with people in her Big Green Bathroom.
