Joey Santiago
Encyclopedia
Joey Santiago is a Filipino
-American
guitarist
and composer
. Active since 1986, Santiago is best known as the lead guitarist for the American alternative rock
band Pixies. After the band's breakup in 1993, Santiago produced musical scores for film
and television
documentaries
, and he formed The Martinis
with his wife, Linda Mallari. He also contributed to album
s by Charles Douglas and former Pixies fellow bandsman Frank Black
. Santiago resumed his role as the Pixies' lead guitarist when they reunited in 2004.
Santiago has described his guitar technique as "angular and bent," and he cites Les Paul
, Chet Atkins
, Joe Pass
and Jimi Hendrix
as major influences on his style. His guitar playing, as part of the Pixies' sound, was held in high regard by critics: MTV
' s Laurel Bowman commented that Santiago's "sonic plow was the key element in the Pixies' monstrous presence."
, Philippines
, on June 10, 1965, the third of six sons of an anesthesiologist
. In 1972, however, when President Marcos
declared martial law, the family emigrated to the United States. After two years in Yonkers, New York
, the family moved to Longmeadow, Massachusetts
, where Santiago attended Longmeadow High School
and graduated from Wilbraham & Monson Academy in 1983. His first experience with a musical instrument was playing a Hammond organ
at the age of eight, but he never took on the instrument seriously because he had to share it with five brothers. Santiago first played a guitar at the age of nine after he noticed a classical guitar hanging on his oldest brother's wall for decoration. The first song he learned to play was The Velvet Underground
's "Rock and Roll".
As a teenager, Santiago became interested in computer programming, naming his first program "Iggy" and his second "Pop" after punk rock
er Iggy Pop
. He participated in a cycle ride across the United States in aid of charity, but on completing it did not bother to collect the sponsor's money. After graduating from high school in 1983, Santiago studied at the University of Massachusetts Amherst
. He remained without a major as long as the university would permit him to, but eventually chose economics
. He met Charles Thompson
, an anthropology student and the future Pixies frontman, after he heard Thompson and his roommate playing their guitars. Santiago rushed home to collect his guitar, and was soon playing "non-blues-scale, non-cover-song rock" with Thompson.
Santiago and Thompson shared a room at the start of the second semester. Santiago soon introduced his new roommate to 1970s punk and the music of David Bowie
. He later recalled their time together in college: "Charles and I had a suite at the college dorm. We'd go to shows, I remember seeing Black Flag
and Angst. Initially, I think we just liked each other. I did notice right away that he was playing music. [...] He'd write 'em [the songs], and I'd throw my ideas on the guitar." In their second year of college, Thompson traveled to Puerto Rico
as an exchange student. After six months there living with a "weird, psycho roommate," Thompson sent Santiago a letter with the words "We gotta do it, now is the time, Joe, we gotta chase our dreams"; Santiago replied, saying "Yes, now's the time." Upon receiving this reply, Thompson decided to return to Amherst
to start a rock band with Santiago.
or lead guitar
; Santiago chose to play lead. The pair arrived at a name after Santiago selected the word randomly from a dictionary and liked the definition, "mischievous little elves." They recruited Kim Deal
a week later after placing a classified ad in a Boston paper for a bassist "into Hüsker Dü
and Peter, Paul and Mary
." Drummer David Lovering was later hired on recommendation from Deal's husband.
The Pixies rehearsed throughout 1986, and began performing around Boston in late 1986 and during 1987. Santiago met his future wife, Linda Mallari, when he sat beside her after a 1987 Pixies show at The Rat
. Mallari noted their shared Filipino ancestry and suggested they write music together. She then offered to join the Pixies, but Santiago replied, "We already have a chick in the band." Throughout Santiago's time with the Pixies, the two often met up to write songs and drink martinis, but they did not release any material. According to Santiago, they "broke up a couple of times" early in their relationship.
The Pixies signed to the English independent record label
4AD
in 1987. On meeting the head of the label, Ivo Watts-Russell
, Santiago remarked: "All I care about is that you make me famous in the Philippines because all the chicks are really pretty". Watts-Russell later said "that's probably all I ever heard Joey really say," and by that time, Santiago's quietness had been noted by those close to the band. The Pixies' first release, Come On Pilgrim
, featured his trademark angular lead guitar on tracks such as "The Holiday Song" and "Vamos".
After the band's next two albums, 1988's Surfer Rosa
and 1989's Doolittle
, the relationship between the band members became strained; the Pixies were constantly touring and had released three albums in two years. During their homecoming Boston concert, on the post-Doolittle "Fuck or Fight" tour, Santiago smashed up his instrument and stormed offstage. The band announced a break soon afterwards. During this time, Santiago visited the Grand Canyon
to "find himself." After the band reconvened in 1990, Santiago contributed to the band's later releases, 1990's Bossanova
and 1991's Trompe le Monde
, adopting a surf guitar style in the former. The Pixies eventually broke up in 1992, mostly due to tensions between Francis and Deal, although the breakup was not publicly announced until 1993.
, contacted Santiago to ask whether he would contribute lead guitar. Santiago agreed, and he and Mallari drove from their home in Florida to Los Angeles. The couple ended up moving into Black's old apartment in L.A. on a whim. Santiago played lead guitar on a number of Frank Black's solo albums, including 1994's Teenager of the Year
, and contributed lead guitar to Steve Westfield's 1994 album Mangled. He also formed The Martinis
a year later with Mallari. Their recorded output by the end of the 1990s comprised a single song, the self-recorded "Free" (1995), which appeared on the film soundtrack of Empire Records
. The band played live only occasionally until 2001.
In the mid-1990s, Santiago began to explore audio editing software. After composing for several independent films, including Crime and Punishment in Suburbia
in 2000 (where he collaborated again with Black), Santiago co-scored the Fox Network TV series Undeclared
with Michael Andrews
. He continued to contribute lead guitar to albums, collaborating with Charles Douglas
on his 2004 album Statecraft. He scored the 2003 film The Low Budget Time Machine and wrote two songs, "Birthday Video" and "Fake Purse," for the Showtime television series Weeds
in 2005.
Mallari and Santiago continued to write new material as part of The Martinis, but no longer played live. Their debut album, Smitten, took two years to write and was released in 2004; the pair collaborated with a number of musicians, including drummer Josh Freese
, during the recording. Santiago described the album as "a lot poppier and quirkier" than the band's previous material. The band also released The Smitten Sessions, a limited edition EP
, at the same time.
visiting family. He said in this coy voice, 'Hey Joey, uh, you been hearin' these rumors that we're getting back together? Gee, I wonder who started it?' I go, 'Charles, did you do that?' and he goes, 'Yeah.'" Santiago then contacted Lovering and Deal to inform them of Black's decision and by the summer of 2004 the band had reunited. DreamWorks
asked the Pixies in early 2004 to compose a song for the Shrek 2
soundtrack. They agreed, and early versions of this new song were recorded in Santiago's basement. With his soundtrack experience, the band, in the words of Deal, "worked it up a bit in Joey's Pro Tools
thing", before submitting it to the studio. DreamWorks rejected the song, so the band released it as a single, "Bam Thwok
".
Aside from the Pixies and The Martinis, Santiago scored the soundtrack of the documentary Radiant City
in 2006. He signed with the commercial sound agency Elias Arts in the same year, and focused on composing music for television commercials. In a March 2006 Billboard.com interview, he dismissed the possibility of a new Pixies album for the time being: "I'd only be interested if it happens in an organic manner; if all our schedules are aligned and we're all feeling it. That's the only reason to do it." Santiago also played a benefit concert for drummer Wally Ingram
in February 2007 as part of The Martinis; the band's first gig for six years.
' "Savoy Truffle
", where "George Harrison played that bent note that I fell in love with and later milked it for all it was worth." He used such techniques with the Pixies: Doolittle's
"Dead" begins with Santiago's guitar "squawking" on an E-flat like "a wounded animal". As Santiago was learning the guitar, he saw himself as a self-conscious amateur; surprisingly, he still often speaks of a lack of confidence in his playing.
Santiago, rather than listening to popular radio, borrowed rock and roll
records from the public library as he was growing up; he first discovered Les Paul
and Jimi Hendrix
, who led to jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery
. Santiago later commented on Montgomery's influence: "And that's when I said, 'Ah, that's a hook. That's some hooky stuff in the jazz world'". He discovered jazz artists such as Joe Pass
and Chet Atkins
after studying the liner notes of albums. Santiago was directly influenced by the "Hendrix chord
", the sharp 9th dominant chord which, in the words of author Ben Sisario, "tapped a hidden rage that matched the horror of Thompson's scream". As a teenager, Santiago also listened to classic rock and protopunk
artists such as The Who
, The Rolling Stones
, The Velvet Underground
and Iggy Pop
.
The stage antics of Santiago often contrasted with his generally quiet demeanor; he often experimented with his guitar and equipment during songs. Deal's husband, John Murphy, said that during performances of "Vamos", which features guitar feedback throughout, Santiago used to "whack the crap out of his amp", often picking up the amplifier and moving it around. During some solos, Santiago would often pull the guitar up to his mouth and break guitar strings with his teeth.
Frank Black
The Martinis
The Everybody
Other appearances
Santiago is credited as guitar unless otherwise specified:
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
. Active since 1986, Santiago is best known as the lead guitarist for the American alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Pixies. After the band's breakup in 1993, Santiago produced musical scores for film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
documentaries
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
, and he formed The Martinis
The Martinis
The Martinis are a rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1993. The band consists of Pixies guitarist Joey Santiago and his wife Linda Mallari. They have released one album under the label Cooking Vinyl, Artist Direct, and Distracted/BMG...
with his wife, Linda Mallari. He also contributed to album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s by Charles Douglas and former Pixies fellow bandsman Frank Black
Frank Black
Black Francis is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the influential alternative rock band Pixies, with whom he performs under the stage name Black Francis. Following the band's breakup in 1993, he embarked on a solo career under the name Frank Black...
. Santiago resumed his role as the Pixies' lead guitarist when they reunited in 2004.
Santiago has described his guitar technique as "angular and bent," and he cites Les Paul
Les Paul
Lester William Polsfuss —known as Les Paul—was an American jazz and country guitarist, songwriter and inventor. He was a pioneer in the development of the solid-body electric guitar which made the sound of rock and roll possible. He is credited with many recording innovations...
, Chet Atkins
Chet Atkins
Chester Burton Atkins , known as Chet Atkins, was an American guitarist and record producer who, along with Owen Bradley, created the smoother country music style known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country's appeal to adult pop music fans as well.Atkins's picking style, inspired by Merle...
, Joe Pass
Joe Pass
Joe Pass was an Italian-American jazz guitarist of Sicilian descent. He is generally considered to be one of the greatest jazz guitarists of the 20th century...
and Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
as major influences on his style. His guitar playing, as part of the Pixies' sound, was held in high regard by critics: MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
Youth and college
Santiago was born in ManilaManila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, on June 10, 1965, the third of six sons of an anesthesiologist
Anesthesiologist
An anesthesiologist or anaesthetist is a physician trained in anesthesia and peri-operative medicine....
. In 1972, however, when President Marcos
Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos, Sr. was a Filipino leader and an authoritarian President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He was a lawyer, member of the Philippine House of Representatives and a member of the Philippine Senate...
declared martial law, the family emigrated to the United States. After two years in Yonkers, New York
Yonkers, New York
Yonkers is the fourth most populous city in the state of New York , and the most populous city in Westchester County, with a population of 195,976...
, the family moved to Longmeadow, Massachusetts
Longmeadow, Massachusetts
As of the census of 2000, there were 15,633 people, 5,734 households, and 4,432 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 5,879 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 95.42% White, 0.69% African American, 0.05% Native American, 2.90%...
, where Santiago attended Longmeadow High School
Longmeadow High School
Longmeadow High School is located in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, United States.Longmeadow High School was founded in 1956 and enrolls approximately 1,100 students...
and graduated from Wilbraham & Monson Academy in 1983. His first experience with a musical instrument was playing a Hammond organ
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
at the age of eight, but he never took on the instrument seriously because he had to share it with five brothers. Santiago first played a guitar at the age of nine after he noticed a classical guitar hanging on his oldest brother's wall for decoration. The first song he learned to play was The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City. First active from 1964 to 1973, their best-known members were Lou Reed and John Cale, who both went on to find success as solo artists. Although experiencing little commercial success while together, the band is often cited...
's "Rock and Roll".
As a teenager, Santiago became interested in computer programming, naming his first program "Iggy" and his second "Pop" after punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
er Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
. He participated in a cycle ride across the United States in aid of charity, but on completing it did not bother to collect the sponsor's money. After graduating from high school in 1983, Santiago studied at the University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Massachusetts Amherst
The University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public research and land-grant university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States and the flagship of the University of Massachusetts system...
. He remained without a major as long as the university would permit him to, but eventually chose economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
. He met Charles Thompson
Frank Black
Black Francis is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the influential alternative rock band Pixies, with whom he performs under the stage name Black Francis. Following the band's breakup in 1993, he embarked on a solo career under the name Frank Black...
, an anthropology student and the future Pixies frontman, after he heard Thompson and his roommate playing their guitars. Santiago rushed home to collect his guitar, and was soon playing "non-blues-scale, non-cover-song rock" with Thompson.
Santiago and Thompson shared a room at the start of the second semester. Santiago soon introduced his new roommate to 1970s punk and the music of David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
. He later recalled their time together in college: "Charles and I had a suite at the college dorm. We'd go to shows, I remember seeing Black Flag
Black Flag (band)
Black Flag was an American punk rock band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California. The band was established by Greg Ginn, the guitarist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes in the band...
and Angst. Initially, I think we just liked each other. I did notice right away that he was playing music. [...] He'd write 'em [the songs], and I'd throw my ideas on the guitar." In their second year of college, Thompson traveled to Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
as an exchange student. After six months there living with a "weird, psycho roommate," Thompson sent Santiago a letter with the words "We gotta do it, now is the time, Joe, we gotta chase our dreams"; Santiago replied, saying "Yes, now's the time." Upon receiving this reply, Thompson decided to return to Amherst
Amherst, Massachusetts
Amherst is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States in the Connecticut River valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 37,819, making it the largest community in Hampshire County . The town is home to Amherst College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts...
to start a rock band with Santiago.
Pixies
Upon Thompson's return to Massachusetts, the pair dropped out of college and moved to Boston. They both took temporary jobs in warehouses, with Santiago working for a butcher block company. In January 1986, Thompson formed the Pixies with Santiago. Francis gave Santiago the choice of bassBass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
or lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
; Santiago chose to play lead. The pair arrived at a name after Santiago selected the word randomly from a dictionary and liked the definition, "mischievous little elves." They recruited Kim Deal
Kim Deal
Kimberley Ann Deal is an American singer, songwriter and musician, best known as the bassist of the alternative rock band the Pixies and the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for The Breeders. Deal first joined the Pixies in January 1986 as the band's bassist, adopting the stage name Mrs...
a week later after placing a classified ad in a Boston paper for a bassist "into Hüsker Dü
Hüsker Dü
Hüsker Dü was an American rock band formed in Saint Paul, Minnesota in 1979. The band's continual members were guitarist Bob Mould, bassist Greg Norton, and drummer Grant Hart....
and Peter, Paul and Mary
Peter, Paul and Mary
Peter, Paul and Mary were an American folk-singing trio whose nearly 50-year career began with their rise to become a paradigm for 1960s folk music. The trio was composed of Peter Yarrow, Paul Stookey and Mary Travers...
." Drummer David Lovering was later hired on recommendation from Deal's husband.
The Pixies rehearsed throughout 1986, and began performing around Boston in late 1986 and during 1987. Santiago met his future wife, Linda Mallari, when he sat beside her after a 1987 Pixies show at The Rat
The Rathskeller
The Rathskeller was a Kenmore Square live music venue in Boston, Massachusetts that was open from 1974 to 1997. As implied by its name "Ratskeller" , the Rathskeller was a dimly-lit establishment...
. Mallari noted their shared Filipino ancestry and suggested they write music together. She then offered to join the Pixies, but Santiago replied, "We already have a chick in the band." Throughout Santiago's time with the Pixies, the two often met up to write songs and drink martinis, but they did not release any material. According to Santiago, they "broke up a couple of times" early in their relationship.
The Pixies signed to the English independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
4AD
4AD
4AD is a British independent record label that was started in 1979 by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent, funded by Beggars Banquet Records, and is still active today...
in 1987. On meeting the head of the label, Ivo Watts-Russell
Ivo Watts-Russell
Ivo Watts-Russell was joint-founder with Peter Kent of the English indie record label 4AD. He has also produced several records, himself preferring to use the term "musical director" to explain his role in the creation....
, Santiago remarked: "All I care about is that you make me famous in the Philippines because all the chicks are really pretty". Watts-Russell later said "that's probably all I ever heard Joey really say," and by that time, Santiago's quietness had been noted by those close to the band. The Pixies' first release, Come On Pilgrim
Come on Pilgrim
Come On Pilgrim is the debut mini-LP release by the American alternative rock band Pixies, released in September 1987 by 4AD.- Background :...
, featured his trademark angular lead guitar on tracks such as "The Holiday Song" and "Vamos".
After the band's next two albums, 1988's Surfer Rosa
Surfer Rosa
Like Come On Pilgrim, Surfer Rosa displays a mix of musical styles; pop guitar songs such as "Broken Face", "Break My Body", and "Brick Is Red" are featured alongside slower, more melodic tracks exemplified by "Where Is My Mind?". The album includes heavier material, and prominently features the...
and 1989's Doolittle
Doolittle (album)
Doolittle features an eclectic mix of musical styles. While tracks such as "Tame" and "Crackity Jones" are fast and aggressive, and incorporate the band's trademark loud–quiet dynamic, other songs such as "Silver", "I Bleed", and "Here Comes Your Man" reveal a quieter, slower and more melodic...
, the relationship between the band members became strained; the Pixies were constantly touring and had released three albums in two years. During their homecoming Boston concert, on the post-Doolittle "Fuck or Fight" tour, Santiago smashed up his instrument and stormed offstage. The band announced a break soon afterwards. During this time, Santiago visited the Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in the United States in the state of Arizona. It is largely contained within the Grand Canyon National Park, the 15th national park in the United States...
to "find himself." After the band reconvened in 1990, Santiago contributed to the band's later releases, 1990's Bossanova
Bossanova
Bossanova is the third album by the American alternative rock band Pixies, released in August 1990 on the English independent record label 4AD in the United Kingdom and by Elektra Records in the United States. All of Bossanovas original material was written by the band's frontman Black Francis; it...
and 1991's Trompe le Monde
Trompe le Monde
Trompe le Monde is the fourth and final album by the American alternative rock band Pixies, released in 1991 on the English independent record label 4AD in the United Kingdom and by Elektra Records in the United States...
, adopting a surf guitar style in the former. The Pixies eventually broke up in 1992, mostly due to tensions between Francis and Deal, although the breakup was not publicly announced until 1993.
The Martinis and composing
After the breakup of the Pixies, Santiago went into a depression for the first couple of years but remained on good terms with bandmate Black Francis (who soon adopted the name Frank Black). Black, who was recording his 1993 debut album, Frank BlackFrank Black (album)
Frank Black is the first solo album from the American alternative rock musician Frank Black. The album was recorded in 1992 and released on 9 March 1993 via 4AD, after the breakup of the Pixies....
, contacted Santiago to ask whether he would contribute lead guitar. Santiago agreed, and he and Mallari drove from their home in Florida to Los Angeles. The couple ended up moving into Black's old apartment in L.A. on a whim. Santiago played lead guitar on a number of Frank Black's solo albums, including 1994's Teenager of the Year
Teenager of the Year
Released in 1994, Teenager of the Year was Frank Black’s second solo album, produced by Eric Drew Feldman. Long considered a testament to Frank Black's songwriting skills as well as his virtue as a performer, Teenager also features work by several backing musicians, including Pixies...
, and contributed lead guitar to Steve Westfield's 1994 album Mangled. He also formed The Martinis
The Martinis
The Martinis are a rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1993. The band consists of Pixies guitarist Joey Santiago and his wife Linda Mallari. They have released one album under the label Cooking Vinyl, Artist Direct, and Distracted/BMG...
a year later with Mallari. Their recorded output by the end of the 1990s comprised a single song, the self-recorded "Free" (1995), which appeared on the film soundtrack of Empire Records
Empire Records
Empire Records is a 1995 coming of age film that follows a group of record store employees over the course of one exceptional day. The employees of this independent music store try to fight off a large chain, all while learning about each other...
. The band played live only occasionally until 2001.
In the mid-1990s, Santiago began to explore audio editing software. After composing for several independent films, including Crime and Punishment in Suburbia
Crime and Punishment in Suburbia
Crime and Punishment in Suburbia is a 2000 film directed by Rob Schmidt and starring Monica Keena , Ellen Barkin , Michael Ironside , James DeBello and Vincent Kartheiser ....
in 2000 (where he collaborated again with Black), Santiago co-scored the Fox Network TV series Undeclared
Undeclared
Undeclared is an American sitcom that aired on Fox during the 2001–02 season.- Premise :The half-hour comedy was Judd Apatow's follow-up to his earlier television series Freaks and Geeks, which also lasted for one season...
with Michael Andrews
Michael Andrews (musician)
Michael Andrews is an American musician and film score composer. He is best known for a cover version of the Tears for Fears song "Mad World", which he recorded with Gary Jules for the Donnie Darko soundtrack, and which became a number one single in the UK in Christmas 2003.-Soundtrack...
. He continued to contribute lead guitar to albums, collaborating with Charles Douglas
Alex McAulay
Alex McAulay is an American novelist. He is the author of Shelter Me, Oblivion Road, Lost Summer, and Bad Girls, all released by MTV and Pocket Books...
on his 2004 album Statecraft. He scored the 2003 film The Low Budget Time Machine and wrote two songs, "Birthday Video" and "Fake Purse," for the Showtime television series Weeds
Weeds (TV series)
Weeds is an American television comedy created by Jenji Kohan and produced by Tilted Productions in association with Lionsgate Television. The central character is Nancy Botwin , a widowed mother of two boys who begins selling marijuana to support her family after her husband dies suddenly of a...
in 2005.
Mallari and Santiago continued to write new material as part of The Martinis, but no longer played live. Their debut album, Smitten, took two years to write and was released in 2004; the pair collaborated with a number of musicians, including drummer Josh Freese
Josh Freese
Josh Freese is an American session drummer and songwriter. He is a permanent member of A Perfect Circle, The Vandals, and Devo, having formerly played drums for Nine Inch Nails from late 2005 until late 2008, and for Guns N' Roses from mid-1998 to 2001. Freese has appeared on close to 300 records....
, during the recording. Santiago described the album as "a lot poppier and quirkier" than the band's previous material. The band also released The Smitten Sessions, a limited edition EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, at the same time.
Pixies reunion and future projects
After the Pixies broke up in 1993, Santiago had stayed in touch with every band member. In the summer of 2003, Black decided to begin reuniting the Pixies and called Santiago first. Santiago later explained: "He called me on my cellphone and I was in Cape CodCape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
visiting family. He said in this coy voice, 'Hey Joey, uh, you been hearin' these rumors that we're getting back together? Gee, I wonder who started it?' I go, 'Charles, did you do that?' and he goes, 'Yeah.'" Santiago then contacted Lovering and Deal to inform them of Black's decision and by the summer of 2004 the band had reunited. DreamWorks
DreamWorks
DreamWorks Pictures, also known as DreamWorks, LLC, DreamWorks SKG, DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC, DreamWorks Studios or DW Studios, LLC, is an American film studio which develops, produces, and distributes films, video games and television programming...
asked the Pixies in early 2004 to compose a song for the Shrek 2
Shrek 2
Shrek 2 is a 2004 American computer-animated fantasy comedy film, produced by DreamWorks Animation and directed by Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury and Conrad Vernon. It is the second installment in the Shrek film series and the sequel to 2001's Shrek...
soundtrack. They agreed, and early versions of this new song were recorded in Santiago's basement. With his soundtrack experience, the band, in the words of Deal, "worked it up a bit in Joey's Pro Tools
Pro Tools
Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation platform for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, developed and manufactured by Avid Technology. It is widely used by professionals throughout the audio industries for recording and editing in music production, film scoring, film, and television...
thing", before submitting it to the studio. DreamWorks rejected the song, so the band released it as a single, "Bam Thwok
Bam Thwok
"Bam Thwok" is a 2004 download-only single by the American alternative rock band Pixies. The song was written and sung by bassist Kim Deal, and released exclusively through the iTunes Store on June 15, 2004. Upon its release, "Bam Thwok" was a commercial success, debuting at number one on the very...
".
Aside from the Pixies and The Martinis, Santiago scored the soundtrack of the documentary Radiant City
Radiant City
Radiant City is a National Film Board of Canada filmreleased in 2006 at the Toronto Film Festival, about suburban sprawl and the fictional Moss family who live in the suburbs, written and directed by Gary Burns and Jim Brown....
in 2006. He signed with the commercial sound agency Elias Arts in the same year, and focused on composing music for television commercials. In a March 2006 Billboard.com interview, he dismissed the possibility of a new Pixies album for the time being: "I'd only be interested if it happens in an organic manner; if all our schedules are aligned and we're all feeling it. That's the only reason to do it." Santiago also played a benefit concert for drummer Wally Ingram
Wally Ingram
Wally Ingram is an American drummer and musician. He is most famous as a member of the band, Timbuk 3.In recent years, he has toured with the multi-instrumentalist David Lindley, and released several records with him :* 2000 : Twango Bango Deluxe...
in February 2007 as part of The Martinis; the band's first gig for six years.
Musical style
Santiago describes his guitar playing as "angular and bent," "all derived from guitar moments that perk my ears up". Notable in his style is how he uses distortion and feedback to leave spaces open. A good example is the intro of There Goes My Gun. He attributes much of his style to songs he enjoyed when first learning the guitar, such as The BeatlesThe Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' "Savoy Truffle
Savoy Truffle
"Savoy Truffle" is a song written by George Harrison and performed by The Beatles on their album The Beatles, also known as The White Album.-Origin:...
", where "George Harrison played that bent note that I fell in love with and later milked it for all it was worth." He used such techniques with the Pixies: Doolittle's
Doolittle (album)
Doolittle features an eclectic mix of musical styles. While tracks such as "Tame" and "Crackity Jones" are fast and aggressive, and incorporate the band's trademark loud–quiet dynamic, other songs such as "Silver", "I Bleed", and "Here Comes Your Man" reveal a quieter, slower and more melodic...
"Dead" begins with Santiago's guitar "squawking" on an E-flat like "a wounded animal". As Santiago was learning the guitar, he saw himself as a self-conscious amateur; surprisingly, he still often speaks of a lack of confidence in his playing.
Santiago, rather than listening to popular radio, borrowed rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
records from the public library as he was growing up; he first discovered Les Paul
Les Paul
Lester William Polsfuss —known as Les Paul—was an American jazz and country guitarist, songwriter and inventor. He was a pioneer in the development of the solid-body electric guitar which made the sound of rock and roll possible. He is credited with many recording innovations...
and Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, who led to jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery
Wes Montgomery
John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery was an American jazz guitarist. He is widely considered one of the major jazz guitarists, emerging after such seminal figures as Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian and influencing countless others, including Pat Martino, George Benson, Russell Malone, Emily...
. Santiago later commented on Montgomery's influence: "And that's when I said, 'Ah, that's a hook. That's some hooky stuff in the jazz world'". He discovered jazz artists such as Joe Pass
Joe Pass
Joe Pass was an Italian-American jazz guitarist of Sicilian descent. He is generally considered to be one of the greatest jazz guitarists of the 20th century...
and Chet Atkins
Chet Atkins
Chester Burton Atkins , known as Chet Atkins, was an American guitarist and record producer who, along with Owen Bradley, created the smoother country music style known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country's appeal to adult pop music fans as well.Atkins's picking style, inspired by Merle...
after studying the liner notes of albums. Santiago was directly influenced by the "Hendrix chord
Hendrix chord
In music, the dominant 79 chord is sometimes known colloquially as the Hendrix chord or Purple Haze chord, nicknamed for guitarist Jimi Hendrix...
", the sharp 9th dominant chord which, in the words of author Ben Sisario, "tapped a hidden rage that matched the horror of Thompson's scream". As a teenager, Santiago also listened to classic rock and protopunk
Protopunk
Protopunk is a term used retrospectively to describe a number of musicians who were important precursors of punk rock in the late 1960s to mid-1970s, or who have been cited by early punk musicians as influential...
artists such as The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City. First active from 1964 to 1973, their best-known members were Lou Reed and John Cale, who both went on to find success as solo artists. Although experiencing little commercial success while together, the band is often cited...
and Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
.
The stage antics of Santiago often contrasted with his generally quiet demeanor; he often experimented with his guitar and equipment during songs. Deal's husband, John Murphy, said that during performances of "Vamos", which features guitar feedback throughout, Santiago used to "whack the crap out of his amp", often picking up the amplifier and moving it around. During some solos, Santiago would often pull the guitar up to his mouth and break guitar strings with his teeth.
Discography
Pixies- Come On PilgrimCome on PilgrimCome On Pilgrim is the debut mini-LP release by the American alternative rock band Pixies, released in September 1987 by 4AD.- Background :...
(1987) - Surfer RosaSurfer RosaLike Come On Pilgrim, Surfer Rosa displays a mix of musical styles; pop guitar songs such as "Broken Face", "Break My Body", and "Brick Is Red" are featured alongside slower, more melodic tracks exemplified by "Where Is My Mind?". The album includes heavier material, and prominently features the...
(1988) - DoolittleDoolittle (album)Doolittle features an eclectic mix of musical styles. While tracks such as "Tame" and "Crackity Jones" are fast and aggressive, and incorporate the band's trademark loud–quiet dynamic, other songs such as "Silver", "I Bleed", and "Here Comes Your Man" reveal a quieter, slower and more melodic...
(1989) - BossanovaBossanovaBossanova is the third album by the American alternative rock band Pixies, released in August 1990 on the English independent record label 4AD in the United Kingdom and by Elektra Records in the United States. All of Bossanovas original material was written by the band's frontman Black Francis; it...
(1990) - Trompe le MondeTrompe le MondeTrompe le Monde is the fourth and final album by the American alternative rock band Pixies, released in 1991 on the English independent record label 4AD in the United Kingdom and by Elektra Records in the United States...
(1991)
Frank Black
- Frank BlackFrank Black (album)Frank Black is the first solo album from the American alternative rock musician Frank Black. The album was recorded in 1992 and released on 9 March 1993 via 4AD, after the breakup of the Pixies....
(1993) - Teenager of the YearTeenager of the YearReleased in 1994, Teenager of the Year was Frank Black’s second solo album, produced by Eric Drew Feldman. Long considered a testament to Frank Black's songwriting skills as well as his virtue as a performer, Teenager also features work by several backing musicians, including Pixies...
(1994) - Dog in the SandDog in the SandDog in the Sand, Frank Black's third album with backing group the Catholics was released by the Cooking Vinyl record label in 2001, and was produced by Nick Vincent. The album was generally met with favorable reviews...
(2001) - Devil's WorkshopDevil's WorkshopDevil's Workshop is the second of a pair of albums by Frank Black and the Catholics to be simultaneously released on August 20, 2002 . 'His Kingly Cave' was originally recorded for an aborted album project in mid-2000 entitled Sunday Sunny Mill Valley Groove Day...
(2002) - Show Me Your TearsShow Me Your TearsShow Me Your Tears is the final album to be released to date by Frank Black and the Catholics. The album employs a wide range of guests, including piano and an arrangement by maverick composer Van Dyke Parks on the final track...
(2003) - Frank Black Francis (additional editing, 2004)
The Martinis
- Smitten (2004)
- The Smitten Sessions (2004)
The Everybody
- Avatar (2009)
Other appearances
Santiago is credited as guitar unless otherwise specified:
- Mangled (Steve Westfield, 1994)
- StuffStuff (album)Stuff is Holly McNarland's 1997 debut LP album. It features the singles "Elmo," "Coward" and the hit single "Numb."-Track listing:#"Numb" #"Elmo" #"Porno Mouth" #"Water"...
(Holly McNarlandHolly McNarlandHolly McNarland is a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter.She collaborated with Matthew Good on the song "Flight Recorder From Viking 7" from the album Loser Anthems as well as on the song "Pony Boy" from Matthew Good's greatest hits package In a Coma...
, 1997) - It Came from the Barn (producer) (Pajama Slave Dancers, 1997)
- Home Is Where My Feet AreHome Is Where My Feet AreHome Is Where My Feet Are is a 2002 album by Holly McNarland. Former Matthew Good Band guitarist Dave Genn appears on the album and is credited with two of the album's songs.-Track listing:#"Do You Get High?" #"Sister"...
(Holly McNarland, 2002) - Statecraft (Charles DouglasAlex McAulayAlex McAulay is an American novelist. He is the author of Shelter Me, Oblivion Road, Lost Summer, and Bad Girls, all released by MTV and Pocket Books...
, 2004) - Weeds: Music from the Original Series (composed and performed "Birthday Video" and "Fake Purse") (WeedsWeeds (TV series)Weeds is an American television comedy created by Jenji Kohan and produced by Tilted Productions in association with Lionsgate Television. The central character is Nancy Botwin , a widowed mother of two boys who begins selling marijuana to support her family after her husband dies suddenly of a...
, 2005) - In Pursuit Of Your Happiness (Mark MulcahyMark MulcahyMark Mulcahy is an American musician and former front-man for the New Haven, Connecticut-based band Miracle Legion in the 1980s to mid 1990s. The band earned modest renown, especially in their native New England region, but disbanded after a sad turn of events with their record label, Morgan Creek...
, 2005) - Songs About TimeSongs About TimeSongs About Time is a multimedia project released by The Rentals throughout 2009. It consists of Songs About Time, three mini-albums released every three months; Films About Weeks, 52 black and white short films scored and arranged by The Rentals and released every Tuesday; and Photographs About...
(The RentalsThe RentalsThe Rentals are an American rock band fronted by vocalist Matt Sharp, best known as the former bass player for rock group Weezer. The band is best known for their mid-1990s hit single, "Friends of P.". The group has released two albums, Return of the Rentals and Seven More Minutes on Maverick...
, 2009) - Twistable, Turnable Man: A Musical Tribute To The Songs Of Shel Silverstein (Various Artists, 2010)