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scop (noun): Old English – bard, minstrel, storyteller

Fantasy Musician Martin Springett:
Ready to be Reborn

Martin PsringettSome cool news arrived today from fellow musician Martin Springett.

It seems that one of his early albums The Gardening Club is going to be re-released by Space Wreck Records in 2016. This is cause for celebration.

Here’s the press release from Space Wreck:

In 1984, UK-born Martin Springett—an accomplished musician and illustrator who had produced comics for the legendary Heavy Metal magazine and designed and illustrated record covers for Columbia—was commissioned to illustrate the cover of The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay, the first novel of the acclaimed Fionavar Tapestry Trilogy. A classic of fantasy literature, the trilogy is beloved worldwide, and it launched Springett to international fantasy illustration fame.

Springett (3)In 1983, Springett is living in Toronto and releases his own album: The Gardening Club. A musically rich and diverse album, The Gardening Club combined King Crimson-like complexity, Canterbury scene-infused whimsy, and a strong pop sensibility, but in the shadow of new wave it was the right album, at the wrong time.

In 2016, The Gardening Club will be revitalized with a trilogy of releases: a deluxe repackaged version of the original LP, an EP filled with previously unreleased songs and a brand new companion graphic novel filled with Springett’s signature lush, oneiric imagery, wonderful wordplay and decidedly English brand of the fantastic.

511ZxU2WmIL._SS280I’ve had the pleasure of jamming with Martin at a number of World Fantasy Cons. First in Toronto in 2012 and most recently in D.C. last year, where we were joined by Sarah Pinsker, F. Paul Wilson, and others. Sadly, other projects are keeping Martin from attending this year, but we can still hear his music.

Be sure to check out his CDs and digital downloads at Amazon, and for those of you who need more convincing, take a look at (and listen to) the video below. The song is “Andromeda,” from The Gardening Club. The video was directed by Phillip Kates, who went on to direct videos featuring Blue Rodeo, Jeff Healey, and Sarah McLachlan. Great stuff!

At any rate, the good news is that Martin Springett has more than enough music out there to fill the silence until Space Wreck reissues The Garden Club next year. Until then . . . scop on!


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