Celebrating music and those who create it.
Five years ago, Martha’s Trouble, an Americana folk/pop duo, released a nationally, critically acclaimed album, Forget October. Since, the duo has all but been quiet, touring the country, writing and recording, preparing for the next leg of their epic adventure. The much-anticipated Anchor Tattoo the duo’s tenth self-released album.
The past five years have been crucial for the duo. In addition to sustaining a career in music, Jen and Rob Slocumb started a family and are raising their two children— Wilson, 5, and Emery, 3. The time between albums allowed the couple to focus on their family and spirituality, both setting the tone for their release of “Anchor Tattoo.”
Their passion, their ability to find themselves, comes, in part, from their spirituality and church family. It is the support they find from both that allowed the duo to try new things, to realize that music, Martha’s Trouble, their family is where they belong. “I think about the years we spent living in a van, traveling across the country and it’s hard to believe that we did that,” Jen said. “Now we have two children, a mortgage, bills, a dog … things that wouldn’t fit in the van. But those times help us remember what Martha’s Trouble means.”
Martha’s Trouble comes from a story in the Bible about two sisters, Martha and Mary. Jesus came to see them one day. Martha was running around, trying to clean up and prepare food while Mary was hanging out at Jesus’ feet. The story says Martha was “troubled” because Mary wasn’t helping. The story, the duo says, is a reminder to stop and smell the roses, the idea of keeping an eye on the bigger picture and the important things in life.
Founding band/soul mates Jen and Rob Slocumb met 15 years ago with a twist of fate inside a Houston, Texas, coffee shop where Jen worked booking bands. Rob was home to see his parents after a music venture fizzled. It started as a simple bond over music. Time led them to realize it was something much more. The two fell in love and were married. They continued to write and play music, building up enough of a repertoire to start producing albums and touring around the country and the world.
The duo now lives in Auburn, Ala. Not exactly where they pictured themselves, but they wouldn’t give it up. Jen, from Ontario, Canada, and Rob, from Nashville, TN, are sure they’re where they are supposed to be. Everything the couple has done has been in pursuit of a musical dream, one that, so far, has paid off.
The title track, “Anchor Tattoo,” is a reflection on Jen’s life. She grew up in a wealthy family, never wanting for anything. Her father was a successful business man and her mother owned a popular boutique. And one day, it was all gone.
She and her family had to give up the luxuries they had grown accustomed to when her father went bankrupt. Although the family was in its darkest hour, Jen found she could get through with her faith. Her story is the backbone for “Anchor Tattoo.”
The entire album is based on life experiences within their family and from close friends. “We all have struggles in life, and it’s how we deal with them that helps shape who we are,” Jen said. “The songs are all personal in some way and are things that we all go through in life.”
Beautiful songs! – and videos!