Local band set for show

The local band, The Wildwood Ruminators, will be playing their first full-band show since last summer this weekend, and for lead vocalist and Russellville native Eddie Martin, this performance holds a special significance.
After a near-fatal car accident in October, Martin’s future, let alone his future in music, was uncertain for some time. For someone who has loved music for most of his life, that thought was devastating.
“We had just really got going with this project when, ‘Bam’ – everything came screeching to a halt,” he said. “I didn’t know where things were going to go.”
Martin and the other two original members of The Wildwood Ruminators, Tony Lee and fellow Russellville native John Jackson, formed The Wildwood Ruminators in early 2011 after working together on Martin’s solo album “Untethered.”
Martin said the meshing of the three musicians was a bit unordinary since each one had a very different musical background.
“Tony was part of the popular Celtic group Full Moon Ensemble and John Jackson was in the pop/punk band Jessica’s Mistake,” Martin said. “What we ended up with was a sound that some would call Americana since it’s deeply rooted in American music influences like folk, blues and jazzy swing. We are also heavily influenced by American songwriters.”
Martin said The Wildwood Ruminators released their first project in April of 2011 and started playing some live shows shortly thereafter.
“That first project was just the three of us with Chris Fryar from the Zac Brown Band playing percussion,” he said. “Over the summer we started playing larger venues and wanted to fill out the sound with a full band. That’s when we added Bill Williams and Malcolm Singleton.”
Martin serves as the principle songwriter and lead vocalist, Jackson plays lead guitar, Lee plays guitar and the popular Celtic instrument called the bouzouki, Williams play bass and Singleton is the percussionist.
“Using the full band just takes the sound to a whole different dimension,” Martin said. “We had some great shows this summer and were really getting cooking when the wreck happened.”
Martin, who suffered a brain injury in the wreck but was thankful to come away with his life, said he was out of commission for the remainder of 2011.
“I was finally able to start back with rehearsals after the first of the year, but my energy level was way down even then,” he said. “With this performance being the first full-band performance since the wreck, it will have a celebratory energy about it for me. I have so much gratitude that I can be here to perform and I’m excited about the show.”
Martin said the response from fans has been overwhelming and the group had to move the show from The Zodiac Theater in Florence across the street to McDowell Hall behind First Methodist Church of Florence.
“This is going to be a fun and exciting show,” Martin said.
“Malcolm will actually be opening the show before we all join together in a full-band performance.”
The show will take place Friday at 7 p.m. Martin said tickets are going fast and can be purchased for $10 in Russellville at Franklin Pharmacy or in Florence at Pegasus Records.
Fans can also get updates from the group’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TheWildwoodRuminators.