After inspiring musicians, students, fans for years, Boise’s favorite ‘Martian’ dies

When Russ Martin performed, it was like an interstellar magician coaxing a sonic rabbit from a hat. The notes being unleashed often didn’t match what the unorthodox guitar guru seemed to be doing with his hands.

“I’ve never seen anybody hold their pick up in the sky and come down with velocity and hit that guitar, and hit only one single note,” said friend and musician Dave Robinette.

It was as if Martin came from another planet, fans marveled.

Affectionately nicknamed “the Martian” — for his unique personality and his playing — Martin died Sept. 17. A beloved Boise band member, guitar teacher and mentor to young musicians, Martin had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease). He was 67.

A celebration of life is planned from 3 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18, at Ironwood Bar & Grill, 5467 N. Glenwood St. in Garden City.

An easygoing man with a deep appreciation for rock and blues, Martin was part of many local groups over the decades, ranging from the Mystics and Martin Robinette Band to the Solution Brothers and Lori B and the Dudes Deluxe. Until the music-friendly restaurant PizzalChik closed at the start of 2019, Martin was a familiar sight jamming in the house band.

As much as his exceptional fretboard skills, it was Martin’s warm, inspirational spirit that has triggered an outpouring of emotion about his death. He was well-read, intelligent, charming and, yes, lovably “spacey,” Robinette said — and adored for it.

“Today is one of the saddest days of my life,” singer Lori B Solders wrote on Facebook. “Russ Martin, playing music with you was an honor and there will never be another like you. ... We have lost one of the greatest souls I know, but God has gained one of the greatest souls I know. Our band won’t be the same without you, my favorite Martian.”

Saxophonist Kent Persons, also a member of the Dudes Deluxe, said Martin’s perspective on life endeared him to students and professional musicians alike.

“A lot of big guitarists in town, when they were kids, took lessons from Russ to start out with,” Persons explained. “He just was what he was. Kids connected to him.

“When he was teaching, he spoke a lot about the psychology of the art. What being an artist means, and what that means in the world, whether it’s a solid situation or a metaphysical thing, and how your outlook should be. He’s one of those musicians who said, ‘Music’s not what I do, it’s what I am.’ ”

Martin was, “musically speaking ... a genre of his own,” musician Kayleigh Jack McGrath wrote on Facebook. “He taught me how to free myself, musically; how to get out of my mind and into my heart.”

As a fledgling guitarist and singer, Robinette first met Martin in Ogden, Utah. They were both around 13 years old and performed two gigs as a duo: “I sang,” Robinette said. “Russ mostly played all the hard parts on the guitar.”

Fifteen years later, in 1981, Martin and Robinette moved to Boise with their meticulously rehearsed band, The Shield. Martin soon became a well-known figure in the local music scene, grinning like a guitar-playing Animal from The Muppets while he dazzled onlookers — both on stage and off.

“When he walked into a place, everybody — before they exited — knew who he was,” Robinette said. “Because he was very engaging.”

Martin’s technical prowess, knowledge and personality gave him special abilities as a musician and a guitar teacher.

“With those big, penetrating blue eyes,” Robinette said, “and his energy, he was able to tap into people and get the best out of them — inspire people. I know he did me. We went for half a century playing music together.

“He knew every song I knew. He knew what I was going to do before I did it. I told him, ‘You’re the best guitar player in the world.’ ”

This story was originally published September 23, 2020 at 1:10 PM.