Martin Rivas has been writing music for a dog’s age now, and performing as part of various bands in the New York City area, he is most notably as singer/guitarist for Serious Pilgrim, with whom he recorded and toured for a few years, opening for great folks like Aimee Mann, Gov’t Mule, Live, Hootie & the Blowfish, Joan Jett, and many more. Martin has also recorded with folks like Yoko Ono, and has been fortunate enough to perform on occasion with Jeff Tweedy of Wilco. A native New Yorker, Martin Rivas comes from a diversely musical family; with a mother and grandfather who both sang, and cousins that range from classical composers to up-and-coming musicians. “There’s always been instruments in our house, there’s always been singing, and there’s always been music,” Martin divulges. At the age of 11, his uncle showed him a few chords on a guitar but the rest has been self-taught, mimicking favorite records by artists like The Police to learn style and composition. After playing gigs at legendary NYC venues CBGB, The Ritz, and The Lone Star Roadhouse with his band, Serious Pilgrim, in the early nineties, the group parted ways and Martin took time off from the music business, resuming recording, writing, and self-producing CDs Glorious, Bottleneck, Pride of the Valley, and now Sea of Clouds within the past eight years.