The Martyrs

The Martyrs

The Martyrs are a United States punk band. The name is also used by more than one group, including a Champaign-Urbana rock band from the late 1970s and 1980s and a later Portland-based group formed in 2007.

Champaign-Urbana band

One version of The Martyrs forms at Champaign Central High School in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. It becomes part of the local original rock scene in the late 1970s and early 1980s, at a time when the area is described as a notable centre for original post-punk pop talent. The band releases an eponymous LP with 13 original songs. Among its tracks is “Offtrax”, a regional radio hit that receives regular airplay for years on stations such as WPGU.

The group is described as having a lasting influence on Central Illinois music, helping inspire a generation of younger musicians and making it easier for teenage bands to be taken seriously by clubs and other venues. A later CD release features the debut album remixed and remastered, with bonus tracks added.

Portland line-up

Another group called The Martyrs forms in July 2007 in the United States when Mick Arrell and Jonny Roe begin working together after their previous projects end. They start with a blues-rock direction. After recording in basements and rehearsing over a period of months, they add Corey Distler and Michael Wood, and the band plays the Portland bar and club circuit for around a year and a half.

Jonny Roe leaves in January 2009 because of creative differences and tensions within the group, and dies less than a month later at the age of 22. The Martyrs then continue with lead guitarist Noah Kite before becoming a quartet with the addition of keyboardist Sarah Howell. The band keeps playing, writing and developing its sound while remembering Roe.