About Martin Tielli

Martin Tielli, born in 1967 in Italy, is a Canadian singer-songwriter. He is a member of the Rheostatics, and has also released material as a solo artist and with the side project Nick Buzz. As well, he has appeared as a guest musician on albums by Barenaked Ladies, Kevin Hearn, The Waltons, Jane Siberry, Ashley MacIsaac, Meryn Cadell and Mia Sheard. He is also a painter, and created most of the album covers for the Rheostatics. In 2005 he shot a movie entitled Black Widow with Mary Margaret O'Hara and Sarah Slean for CBC Television. Tielli's guitar style is textured and flamboyant, and his vocal style is acrobatic (he has an extremely developed falsetto range). He is something of an eccentric, often enigmatic in interviews, and he suffers from severe anxiety when performing solo. Tielli plays a Steinberger headless electric guitar, nicknamed "Steiny". This guitar is made out of graphite instead of wood, which gives it incredible sustain. It has a special mechanism that allows you to bend to virtually any pitch without going out of tune. Martin is a virtuoso on the Steinberger and is a master of its many techniques. Martin's other famous guitar is his Ibanez double neck 6/12 string electric guitar. He painted his Ibanez guitar with a "never quite presented idea" for the new Canadian flag, designed by A.Y. Jackson. This design is often mistaken for one originally championed by Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson to be the Canadian flag (nicknamed "the Pearson Pennant"). Tielli's younger brother John formed the band Clark in 1999. His youngest brother Doug was in People from Earth with John Tielli, and went on to play with artists such as Tamara Williamson.