"Fast Heart" Martin Stamper

I have been performing publicly for audiences since 1999. I am really good at reading a crowd. If they want me to entertain them with jokes and stories in between my songs, I can do that. If they seem to want to sing and clap along, I'm good at getting them into it so everyone has a some great moments together. However, there are times when it is appropriate for me to stay in the background and I am good at that too.

Hold on tight for Fast Heart Mart’s fast banjo songs, laugh at his funny story songs and contemplate the sad ones. Fast Heart Mart's message is to encourage the world to follow their bliss and live life passionately. From old time country to modern rock, to story telling rap and back to punky-bluegrass, Fast Heart Mart wins over any audience with his music and crowd heckling stage banter. He’s mostly as a banjo player these days, but he still loves to play his guitar too, depending on what the occasion calls for.

Martin Stamper was born with a heart condition that killed him a few times, so Fast Heart Mart became his trail name while hiking the Appalachian trail in 1995. When Martin began performing music in public in 1999 he thought Fast Heart Mart was a good stage name. He has opened for Beck, the Handsome Family, and Jeffrey Lewis just to name a few. Come to a performance and you’re guaranteed to be inspired!

Established in 1999, he has toured all over the world, including most of the USA, Germany and New Zealand. He traveled the USA from (phone number hidden)2 (32,000 miles) in his vegetable oil powered Volkswagen van, but now tours in a Toyota Prius for its fuel economy and dependability. He has released 14 albums, and opened for some really great musical acts, such as The Handsome Family, Jeffrey Lewis and the Junkyard, Beck (unoffically twice out on the street at his concerts, though he thanked me once), Golden Boy (Elliot Smith's guitar sidekick) Calexico, Railroad Earth, Nathan Payne, Ok Go, Lucero, Megan Jean and the KFB and tons of his friends' amazing bands.