Carrie Martin was a mother of two, a tattoo artist and a lover of local heavy music. She worked at Raleigh’s No Shame Tattoo and “didn’t have insurance,” says DIVEbar Raleigh booking agent Robby Rodwell. “So there’s a lot of bills that need to be taken care of.” And, though she died in March, Raleigh’s heavy music scene shows that it has not forgotten one of its own.
Tonight’s memorial show at that bar may serve the essential function of allowing the late Martin’s friends a chance to honor and keep her memory. But there’s also a practical side. Both Caltrop and MAKE are donating their guarantees for the evening; the bar itself is giving 15% of the evening sales. The hat will be passed, too, all to benefit Martin’s two daughters.
Rodwell was a friend. He remembers seeing shows with Martin and her fiancé, David Askew. And he remembers how thrilled she was to see local metal. “Carrie, David and I had just gone to see the Ragnarok Fest,” Rodwell recalls, referring to an August weekend of heavy music at Carrboro’s recently closed Reservoir Bar. Caltrop and MAKE were among the dozen bands that played. “I remember her saying on the ride home that show was one she would never forget.” So when Askew saw the two acts were booked May 13, which would have been Martin’s 26th birthday, he approached them with the memorial show idea. They agreed without hesitation, says Rodwell.
The past six months haven’t been easy on the local heavy music community. The Reservoir, arguably driven out by climbing rents, can be replaced. But the losses of Martin, as well as Reservoir co-owner Wes Lowder in a November car crash, have left a lot of people reeling.
The show starts at 10pm. Anyone unable to attend who still wishes to help Martin’s children can make a donation at any branch BB&T to Nola & Bella Martin, care of Margaret Morgan Holland.
