By Michael Swanger michael@dmcityview.com

Australian singer-songwriter Martine Locke uses music for self-exploration

Playing and writing music, says Australian singer-songwriter Martine Locke, is more than just a way to make a living, it is the means by which she explores her soul. And if getting to know the truth about herself were the only criteria she used to judge her new album, "On the Verge," she would call it a significant inroad to a lifetime journey of self-exploration.

"This album takes me one step closer to the way I want to sound, it's a true reflection of who I am," the 36-year-old musician says. "It's about the journey and getting more in touch with the things that make me unique."

"Unique" is one way to describe Locke, whose folk-rock sound is a hybrid of Ani DiFranco, Melissa Etheridge, Carol King and Alanis Morissette. But perhaps the most accurate description of this redheaded Aussie is her tag line "Independent by Name... Independent by Nature."

During her career she has been a one-woman operation: artist, publicist, manager, booking agent, record label owner and producer. In 1994, Locke released her debut solo album, a self-produced effort that sold well in the Outback. Two years later, she formed The Velvet Janes, an acoustic duo with Rose Parker, which released four albums on Locke's record label Passionfruit Produce and sold more than 80,000 copies. And in early 2004, following the release of her second solo album, "Fly," she moved to San Francisco to immerse herself in the American folk music scene.

"I had been dreaming about coming here for years," she says. "I knew it would take me out of my comfort zone with all the great players and writers here and it would challenge me to get better."

Locke credits her homeland for giving her a start in the music business by helping her gain confidence as an artist. She maintains a residence in Perth and tours Australia during the summer with The Velvet Janes, noting, "It gives me an excuse to go to the beach and play music."

But, to exercise a clichè, her heart is in San Francisco, a city where progressive social and political ideals thrive. It's where Locke feels most at home when it comes to creating her music and exploring herself. "I'm spoiled because people are willing to think outside of the box," she says. "I feel very lucky to be at the hub of all this activity."

That kind of comfort, for example, helped her decide to include "If I Were A King" on her new album. The song addresses the issue of homosexual relationships and even includes a verse about gay marriages: "If I were the pope, prime minister or president, I'd write a law that said you can love who you will.... If I were a boy, do you think they would notice quite as much as they seem to do now?"

"I remember thinking 'I'm not going to record this, it's too vulnerable,'" Locke says. "Then the first time I sang it in public, half the room cried, so I realized if it's touching people that deeply I'd better put it on the album. It's about loving who we want to love regardless of the consequences and regardless of public opinion. I struggle with that and I have friends who struggle with that."

Love isn't the only complicated topic Locke tackles on "On the Verge." There are also songs about death, politics, growing older and celebrating life. They are songs she likes to share with kindred spirits at her live shows.

"There's something about having the courage to go one step further to say, 'This is me and this is my life and hopefully we can find something in common,'" she says. "I think it goes back to my tribal roots. I'm always searching for those people to become part of my community and my family." CV

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