Martin Tielli

Martin Tielli (born 1967, Italy) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. He was 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, frequently employing the falsetto register. He is something of an eccentric, often enigmatic in interviews, and he experiences anxiety when performing solo. Martin Tielli plays a Steinberger headless electric guitar, nicknamed "Steiny". Martin's other famous guitar is his Ibanez double necked 6/12-string electric, which he painted himself 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.

Music