Tour Guides From Hell: Felix Martin and Kilian Duarte’s Favorite Cities to Play
Guitar virtuoso Felix Martin and his extremely talented band just released new album Mechanical Nations, mixed by the great Jamie King (BTBAM), at the end of February. We asked the Venezuela native, along with his fellow Berklee-educated bandmate Kilian Duarte, to list some of their favorite places to tour in North America — and they obliged! Did your city make the cut? Read on.
Mechanical Nations is available on iTunes, Amazon and Felix Martin’s official webstore.
Felix Martin
Portland, Oregon: Every time I play in Portland I like to go hiking by myself in Washington Park. There are so many different areas in that park to see, relax and exercise. I also like to hang out with the hippies in downtown! I love the city itself; it’s very chill, and I think my personality fits well.
Austin, Texas: We’ve played at the Dirty Dog in Austin three times already. It became a very special place to us, because every time we play there it feels like a step forward for the band. First we played two SXSW shows, then our own headline show. The staff there are amazing and became friends of ours. And of course, Hoek’s Death Metal Pizza next door is amazing. So I would say Dirty Dog / Hoek’s are my favorite places in Austin.
Boston, Mass: I always go to my alma mater, Berklee College of Music, to see what’s new. The school is always evolving and adding new buildings. They always have new studios and updates everywhere. I also like to go to the library and read as many books as I can. There’s always something to read in that library and they pretty much have everything in there (sorry, I’m a nerd). Boston is always a great place to just be a tourist, too.
Vancouver, Canada: The music scene in this city is something else. Every time we go there we get amazing vibes from fans, and we always end up going out after the show. Last time I went to an Om show and the audience was so into it. Couldn’t be happier about the music scene in general in this city.
New York, New York: This is the city where most of my friends from college are (besides LA). I always feel at home when I go to NYC; it feels like I can stay there for a while with friends and have a great time. The fans there are great as well.
Las Vegas, Nevada: Every time I go to Vegas it’s always intense (good and bad). It feels like a city without rules and things can definitely get out of control so easily, but I love it and want to play there more.
Kilian Duarte (bassist)
Atlanta, Georgia: Whenever we have played Atlanta, the really relaxed and fun vibe of Five Points really makes us feel welcome. There is amazing food at every corner and the crowds are as diverse as you can get. Southern style cooking is among the best there and just in general the whole area where The Earl and other venues reside is a great hang with amazing places to see.
Chicago, Illinois: Probably our largest market, it was the surprise hit on our first US tour. The crowds there are INSANELY supportive, the venues are sick, and in general the town is cool as hell. It’s like New York, but way less stressful and easier to drive around. Whether it’s Reggie’s, the Viper Lounge or wherever, Chicago is the best.
Portland, Oregon: One of the best cities in the US to walk around in, and the crowds are always awesome. I have family there so at this point it feels like a second home. Felix and I always gravitate toward eccentric neighborhoods and this place never disappoints!
Austin, Texas: Two words: DIRTY DOG!!! Man, I love this city, and it is one of the places where I have the most fond memories of getting into crazy adventures. I once got lost and wandered around the city until 6am after a friend of mine dropped me off at the wrong place. I should have been super pissed off, but it ended up being a hilarious adventure that resulted in me sleeping until like 5pm that afternoon. Then that night I got drunk with Dug Pinnick (King’s X) and Ben Kenney (Incubus) while watching After The Burial. A very surreal town where hilarious things happen.
