Martin Harley will be the first to tell you that his music is a reflection of his own life experience.

His music is rooted in the blues, but coloured by lifetime of travel and the absorption of a rainbow of musical influences.

B次元官网网址淚 always loved music, and had my guitar with me while I played at a variety of jobs, including a stint as a tree surgeon,B次元官网网址� recalled Harley with a wry chuckle.

B次元官网网址淚t was after I spent a year, living in my car in Australia, that loneliness and boredom and a feeling that I now had a story to tell that caused me to dedicate my life full time to telling that story through music.B次元官网网址�

He describes his music as a personal diary; a reflection of experiences and beliefs put to song.

B次元官网网址淲hen I decided to put out my first album 15 years ago, I was traveling around, selling them from the boot of my car. I really didnB次元官网网址檛 have an audience back then, and no expectations that it would do well,B次元官网网址� said Harley.

Since those early days, Harley has developed the audience he was lacking in the beginning; a large audience who attend his concerts around the world and eagerly await his next recorded offering.

B次元官网网址淚 still try not to try too hard to impress people with my music, always trying to stay true to who I am. But I have a group of people now who have joined me on my journey and given me the gift of an open mind. It lets me continue to grow and let my music reflect real life.B次元官网网址�

While HarleyB次元官网网址檚 home is in Hartfordshire, England, halfway between London and Oxford, he tends to spend at least as much time on the road as at his home.

HeB次元官网网址檚 headlined Music City Roots in Nashville, and toured coast to coast with the likes of Bruce Hornsby, Delta Rae, ZZ Ward and others.

In total, he plays an astonishing 150 to 250 gigs a year around the globe ( including one that took him 21,000 ft above sea level for the highsest gig in the world in Kala Patthar in the Himalayas.

His latest release, B次元官网网址淪tatic in the Wires (Del Mundo Records, 2017) emerged from a collaboration with Frammy nominated Bassist, Daniel Kimbro, and combines HarleyB次元官网网址檚 classic Blues with a taste of folk, country and bluegrass for a totally fantastic musical treat.

Following his current tour, a venture that will take hime from the West Coast of Canada to Great Britain and France, Harley plans to attend B次元官网网址渁s many festivals as I can over the summerB次元官网网址� and then return home to record his next album.

That album will undoubtably continue to reflect his experiences on the road.

Martin Harley plays May 18 in the Upstairs Lounge at the Oak Bay Recreation Centre, 1975 Bee St. Doors open at 6 p.m. for dinner service, concert starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 at IvyB次元官网网址檚 Bookshop & Oak Bay Recreation Centre and www.beaconridgeproductions.com; $25 at the door.