SOUND BISCUITS: TREY MARTINHO

There’s something compelling about hearing what happens after the band breaks up for the night. The side roads. The solo records. The voices without the harmonies around them.

For this edition of Sound Biscuits, Vissla Creator and Innovator Trey Martinho pulled together a playlist built around that idea. Musicians who helped shape some of the greatest bands of all time, stepping into their own space. From John Lennon’s raw first solo recordings to John Cale’s post–Velvet Underground explorations and beyond, the playlist is less about genre and more about perspective. It’s about hearing what an individual voice sounds like once the scaffolding falls away. Fitting for a Santa Cruz surfer, shaper, and artist whose own work is rooted in feel, intuition, and personal expression.

We sat down with Trey to talk about the thinking behind it.

Before we talk songs, where were you when you started building this playlist?
This playlist was kinda built in the when not the where. Just a compilation of songs I’ve liked for a long time as well as some newer ones. If I had to say, I probably started working on it just cruising around at home.

Do you usually start playlists with a feeling, or does one song open the door and everything else follows it in?
For this playlist it started mainly with the idea: so many musicians from really good bands went on to make incredible music in their solo careers.

Was there a track here that felt like the anchor for the whole thing?
Really there’s two. John Lennon’s “Mother” from his first solo album has been a favorite for years. I always loved the Beatles, but I think it was really cool for me seeing just the raw emotional power Lennon alone brought to that track and that album, after splitting from the biggest band of all time.

The second is John Cale’s “Big White Cloud.” Similarly, The Velvet Underground and Lou Reed are the best of the best in my book, and I just thought it was so cool to hear what John Cale was providing to the VU via his own music.

On paper, these artists live in different rooms. In your head, what thread connects them?
That idea of seeing how different solo artists’ music kind of reveals what their voice or impact on the larger band was is what ties these songs together. The playlist features different voices of great bands like The Velvet Underground, the Beatles, Beat Happening, Pavement, Pink Floyd, The Grateful Dead and a few others.

A lot of these songs feel unpolished in a good way. Do you gravitate toward that same rawness in boards or artwork?
Yea I agree. I partially think that could be a product of the solo musician being apart from their band too. But generally, I really like demos of songs and the simple nature of a good song. Something about the roughness just makes the song feel more alive to me.

I wouldn’t say the stuff I make has that particular feeling that I get from listening to this sort of music. But could be a good thought process to pursue.

When you’re shaping or making art, are you listening for focus, or for disruption?
When I’m shaping I think I’m listening to music for help focusing, to almost keep my mind from wandering. When making art I think it’s more to just set the mood and feel good. Either way though the type of music I’m listening to can radically affect what I’m making. So I like to keep it chill most of the time.

Santa Cruz has its own rhythm. How much of this playlist is a product of where you live versus who you are?
Totally. Dude my daily drive is so nice. Listening to this music and cruising around to surf, shape, and take my dog to the beach is just really great. But I do also think it has to do with my own internal taste too. There’s lots of stuff that you could listen to with my day to day life that would also be great.

Do certain songs end up tied to specific boards, sessions, or eras of your work?
Yep. I look back at certain boards and art and think about what I was listening to then. Like a soundtrack for that era.

Something I like to do while shaping a custom sometimes is listen to music that the customer likes. Especially if I know them and know what they’re into. Feels right, like you’re putting their own good energy into it.

Has music ever directly changed a design decision for you?
Not that I can think of. I’ve definitely been inspired by a set of lyrics to make something related. When I shape my own boards with more of a free form attitude I think what I’m listening to could really change it in real time.

Do you listen differently now than you did when you were younger?
I think when you’re really young you just don’t have as much to compare to. Whereas being older you kinda gain more experience to relate with more music.

Some of these artists feel like lifers. Do you keep returning to the same music or are you still chasing new sounds?
I love finding new music that is in kinda the same space as the stuff I like. Most of this stuff for sure feels like life music for me.

What makes a song stick around for decades in your life instead of just a season?
Man there’s something to longevity of music but I’m not sure I really know. I guess some of it just feels eternal to me.

If someone throws this playlist on for the first time, what do you hope it gives them?
I hope it gives them a good feeling. I hope they listen to it and think about the artists’ context within and without their respective bands. I think a lot of it there’s like a historical context too.

Also I think it’s just fun. Make your own playlist with members from your favorite bands and see what it reveals to you about them and about what ties them all together.

Is this a working playlist, a driving playlist, a late night one?
I think it could be good for a lot of stuff. Depends on your taste. There’s some insightful stuff in those songs. You could listen to it alone and really dig into a lot of meaning, or you could throw it on in the car with friends and just cruise around. I think most of it sort of has that duality.