Navidad & The New Year

Family breakfast, Christmas morning.

I hope all of you JAMFans enjoyed the merriest of Christmases, and I wish you the happiest 2025 from the bottom of my heart. Our holidays brought much joy into our hearts as our family has expanded since we last spoke. In addition to Ari-Vae, Stoney Mae, and Preston, Yvonna and I welcomed two new grandchildren, Remington, and Rhett Waylon, into the nest this past year. The Christmas Day image above shows our immediate family just before we opened our gifts. 

As to what's been happening in my music world, I’m completing a second project with Mike Blakely and John Greenberg, collectively, The Outlaw Firm, and it features 10 original writings and co-writings: "Blue Ink," "By the Light of the Moon." "Every Sung a Song." "Fare Thee Well", "Follow the Music," "Hometown Tragedy," "Hotel Arizona," "Reason To Ride," "Saturday Night in a Redneck Town," and "Why Can't I Go Back Home." I’m also working on a project with a Christian songwriter who has me re-writing, reworking, and recording his wonderful compositions.

Our 2024 music hometown festival, FiestaJAM on Lake Marble Falls, featured some of the top singer-songwriters in Texas and the United States this past October, including Shake Russell, Michael Hearne, Mike Blakely, John Murray Greenberg, Walt Wilkins, Shawn Camp, Braedon Barnhill, Susan Gibson, Terri Hendrix, Sarah Pierce and yours truly, john Arthur martinez. Our FiestaJAM Spring 2025, May 1-3 event features Shawn Camp & Verlon Thompson, songwriting classes and performances by Susan Gibson & Bernie Nelson, Tejano legend and Grammy Award-winner Ruben Ramos, Asleep at the Wheel and The Outlaw Firm (with Mike Blakely and John M. Greenberg). 

2025 sails into action immediately with a music cruise featuring The Outlaw Firm, Kim Carson, Pauline Reese, and Kurt Baumer. We sail from Galveston to Belize, Jan. 5-11, which includes stops at Costa Maya, Belize, and Cozumel. We encourage everyone on our cruise to bring a unique story from their life onboard that could be turned into a song. Performance times and location:

1. January 6th, 11AM - 3 PM  Burgundy Aft Lounge deck 5

2. Wine Talk with tasting - presented by Texas Heritage Vineyard

3. January 6th, 3:30 PM Sam's Piano Bar - deck 5 aft next to the Burgundy Lounge

4. January 10th, 11AM - 3 PM Burgundy Aft Lounge deck 5

   
   
   
   

   

   
   

   I wish all of our friends, fans and familia Happiness, Joy, and Love in 2025, and thank you for your tireless support of my music.

   
   

   Vaya con Dios,

   --john Arthur, Yvonna and Family