The Official pic badge of St.J. Prophesy Project, please be a StJ fan and rock as hard as he does!
Virtuoso guitarist Frans JC Martins, affectionately known as St.J. started playing music early in his childhood. He diversified on instruments playing piano, drums, guitar and clarinet.
The 80/ 90’s was also the period during which he was seen on stage with Top40/ Cover bands like Panama (SA), China White, Rapscallion and an 11 year stint with Shaft. Having spent so much time playing the club circuit and covers he decided to take a chance at the original music market. Circa 2001/2 he got involved with Simplicity, which later became Glaze. During that period he met Chris “Manik” Moon and Clifford “DarkLord” Swindells and with them completed the line-up of Atmosphere Control Unit (ACU), an electronic based trio in the Cyber Punk genre.
One dream has always been to do an instrumental project, solely his own. During March 2008 he started a non-music working career in Saudi Arabia with ample time to compose and record music. This, together with the recording studio, Alternate Minds Studios, which was built in 2002 by St.J. and his son Rici Martins (a talented drummer and pianist) provided the means to finally record St.J’s first solo album during 2008/ 2009. The album is a mixture of Progressive Rock, Blues and Jazz/ Rock fusion with St.J. performing all the rhythm, lead and bass guitar parts and Rici the synthesizers and drums.
The album entitled “Beginnings” was released on 18 April 2009 and has had rave reviews and airplay both in South Africa and abroad. Alternate Minds Studios, having been extended to Saudi Arabia is the home where the second album is already being composed and recorded.
Band:
Frans JC Martins (St.J) - Guitars
Rici Martins - Drums/ Keys
Damian Meyer - Bass
Bruce Klein - Guitars