Martin Courtney IV (born September 28, 1985) is an American musician and the frontman of the American
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
band
Real Estate
Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more general ...
.
In 2015, Courtney also released his first solo album, ''
Many Moons
''Many Moons'' is a children's picture book written by James Thurber and illustrated by Louis Slobodkin. It was published by Harcourt, Brace & Company in 1943 and won the Caldecott Medal in 1944.American Library AssociationCaldecott Medal Winn ...
,'' followed by his second solo album, ''Magic Sign'', in 2022.
Early life and personal life
Courtney was born as Martin Courtney IV in Ridgewood,
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
, the son of Martin Courtney III and Mary Ellen Courtney. He attended Ridgewood High School with current
Real Estate
Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more general ...
bandmate
Alex Bleeker
Alexander William Bleeker (born July 28, 1986) is an American musician and guitarist. He is best known as the bassist of the American indie rock band Real Estate, with whom he has recorded four studio albums, and as the frontman and primary reco ...
and former bandmate
Matt Mondanile
Matthew A. Mondanile is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American indie rock band Real Estate (band), Real Estate, with whom he recorded three studio albums, and for his solo music ...
. After graduating from high school, he studied at
The Evergreen State College
The Evergreen State College is a public liberal arts college in Olympia, Washington. Founded in 1967, it offers a non-traditional undergraduate curriculum in which students have the option to design their own study towards a degree or follow a p ...
in
Olympia
The name Olympia may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film
* ''Olympia'' (1938 film), by Leni Riefenstahl, documenting the Berlin-hosted Olympic Games
* ''Olympia'' (1998 film), about a Mexican soap opera star who pursues a career as an athlet ...
,
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
, where his focus was "mostly literature." Courtney's parents run a real estate business, which inspired the name of the band. Courtney spent a short time as the keyboardist for indie punk rock group
Titus Andronicus
''Titus Andronicus'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written between 1588 and 1593, probably in collaboration with George Peele. It is thought to be Shakespeare's first tragedy and is often seen ...
from the neighboring town
Glen Rock, New Jersey
Glen Rock is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 12,133, reflecting an increase of 532 (+4.6%) from the 11,601 counted in the 2010 census,
Courtney married his wife in Ridgewood on October 13, 2012, following Real Estate's tour for 2011's ''
Days
A day is the time period of a full rotation of the Earth with respect to the Sun. On average, this is 24 hours, 1440 minutes, or 86,400 seconds. In everyday life, the word "day" often refers to a solar day, which is the length between two solar ...
''. They have since had a daughter. He currently resides in upstate New York with his family.
Courtney released his first solo album, ''
Many Moons
''Many Moons'' is a children's picture book written by James Thurber and illustrated by Louis Slobodkin. It was published by Harcourt, Brace & Company in 1943 and won the Caldecott Medal in 1944.American Library AssociationCaldecott Medal Winn ...
'', on October 30, 2015, to critical acclaim. This was followed by his second solo release ''Magic Sign'', on June 24, 2022.
Discography
with Real Estate
*''
Real Estate
Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more general ...
'' (2009)
*''
Days
A day is the time period of a full rotation of the Earth with respect to the Sun. On average, this is 24 hours, 1440 minutes, or 86,400 seconds. In everyday life, the word "day" often refers to a solar day, which is the length between two solar ...
'' (2011)
*''
Atlas
An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of maps of Earth or of a region of Earth.
Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats. In addition to presenting geographic ...
'' (2014)
*''
In Mind
''In Mind'' is the fourth studio album by American indie rock band Real Estate, released on March 17, 2017, on Domino Records. It is the band's first album since founding member Matt Mondanile's departure, and the first with his replacement as l ...
Many Moons
''Many Moons'' is a children's picture book written by James Thurber and illustrated by Louis Slobodkin. It was published by Harcourt, Brace & Company in 1943 and won the Caldecott Medal in 1944.American Library AssociationCaldecott Medal Winn ...