A luthier who builds guitars, and then makes records with them.
Martin Maudal · modalmartin@yahoo.com · 909 963 8317 · Mt. Baldy, California
Biography
Baldy Crawlers transcended their original purpose.
In the foothills of Mount Baldy in the San Gabriel mountains, where mountain air hums with its own kind of music, Martin Maudal has quietly been building instruments — and stories — that sing with the pulse of humanity. A renowned luthier, producer, and Berklee College of Music graduate, Maudal's creative path took a striking turn when a simple idea to showcase his handmade guitars evolved into a deeply expressive musical collective.
The result is a sound that's both borderless and grounded — an alchemy of Folk, Americana, Latin, Jazz, and social commentary that reflects the eclectic spirit of its founder. The players are credentialed inside the traditions rather than visiting them: Jonathan Montes, on piano, graduated from the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico who has played with Cheo Feliciano and Gilberto Santa Rosa, Ross Schodek, a bassist from the Poncho Sanchez Latin Jazz Band, horn players whose credits run from Bob Dylan to Pixar's Coco. Maudal's instruments have exhibited at the Holy Grail Guitar Show in Berlin and the Woodstock Invitational Luthiers Showcase.
He works in a small tradition of luthiers who play what they build. Wayne Henderson builds full-time and performs. Paul McGill's resonators are recording instruments for Chet Atkins and Earl Klugh. Maudal's variation is at the other end of that story: he writes, produces and performs the records himself, and every instrument's build page links to the recordings it made. Every Maudal Musical Machine has a discography.
Two-time 2026 Josie Music Award nominee. The three-chapter EP Fais Toi Plaisir arrives in December.
The Collective
Elizabeth Hangan — vocals
Norrell Thompson — vocals
Renata Bratt — cello
Jonathan Montes — piano, keys
Marc Weller — plays guitars by Maudal Musical Machines, and pedal steel guitar
Carl Byron — keyboards, accordion
Ross Schodek — basses
José Perez — drums, percussion
Martin Maudal — guitars by Maudal Musical Machines, vocals, drums
Co-produced by Barry Wood. Engineered by Jon Crawford.
Personnel varies by song. See individual releases for track credits.
Current release — “Hatred?”
Hatred?Out August 1, 2026 · first chapter of Fais Toi Plaisir
Acoustic guitar, cello, and three-part harmony. Written after Maudal saw a photograph of soldiers standing over a kneeling prisoner — what stopped him wasn't the violence, but that captor and captive wore the same expression.
Press
Spare and human, but never small.Songplode
An enveloping folk production, with especially beautiful cello work from Renata Bratt.Obscure Sound
At the foot of Mount Baldy, an idea about handmade guitars has become something much larger.Plastic Magazine
A courageous approach that trusts empathy to carry greater force than anger.AKT Music
Une retenue magistrale.IGGY Magazine, France
Evita la grandilocuencia habitual de las canciones de protesta.La Caverna, Mexico
Sixteen outlets across five countries. On air at KKRN, WGXC, KDUB, WMRW-LP and KEBF/KZSR.
Coming
Waterfall Laughter (La Tierra Ríe en Cascadas)September 18, 2026
Bilingual. Pedal steel, piano and layered percussion; the vocal moves from English into Spanish partway through.
Orbelín and the Black WidowNovember 6, 2026
Latin pop and jazz dance, sung in Spanglish.
Fais Toi Plaisir EPDecember 2026
Photos
Right-click to save. Full resolution available on request.
Links
Bandcamp — martinmaudal.bandcamp.com
Site — baldy-crawlers.com
Sync, one-stop with stems — DISCO