Martin Sexton's music has been described as a groovy blend of blues, soul, country, folk, gospel and R&B all thrown together under America's loosly defined "rock & roll" genre. His songs are the kind that send you shuffling rythmically down JHU's meandering brick paths one minute, and listening intently with your eyes closed the next. They have a way of getting at you -- whether it be with the true emotion they communicate in their lyrics, or with their infectous beats and melodies.
Though an incredibly skilled guitarist, he commands each song with his beautifully resiliant voice -- a voice of such impressive range it's been known to puzzle listeners ("Is that a guy or a girl?" "Is this dude black or white?"). Think Al Green, Van Morrison, Jeff Buckley and Otis Redding all smushed together.
Sexton was born and raised in Syracuse, NY, the 10th of 12 children (that's right) in an Irish-Catholic family. The self-proclaimed "black sheep of the family," his rebellious teens and 20s pointed him straight towards the "rock & roll" of garage bands, in which he and his buddies emulated the Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Janis Joplin.
Frustruated with the music of the '80s, he found his inspiration in the Top 40 radio music of the 1970s, loving the soul and pop and blues and rock he found in artists like Stevie Wonder and Van Morrison. When he finally left home in 1988 he began his life on the open road, discovering a theme that would haunt his future music.
Trying to make it big in Boston, Sexton played for whomever would listen in coffeeshops and on street corners. "Some people say I'm crazy singin' out loud like I do here on the street / When I've got a song, ooh I'll sing it out loud and if you don't like that my friend / I'm gonna say, bye bye, Black Sheep."
In The Journey, Sexton's first album, which he recorded and produced almost entirely on his own, debuted in 1991. He followed that up in 1996 with Black Sheep, his debut on Eastern Front Records, and a favorite among current fans. It earned him a National Academy of Songwriters' Artist of the Year award, and added to his growing fanbase. The American was his next release in 1998, followed by 2000's Wonder Bar.
Much of Sexton's music, when listened to closely, gives an uncommonly close view of the artist. He draws on his past for inspiration, fueling his music with frank and emotional lyrics. In an interview with Rolling Stone in 2000, he told readers, "Sixty percent of my songs are right out of my memory and my life, and the other 40 percent is taking bits and pieces from other situations that I've observed but haven't lived first-hand."
For instance, he documents his decision to go to Boston in Black Sheep's title track, weighing the sadness of leaving home and family against the utter hunger he has for the free life of the musician. In the same album he laments his decision with the song "Freedom of the Road," declaring he's tired of life on the highway, heartbroken at the loss of his home. "You see I broke up a home once myself when I stumbled to that door / I read the note by the dawn's light / Said don't you come round here anymore."
It's been a while since his last release, the live CD Live Wide Open in 2002, the first record he produced under his own label, Kitchen Table Records. Perhaps this is due to his enormous affinity for the stage, for he seems to have been touring non stop ever since he last got out of the studio. Live Wide Open does well to show listeners just how great Sexton is live.
Those who have seen him live all agree that this floppy-haired, chubby white guy seems to live for those few hours in front of an audience. He pours his heart and soul out on the stage, giving every performance his all and encouraging everyone to sing and dance along with him. Even those who don't know the words somehow always get roped in. He'll think of something -- an easily repeatable line, or a catchy scat riff -- to get them all singing.
Martin Sexton plays at the Recher Theatre on York Road in Towson tonight, Thursday, April 14, at 9 p.m.
