Martin Sexton

All Music Guide:

Martin Sexton was one of the most talked-about arrivals on the "new folk" acoustic music scene. The guitarist, singer, and songwriter has an amazing vocal range and makes effective use of it on his recordings and in his live shows. Unlike so many other contemporary singer/songwriters, his vocal style can be described as truly soulful, combining the best qualities of singers like Van Morrison, Al Green, Aaron Neville, and Otis Redding.

Sexton, a self-taught guitarist and singer, was raised in a family of 14 and formed his first rock & roll band in eighth grade. In high school he was in a profusion of garage bands, playing the music of the Beatles, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and Led Zeppelin. He left his home in Syracuse, NY -- and the rock & roll life -- in 1988 and headed for Boston, encouraged by what he'd heard about the coffeehouse scene in that city. Despite the ultra-competitive nature of the Boston scene, with too many folksingers and too few coffeehouses, Sexton quickly rose through the ranks. He began playing his brand of soul-filled folk music around Boston's open-mike nights and street corners in 1989.

In 1991 he released his own record, In the Journey, in cassette format, and much of the material on this and Black Sheep, his 1996 debut for Eastern Front Records, is autobiographical in nature, concerning his life on the road. Remarkably, Sexton sold 15,000 copies of his cassette-only album through the strength of his live shows and grueling tours around the U.S. In 1994, Sexton won the National Academy of Songwriters' Artist of the Year Award. By 1996, Sexton was sharing stages with Art Garfunkel, Jackson Browne, and John Hiatt on tours. Sexton subsequently signed a deal with Atlantic Records, releasing The American in 1998 and Wonder Bar in 2000. Sexton continued to tour, building a sizable following throughout the States. He released the Christmas-themed Camp Holiday in November 2005, followed by the intriguing Seeds in 2007. Sugarcoating, produced by Sexton and Crit Harmon, appeared in 2010.

Wikipedia:

Martin Sexton (born March 2, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter and producer originally from Syracuse, New York.

Early life

Sexton grew up the tenth of twelve children in a working class Irish-American family. He acquired his first guitar, a Sears & Roebuck acoustic model at age 14 and later played in local rock and roll bands. Looking to find his own voice, he left home when he was 22 years old and began busking as a street performer in Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Music

Sexton's music blends many genres of American music, including soul, gospel, country, rock, blues, and R&B. He is known for his wide vocal range and ability to improvise. He is also known for beatboxing and scat singing guitar solos. Onstage, he often plays fingerstyle guitar on a Godin model A6 and uses a distortion effect on a 2nd microphone to "sing" solos.

In 2007, his song "Diner" reached a wide TV audience when it appeared in the Scrubs episode "My Night to Remember." Other songs have been featured on NBC's Parenthood "Diggin Me", Showtime's Brotherhood "Can't Stop Thinking Bout You" and others.

Sexton has collaborated with many artist including John Mayer "Can't Stop Thinking Bout You" video and Peter Frampton Frampton & Sexton Jammy Awards at Madison Square Garden.

Notable Press:

“Jumps beyond standard fare on the strength of his voice, a blue-eyed soul man’s supple instrument," adding that "his unpretentious heartiness helps him focus on every soul singer’s goal: to amplify the sound of the ordinary heart." – Jon Pareles, The New York Times

“His outstanding taste in songwriting as well as a soul marinated voice that can easily be compared to the likes of a young Steve Winwood or Van Morrison.” – Rolling Stone

“The real thing, people, a star with potential to permanently affect the musical landscape and keep us entertained for years to come.” – Billboard

Sexton also plays in venues such as The Fillmore, Nokia, Bonnaroo, Montreal Jazz Fest, New Orleans Jazz fest, Rothbury and more.

Career

A native of Syracuse, New York, Martin Sexton grew up in the 80's, uninterested in the sounds of the day, and fueled his dreams on the timeless sounds of classic rock and roll. Sexton eventually migrated to Boston, where he began to build his following singing on the streets of Harvard Square and gradually working his way through the scene. His 1992 collection of self-produced demo recordings, In The Journey, was recorded on an old 8-track in a friend's attic. He managed to sell 20,000 copies out of his guitar case busking.

In 1991 he released his own record, In the Journey, in cassette format and astonishingly Sexton sold 15,000 copies of his cassette-only album through the strength of his live shows and rigorous tours throughout the U.S.

1996-2002 Sexton released Black Sheep, The American, Wonder Bar and Live Wide Open (mixed by Jon Alagia – Dave Matthews Band, John Mayer). The activity and worldwide touring behind these records laid the foundation for the career he enjoys today with an uncommonly loyal fan base, selling out venues from Nokia Theatre (NY) to LA's House of Blues.

Happily and fiercely independent, Martin Sexton launched his own label KTR (2002). Since then, his continual success through his diversity infiltrates many musical worlds – ranging everywhere from Jam Cruise to Denver's Mile High Fest to Mayercraft Carrier to Carnegie Hall. His songs are featured in film and television including recent placements on NBC's Scrubs and Showtime's hit series Brotherhood.

"Martin Sexton is ripe with raw, expansive talent. His voice comes in a hundred impossible shades. His songs are sweet and spirited and soulful. His repertoire is like a cross-country tour of the American musical vernacular." —Boston Globe

The New York Times wrote that this artist "jumps beyond standard fare on the strength of his voice, a blue-eyed soul man's supple instrument," adding that "his unpretentious heartiness helps him focus on every soul singer's goal: to amplify the sound of the ordinary heart."

Since 2007/08 Sexton began his most successful years to date with the release of his studio offering, Seeds. The album debuted at #6 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart, and the Los Angeles Times writes, "Call him a soul shouter, a road poet, a folkie or a rocker and you wouldn't be wrong."

On the heels of Seeds, the CD/DVD set Solo was released in October 2008 documenting a series of recent unaccompanied live appearances and includes a DVD of his performance at Mile High Festival, Denver Colorado. The album captures Sexton's critically acclaimed incendiary live set in theatres coast-to-coast.

In 2010 his latest studio release, Sugarcoating, finds this one-of-a-kind-troubadour doing what he does best: locating larger truths within the specific details of the life he's living. NBC anchor Brian Williams interviewed Sexton in November 2010 at the Beacon Theatre.

"The best live performer I've ever seen." —John Mayer