Martin Sexton at the Redstone Room -- March 2.
Wednesday, March 2, 7:30 p.m.
The Redstone Room, 120 Main Street, Davenport IA
Described by Glide magazine as “one of the most unflappably earnest musicians on the planet” and by Grammy-winning icon John Mayer as “the best live performer I've ever seen,” rock and Americana singer/songwriter/guitarist Martin Sexton headlines a March 2 concert at Davenport's Redstone Room, demonstrating why Billboard magazine calls him “a star with potential to permanently affect the musical landscape and keep us entertained for years to come.”
A self-taught guitarist and singer, the 52-year-old Sexton, a native of Syracuse, New York, grew up in a family of 14 and formed his first rock band in eighth grade. In 1988, he moved to Boston and began playing street corners and open-mic nights in the city, eventually releasing a collection of self-produced demo singles titled In the Journey. Recorded on an 8-track cassette, Sexton's 1991 album sold 15,000 copies through his live shows in Boston and on his North American tour stops, and in 1994, the musician won the National Academy of Songwriters' Artist of the Year Award. By 1996, Sexton was sharing stages with the likes of Art Garfunkel, Jackson Browne, and John Hiatt, and after signing with Atlantic Records, he released a pair of critically acclaimed albums in 1998's The American and 2000's Wonder Bar.
Following the launch of his independent label Kitchen Table Records in 2001, Sexton went on to release six full-length albums and one EP to date, all the while continuing to tour and amass ever-greater notices from music critics. Reviewing Sexton's 2015 Mixtape of the Open Road, Pop Matters called the release “a consistently, breezily contemplative record bursting with individuality from between the seams” in which the artist “whistles, croons, pines, roars, and beatboxes his way across 12 wildly individualized tracks, bringing them all together thanks to his own special voice driven by his strong sense of self.” Glide, meanwhile, said that Sexton's album was “as intuitive and organic as anything he's done in his career,” lauding it as “Sexton's most refreshing and unique release in years, and perhaps his finest yet as an elder statesman of the scene.”
Sexton is currently touring in support of his September release 2020 Vision, and describing the personal nature of his latest EP, Sexton said, “I see America as flawed, but not irredeemable. I love that we have community leaders, politicians, actors, and artists from all backgrounds speaking up, raising their voices, and becoming the heroes of today. My faith is renewed to see the injustices of the world now beginning to be met with accountability. I remain hopeful and optimistic.”
Martin Sexton's Redstone Room engagement on March 2 opens with a set by Chris Trapper, admission to the 7:30 p.m. concert is $30-50, and more information and tickets are available by calling (563)326-1333 and visiting RiverMusicExperience.org.
