Martin Sexton

An exciting e-mail came across my Inbox today announcing Martin Sexton's show at the Bottleneck on Friday, April 28. I've been fortunate to see Marty play four or five times and every show has been a treat. His unique take on the singer-songwriter genre is always inspiring and, while he has gathered a devoted and passionate following, I've found that he hasn't quite garnered the widespread recognition I think he deserves.

For one, he's an incredibly well-traveled musician, having played shows and toured for the better part of a decade. Second, he wrote one of my all-time favorite songs, "Glory Bound," about having the will to keep on doing just that. It is one of those tracks that I have gone back to time and time again; it never gets old or tired. Follow the dream, kind souls:

"So I packed it up and I went to the winds /
And I lived out of a VW bus for a year or two /
Ain't nothing but a pipe dream and my guitar /
Livin off of apple fields and old cigars /
Diggin this microphone checking it out every night all alone /
The car battery is dead again so I got my head dead set against it"

If the lyrics above resonate with you at all, make sure to give Martin a listen by downloading tracks from his website or via the SextonJukebox. I've added a couple of my favorites below. I will note that Martin did sell out his show a year ago when he visited the Grand Emporium in KC, so I would plan on getting tickets in advance. The Bottleneck holds about 350, if that.

The show is part of a three-week run that hits the Carolinas, Louisiana, Missouri, New York, Texas. Martin is also pulling double-duty at New York City's Green Apple Music Festival with an appearance at the Jammys on April 20 and an "unannounced" show (with Assembly of Dust) at the Cutting Room the next day.

Martin Sexton || Glory Bound (from Black Sheep)
Martin Sexton || In the Journey (from Live Wide Open)
Martin Sexton || Freedom of the Road (live, Wakarusa 6/17/05)

I'll try to get a quick post in tomorrow; I'm taking a half day tomorrow and flying to Chicago. Arctic Monkeys/Spinto Band at the Metro on Saturday. And then there's this basketball tournament going on -- I might watch a game or two...

(Songs are hosted by rapidshare.de and will be live until they have been inactive for 30 days. Songs are for sampling purposes only, please support the artists whenever and however possible.)
(Image from martinsexton.com)