Tag Archives: guitarist

Martin Sexton Coming to the Center for the Arts, Grass Valley

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kzxRdeA-74

Martin Sexton is coming to our local Center for The Arts in Grass Valley this coming weekend, October 1, 2010. Tickets are $30 for information they are located at 314 West Main Street, Grass Valley, California 95945, telephone 530-274-8384.
Box Office hours: Noon to 5:00PM, Wednesday through Saturday

Martin Sexton is 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. 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.

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. From 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 laid the foundation for the career with an uncommonly loyal fan base, selling out venues from Nokia Theatre (NY) to LA’s House of Blues.

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. His songs are featured in film and television including recent placements on NBC’s Scrubs and Showtime’s hit series Brotherhood. 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.

John J. O’Dell
Real Estate Broker
Call 530-263-1091