Martin Sexton hits the road with “Mixtape of the Open Road”

HPR had a chance to catch up with Massachusetts-based Martin Sexton. Sexton hits the road to promote his latest album “Mixtape of the Open Road.” With influences from The Sons of the Pioneers to Black Sabbath, Sexton shares his experiences touring, writing and getting a taste of the local flavor.

HPR: Can you tell us a bit about your new album “Mixtape of the Open Road”?

Martin Sexton: “Mixtape” is a collection of songs that I’ve fashioned like a mixtape you used to make your friends when they graduated, or when they were nursing a broken heart, or found a new love, new job or travelled cross country. I wanted folks to enjoy that kind of an experience with this record, like one would experience a mixtape made for them by an old friend.

HPR: You’ve collaborated with a number of artists such as Art Garfunkel and Peter Frampton to name a couple. What’s it like to share the stage with these musical icons?

MS: It’s really an honor. When I was a kid listening to things like Peter Frampton, it was by listening to my older brother’s records. He had “Frampton Comes Alive,” which was a record that lit my fire and made me want to be a musician. So, to play that song with that man in Madison Square Garden, I had to pinch myself. Dreams do come true. I feel honored that I’ve made it to a point where I can be peers with these people who were once my heroes. In fact they still remain my heroes now. All I ever wanted basically was to have respect from my peers and to make a living. It has been a wonderful journey so far.

HPR: How do you write your songs? Do you start with your lyrics or a melody?

MS: Usually I begin with a tune like “You (My Mind is Woo)” on the “Mixtape” record. I was in Jackson Hole, Wyo., with my friend and co-writer to do some writing in a beautiful mountain villa trying to write a song. He’s got this musical guitar idea that he’s playing and I was coming up with these melodies to go over it with, sort of these throwaway lyrics. We hashed it out for a while, but not too much, because we didn’t want to ruin the spirit of the tune. We get the structure of a tune in three chords and a melody. Then we record it on an iPhone and then we hash out the lyrics. That’s how a song like “You (My Mind is Woo)” is created. Two guys together in the mountains making something up.

HPR: What do you enjoy most about touring?

MS: It’s funny, I do still enjoy it quite a bit and I’ve been doing it for about 20 years. I love waking up in a new city everyday and I love the food everywhere. I enjoy the barbecue in Texas, the St. Louis ribs. Out your way I’m guessing I’ll grab some walleye and wild rice. I love meeting people in different places. I love the scenery. I love everything about driving except the New Jersey Turnpike.

HPR: You do a lot of vocal instrumentation mimicking guitar riffs and do a fair share of beatboxing. Can you tell us a little about that?

MS: On the “Mixtape” album you’ll hear various backing vocals … it’s all me whether it sounds like a men’s chorus, a soul sister’s trio or a cowboy combo. I try to use those different voices to add texture to an album. I always enjoy using those voices. I took a tip as a kid from the great Mel Blanc, who was the voice for all the Looney Tunes characters: He had hundreds of voices, and he was my inspiration to go ahead and use those voices in a live application. If I was a’singin’ and a’strummin’ every night it would get boring for me, so I mix it up. I’ll mix up a guitar, drum or bass riff, scat up or rip out a trumpet-esque riff or whistle for a solo. Whatever. It keeps it interesting for me and the audience too, I hope.

IF YOU GO:

Martin Sexton

Tues. Nov. 10, 2015, 8 p.m.

Fargo Theatre, 314 N Broadway, Fargo

Tickets at http://jadepresents.com or Tickets 300