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Mustache Monday: Me

I'm going to interrupt the long-running Music Monday to share with you my failed attempt at instigating a viral revolution.

Last baseball season, I read an article about how members of the Baltimore Orioles bullpen grew mustaches and the solidarity that ensued. So, I tried to get my co-workers to buy into it. Not a contest, but a "teambuilding" type thing.

Let me sum up 95% of their responses with the word "no". One of the guys even seemed to get a little angry. Odd...

So I decided to sucker recruit as many random people as I could. March Mustache Madness was born.

I threw together the poster you see to your right. I posted them up on the doors in four different buildings around work. I had grand visions of people I didn't even know sporting the 'stache. Alas, within 12 hours, all the posters were gone. Which is a shame, because the "Greenery and Prop Sale" posters were still up and that's a way more boring event.

By this point, I had too much on the line to back down (and I kinda wanted one) so... off the goat came. I decided to go with the trucker 'stache first, then trim it back to a regular cut in a week or so. I highly doubt I'll like this more than the goat, but it'll be fun for a season.

If you would like to try to get March Mustache Madness rolling at your job, church, or Moose Lodge, feel free to download a high-rez PDF of the poster. ¡Viva la revolución!

Music Monday: “Black Sheep” by Martin Sexton

Laura and I sometimes talk about stuff like, “If you could sing like any singer, who would it be?” Laura always picks Annie Lennox, and for good reason. She’s got the voice of a choir of angels.

There are a handful of singers I like, but when the question becomes, “Which musician, like ‘complete package’, would you most want to be?” the answer for me is simple—Martin Sexton.

So it’s really no surprise that whenever someone asks me for recommendations for new music, I almost invariably start with the same album, Black Sheep (iTunes | Amazon). While this is technically Sexton’s second full album (In The Journey was mainly a collection of demos), it was his first full studio album.

I’m always interested in artist’s first albums. I figure this is their “big shot”. They’ve worked all these songs over for years on the road, in clubs, alone in their apartment, etc. And now they get to take all that honed creativity and put it to tape.

After a first album, other albums just become the “next” release. They can still be good (and his are), but usually the artists are touring more, writing less, collaborating with other people, etc etc etc. First albums are, in my opinion, a peek into who artists’ are when they’re on their own. They are defining.

And Black Sheep is stellar. Sexton’s guitar playing is melodic and emotive, yet precise. His voice is clear, strong and rich. I read an interview once where some other musician said something to the effect of, “Martin Sexton never sings the wrong note." Whether he’s growling down low or popping up into his falsetto (sometimes in the same measure—cf: “Glory Bound”), his voice is always soulful and magnetic.

Numbers like “Black Sheep”, “Freedom of the Road” and “Can’t Stop Thinking ‘Bout You” are kind of bluesy slow burners with some great organ underneath. Definite R&B chops here.  “Diner” is a fast steppin’ tribute to America’s first fast food while “Gypsy Woman” grabs some accordion and bouncy guitar for a spicy tune about the seductive lure of a traveling woman. And the whole set list is capped off by a near a capella rendition of “America The Beautiful”.

This is acoustic-driven, singer/songwriter rock and roll near it’s best. And while his live album Live Wide Open showcases his incredible performance talents more fully, you gotta start here.

Further links:
Martin Sexton Official Website
Martin Sexton Wikipedia Entry
Martin Sexton NPR Appearances