Photo by Hixon Family Studios (Jacob Hixon)

Two days following the release of his latest album, a five song EP called Fall Like Rain, Martin Sexton’s solo tour carried him to the college town of Missoula, MT. Here he took the stage after opener Adam Gontier’s rather soft and quiet set of folk tunes. Sexton, accompanied only by his guitar, and three microphones, one for singing and the other two for vocal effects, gracefully brushed aside the cheers from the packed seated crowd at the Wilma Theater. Wasting no time, he politely said hello to his fans and then embarked on a ninety minute journey of pure joy and entertainment.

His first offering set the tone for the night. “Can’t Stop Thinking About You” opened the show with dark and sad chords while the lyrics took the crowd to a sorrowful low and somewhat lonely place. Telling stories between songs, Sexton urged folks to consider turning down that corporate job, and start a small business. “Do what you love,” he said as he tuned his guitar. “I dunno” he paused, “why not sell organic elk meat?” to the crowd’s laughter. This interlude led to the well-placed “Livin The Life,” that by contrast to the gloomy opener was upbeat and danceable, leading fans to rise up, one by one from their seats, to take up space dancing in aisles. Breaking again between songs, Sexton spoke of how much he loved playing alone and noted the freedom it granted him to really put together what he called the “no setlist tour.” Then telling another story of how he and his friends protested in his younger days for the right to play music on the streets and alluding directly to the Occupy Movement, he played a rare and soul driven version of “My Faith is Gone.” \

A heavily improvised version of “The Beast in Me” came next, together with beat-boxing and an elongated jam in which he used the effect mic to make his voice sound like an electric guitar. As he tapped away at his own guitar, a grin grew on his face, which quickly spread to the crowd. On “Freedom of The Road,” Sexton employed scats and yodeling as well as do-woop and jazz guitar before enticing the every-growing dancing crowd to participate in a moving version of “Angeline.” As the seats near the stage were completely emptied he moved to an open air mic and a familiar cover came rolling from his guitar: a quick take on Aerosmith’s “Dream On,” from which he segued into “Glory Bound.” Giving this popular and impeccably well-written song its deserved due in the live setting, Gontier appeared on stage to harmonize with Sexton during the catchy chorus before Sexton used the effect mic to delve into an emotionally driven vocal jam. It was truly the climax of a show that had been building from the start.

After Gontier departed, Sexton delivered a round of Spanish influenced flamenco guitar licks, and then driving off of the energy he returned to “Glory Bound” for a tightly woven ending. His smile was ear to ear at this point, as the theater floor became packed with dancing showgoers. While rubbing his tummy he then dropped the line, “I quit doing drugs, so now I really love to eat good food, and I haven’t played this song in quite some time,” before a fast-paced version of “Diner.” This led into “Gypsy Woman,” as Sexton used his talented fingers to explore to outer regions of soul-fueled jazz, while telling the song’s story of infidelity and risky choices with beautiful women. With the crowd clapping and performing the percussion section for his one man band, he moved into a deeply soulful version of Billy Preston’s “Will It Go Round in Circles.” Here he showcased his ability to cross genres in momentous leaps by putting forth a very inspirational rhythm and blues number.

With the crowd wrapped around his musical fingers, he instructed the audience to deliver a vocal harmony, as he belted out the sad and heartfelt song, “Blacksheep.” From here he closed the show with an elongated gospel-filled platter, containing crowd-echoed “Hallelujahs” and “Amens” during “This Little Light of Mine” > “Amazing Grace” > “This Little Light.” It was explosive and moving. By now sweat was dripping from his expression-filled face as he exited the stage to deafening cheers. From rock and roll to jammed out folk, Gypsy Americana into soulful blues and beat-box rapping to gospel, it was a musical journey to reflect upon.

Returning to a relevant topic and playing the only song of the night from his new EP, Sexton covered Buffalo Springfield’s “For What it’s Worth.” Perfectly timed and on key it was a sing-along version that gave closure to a special night.