Martin Sexton brings songs of hope to Petaluma

Our topsy-turvy world could use a little more of Martin Sexton these days.

The singer/songwriter from Syracuse, New York, has built a career around songs of unity and hope. His music regularly incorporates joyful yodeling. During live shows, he refers to audience members as “brothers and sisters” and repeatedly exclaims, “Hallelujah!” In January, he gave a 20-minute TEDx talk about positivity.

Sexton brings his bright outlook to Petaluma’s Mystic Theatre & Music Hall tonight.

Unlike last year’s tour, which Sexton took with a trio of bandmates, this current tour is solo, which means the former busker will be in his element - alone on stage with nothing but an acoustic guitar and a microphone.

If past shows are any indication, the format also means he’ll play a freewheeling session that undoubtedly will incorporate favorites from his entire discography, a collection that dates to 1990.

“I like to view my songs as a set of monkey bars to be played on differently every night,” Sexton explained during an early February email interview for The Press Democrat. “On solo tours I don’t use set lists, so that each night is spontaneous and influenced by fans’ requests.”

Sexton, the tenth of 12 children, certainly has had an emotional start to 2018 - his mother died in January at the age of 86. Virginia Sexton has featured prominently in her son’s music over the years, most frequently as a truth-teller who has guided him through the roughest parts of his time on Earth. His most recent studio album, “Mixtape from the Open Road,” boasts a song about her life, titled “Virginia.”

During that January TEDx (Technology, Entertainment, Design) talk in Gallatin, Montana, he told the crowd his mother “left the world a better place than when she found it … she had a great deal of love in her heart.”

The 52-year-old singer-songwriter echoed these sentiments in the email last month, noting, “I’d like her to be remembered as one of my primary sources of wisdom, hope, and understanding, like a spring that trickles up in day-to-day life.”

Since his early days performing for tips in the Boston subways, Sexton has focused on the positive. One of his earliest songs, “In the Journey,” is a reminder to see existence as a sum of experiences, not just one or two things. Then, of course, there’s “Happy,” which is a sort of paean to being in love, being alive, and celebrating the finer parts of both.

From time to time, Sexton even has piggybacked these messages with politics. For example: The song “Wild Angels,” touches upon missteps of the Iraq War, using song to overcome the existential crisis these mistakes might engender. When asked what it’s like to write songs during a time when Nazism, racism and xenophobia appear to be on the rise, Sexton demurred to get into a discussion about hate, opting instead to focus on the positive again.

“I think it’s a good time to sing songs of unity and acceptance and hope and love,” he wrote.

According to Sexton, the Mystic Theatre & Music Hall in Petaluma is one of his favorite places in California to play.

“It’s a beautiful old hall, complete with ghosts of the past that give it a great vibe,” shared Sexton. “The fans there are just wonderful and always make me feel right at home even though I’m from 3,000 miles away.”

Before and after the show, Sexton said he plans to squeeze the most out of his visit to Wi ne Country.

“I love driving through those rolling hills and breathing that fragrant air while sipping some good fresh-roasted coffee [and stopping] at old farm stands for things like olives and dates,” he emailed. The approach is quintessentially Sexton, appreciating the little things and making the very best of what’s in front of him. We brothers and sisters have a lot to learn.

Matt Villano is a writer and editor based in Healdsburg. His regular “Humanity First” column in The Healdsburg Tribune focuses on good people doing great things in the community.