Singer/songwriter Martin Sexton had some big ambitions as a musician. "I wanted to meet girls and play stadiums," Sexton said during a phone call from Los Angeles.
"Actually," he said, "I wanted to do exactly what I'm doing now. I wanted to make records on a major label and tour nationally. And I wanted to have a blast doing it."
Sexton will play the Zephyr Club, 301 S. West Temple, on Sunday, Dec. 3. Doors open at 7 p.m.
"One of the best things about my career is that I can meet all kinds of people, play music and call it a living," said Sexton, who cited the meat-and-potatoes of music, such as the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin, as his major influences.
"I also like seeing people react to my music," he said. "I like playing on stage and seeing the audience moving. I like knowing that I'm communicating with people. And I like to see people get what I'm doing, and I love the feeling of all that energy coming back to me."
Still, said Sexton, the rewards come after some major trials and errors. "There are times when the songs just come and dictate what I'm doing. There are times when the muse swoons me and the songs just flow out of me. And there are times when it takes staying up all night, kicking furniture and swearing a lot. It's sort of like a relationship."
Sexton's new album, "Wonder Bar," like his previous releases, is filled with songs that twist and turn.
"It goes back to my respect and love for the Beatles," he said. "I don't want my albums to all sound the same. I want my songs to sound like Martin Sexton songs, but I don't want my albums to sound the same. The Beatles were amazing at making all their songs different. Take a listen to the "White Album." There was everything from "Helter Skelter" to "Revolution 9" and "Honey Pie."
Regardless of the style Sexton chooses for writing, he isn't one to write while touring. "Not a lot of songs come out of the road. I'm not a road writer. But I always have songs and ideas stewing about in my head. There are some songs that took me four months to write, and there are some that I can whip out in 20 minutes."
This time around, not only did Sexton write and arrange all his songs — as he usually does — but he produced the album.
"The last album I produced was my first album, more than three albums ago," he said. "I always have a lot to do with the production on all my albums. But this time, I was the sole producer. So I was able to get the sounds that I had originally wanted."
Sexton's recording process for "Wonder Bar" wasn't anything out of the ordinary, he said.
"I did what I usually do," he explained. "I taught the musicians the songs and we basically laid down the tracks live. There was nothing synthesized and nothing too fancy, although we did record the stream that was running in back of the studio.
"All in all, it was a great experience, and I'd like to produce another album later. But right now, I'm focusing on the tour."
E-mail: scott@desnews.com