Folk-Pop Artist Ron Sexsmith Plays the Soiled Dove Underground

Mile High cult fans of folk-pop singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith have a reason to celebrate: The Canadian musician will be returning to Denver on Sunday, April 2, stopping at the Soiled Dove Underground during his first U.S. tour in seven years.

A longtime creative, Sexsmith has musical roots that hark back to his childhood, when he discovered a collection of records his estranged father had left behind. “I was just really drawn to music, and I grew up in a time when the music was very melodic on the radio; everything I heard had great melodies and really interesting lyrics,” he reflects. “It just made my world feel kind of magical, in a way. So I was bitten by the music bug really early on.”

After graduating from high school, Sexsmith made some cash singing covers at local bars, a gig he did for about six years while he tinkered with his guitar skills on the side, learning how to play in the typical DIY artist style – with beginner lesson books. Bored of performing covers, he began experimenting with writing his own music, and by the age of thirty, he’d signed with Interscope Records – the same label that signed Lady Gaga and Eminem.

“My first concert was Elton John, when I was eleven, but through him, I got into all of these other bands like the Who and the Kinks, and then I became a songwriter,” he says. “When I found out that I could write songs – I was 21 when I started – it changed my life, because I didn’t do well in school, and I didn’t really know what I was gonna do. At this point, I already had a two-month-old kid and my prospects weren’t great. So it was just really inspiring that I found, oh, I could maybe do this thing.”

Sexsmith’s songwriting process involves a lot of introspection, which largely takes place during his daily walks. He was a courier in Toronto for many years, writing songs on the job while walking from place to place – a habit that has become an integral part of his creative process. “When I’m walking, I sing to myself, and if I’ve got something on my mind, I play with it in my head with a melody, and I still do it that way,” he explains. “Every day I go for a walk along the river and clear my head, and generally by the time I get home, I’ve got something kind of started – or maybe something I’m already working on, I’

ve got a little further with.”

Ultimately, Sexsmith wants his music to reflect his experiences in a way that’s universally understood. His blend of folk and pop soundscapes results in light, melodic music that suits his concise lyrical writing well. “I want to sing about things that are universal. Even if it’s a personal song to me, I want to sing about it in a way that people get what I’m going through.”

And everything about Sexsmith – his sound, his style, and the way he performs – stays true to this simple goal. “I think it’s important to find your own point of view,” he explains. “Obviously, [musicians] all have influences and things like that, and that’s totally fine, but I think you’ve got to try and take all of these influences and become a hybrid of these things that you love, then it’s up to you to try and make that as original as possible. And I think people will respond to it, whether it’s a huge audience or a cult following like I have.”

For Sexsmith (and his cult following), the past seven years devoid of his typical U.S. tours were incredibly long. His earlier career consisted of near-constant touring from 1994 until 2017, and the pandemic in 2020 caused a sudden, drastic shift in his habitual traveling. “I sort of became a real homebody, and I honestly wondered if I’d ever get on another airplane again,” he states. “[Performing] is the one thing I feel I’m good at. So it’s nice to feel useful again. I felt pretty useless during the pandemic, because I’m not good at anything else.”

Those joining Sexsmith for his set at Denver’s Soiled Dove Underground can expect a simple, raw performance that fits his creative ethos perfectly. “I know people pay money to come see a show, and they have to get babysitters and stuff, so I just want to give them the best night out as possible,” he says. “And who knows when I’ll be back again? It’s about making an impression and having some kind of human exchange.”

Ron Sexsmith, Soiled Dove Underground, 7401 East First Avenue, 8 p.m. Sunday, April 2. Tickets are $30 to $40.