Sexton Blake is a rock band based in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

. They are signed to the

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

, Expunged Records and their name derives from the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

television series

Sexton Blake (TV series) ITV aired ''Sexton Blake'' starring Laurence Payne as Sexton Blake and Roger Foss as Tinker from Monday 25 September 1967 to Wednesday 13 January 1971. Plot In keeping with Sexton Blake's classic print adventures, Payne's Blake drove a white ...

History

Its members include frontman Josh Hodges, Ryan Biornstad, Tom Homolya, and Tim Edgar. Hodges, along with Biornstad, are also members of Portland-based band

Starfucker Strfkr (a disemvowelment of "Starfucker"), stylized in all caps, is an indie rock band from Portland, Oregon. It began in 2007 as a solo project of Joshua Hodges. History Members include Joshua Hodges of Sexton Blake (vocals, keyboards, gu ...

(also known as STRFKR). Starfucker has released four full-length albums with

Polyvinyl Records In polymer chemistry, vinyl polymers are a group of polymers derived from substituted Vinyl group, vinyl () monomers. Their Polymer backbone, backbone is an extended alkane chain . In popular usage, "vinyl" refers only to polyvinyl chloride (PVC) ...

. Biornstad left Starfucker in 2011. Sexton Blake's debut eponymous album was recorded in New York City and released in 2004 as a solo project by Hodges, who then moved to Portland and started the band by the same name. In 2006, Sexton Blake were featured on the album '' To Elliott, from Portland'', a tribute album to Portland singer-songwriter

Elliott Smith Steven Paul Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003), known professionally as Elliott Smith, was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and lived much of hi ...

, performing a cover of "Rose Parade". ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' described the band's performance as "faithful to the original's fragile aesthetic, if not heexact sound." Sexton Blake's second album, ''Plays the Hits!'', was released in July 2007. The album consists entirely of

cover song In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song released ...

s from the 1980s, an idea that was first proposed to Hodges by Expunged Records founder Anthony Davis.McCullough, Amy (July 4, 2007).
Out of the Blue
, ''

Willamette Week ''Willamette Week'' (''WW'') is an alternative weekly newspaper and a website published in Portland, Oregon, United States, since 1974. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business, and culture. History Early history ''Willame ...

''. Retrieved 2009-11-28.

Members

* Josh Hodges – vocals, guitar * Ryan Biornstad – keyboards * Tom Homolya – bass * Tim Edgar – drums

Discography

''Sexton Blake''

2004 album that is sometimes titled ''Explosive Motion Picture Score'' or ''Josh Hodges' Sexton Blake''. Includes the songs: #"Intro" #"Emma" #"Little Bit More" #"Jake - Keep It Together" #"Me or Mine" #"Want to Die" #"Alright" #"East of..." #"Quick" #"Doesnt Matter" #"Know the Way" #"Dreaming of Babylon" #"Abe" #"Better off Dead"

''To: Elliott, From: Portland''

2006 tribute album to

that includes Blake's version of Smith's "Rose Parade".

''Plays the Hits!''

2007 album that includes the

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

s of: #"

Hungry Heart "Hungry Heart" is a ballad written and performed by Bruce Springsteen on his fifth album, '' The River''. It was released as the album's lead single in 1980 and became Springsteen's first big hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart peaking at numb ...

" by

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

Bette Davis Eyes "Bette Davis Eyes" is a song written and composed by Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon in 1974. It was originally recorded by DeShannon in that year for her album '' New Arrangement'' but it was made popular by American singer Kim Carnes in 1981 wh ...

" by

Kim Carnes Kim Carnes (; born July 20, 1945) is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, she began her career as a songwriter in the 1960s, writing for other artists while performing in local clubs and working as a sess ...

#" Young Turks" by

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...

Making Love Out of Nothing at All "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" is a power ballad written and composed by Jim Steinman and first released by Australian soft rock band Air Supply for their 1983 compilation album ''Greatest Hits''. It reached number 2 on the U.S. ''Billboa ...

" by

Air Supply Air Supply is a soft rock duo formed in Melbourne, Australia, in 1975. It consists of Englishman Graham Russell (vocals, guitar) and Australian Russell Hitchcock (vocals). They had a succession of hits worldwide, including eight top-five hit ...

I Need Love "I Need Love" is the second single from LL Cool J's second album, '' Bigger and Deffer''. The single reached number 1 on the Hot Black Singles and number 14 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 while becoming one of the first rap songs to enjoy main ...

" by

LL Cool J James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), known professionally as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, along ...

The Logical Song "The Logical Song" is a song by English rock group Supertramp that was released as the lead single from their album ''Breakfast in America'' in March 1979. It was written primarily by the band's Roger Hodgson, who based the lyrics on his experie ...

" by

Supertramp Supertramp were an English rock band that formed in London in 1969. Marked by the individual songwriting of founders Roger Hodgson (vocals, keyboards, and guitars) and Rick Davies (vocals and keyboards), they are distinguished for blending pro ...

Oh L'amour "Oh L'amour" is a song by English synthpop duo Erasure, released in April 1986 as their third single. Written by Erasure members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, it is a lament from someone experiencing unrequited love ''("broke my heart / now I'm ...

" by

Erasure Erasure () is an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1985, consisting of lead vocalist and songwriter Andy Bell with songwriter, producer and keyboardist Vince Clarke, previously known as co-founder of the band Depeche Mode and a membe ...

Girl You Know It's True ''Girl You Know It's True'' is a 1989 album that served as the North American debut of German contemporary R&B duo Milli Vanilli. It is a version of Milli Vanilli's Europe-only release '' All or Nothing'' reconfigured and repackaged for the US ...

" by

Milli Vanilli Milli Vanilli were a German-French R&B duo from Munich. The group was founded by Frank Farian in 1988 and consisted of Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus. Their debut album, '' All or Nothing'' in Europe, reconfigured as ''Girl You Know It's True'' in ...

#" Rush Rush" by

Paula Abdul Paula Julie Abdul (born June 19, 1962) is an American singer, dancer, choreographer, actress, and television personality. She began her career as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers at the age of 18 and later became the head choreograph ...

Daniel Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength" ...

" by

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

#" Evil Woman" by

Electric Light Orchestra The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1970 by songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood with drummer Bev Bevan. Their music is characterised by a fusion of pop, classical a ...

Life in a Northern Town "Life in a Northern Town" is the debut single by British band the Dream Academy, released in March 1985. It is from their self-titled debut studio album ''The Dream Academy''. The song was written as an elegy to British folk musician Nick Drake ...

" by

The Dream Academy The Dream Academy were a British band consisting of singer/guitarist Nick Laird-Clowes, multi-instrumentalist (chiefly oboe, cor anglais player) Kate St John, and keyboardist Gilbert Gabriel. The band is most noted for their 1985 hit singles ...

Human Nature Human nature is a concept that denotes the fundamental dispositions and characteristics—including ways of thinking, feeling, and acting—that humans are said to have naturally. The term is often used to denote the essence of humankind, or ...

" by

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

Live performances

Sexton Blake has been on numerous tours of the Northwestern United States, and performed at the annual Portland festival

PDX POP NOW! PDX Pop Now! is a local annual music festival held in Portland, Oregon, and a 100% volunteer-run registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that organizes and promotes the festival event. It consists of a two-disc compilation released in spring ...

2006, a free music festival showcasing local bands.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Last.fm
Indie rock musical groups from Oregon Musical groups from Portland, Oregon