Sex Mex: Jack of All Trades, Master of None
Sex Mex, a one man band out of San Antonio, TX rocked the Outer Limits Lounge on September 20. Originally born in Ypsi, Clark Gray is the mind behind it all. At the young age of 22, Gray has been at it for a decade, beginning his musical journey at 12 years old. Well, his first real discovery of music was through Guitar Hero when he was jamming out to One by Metallica as a 6 year old. Thank God we had the iconic early 2000s video game to inspire so many musicians in this generation.
Gray had a long journey of building his musical tool belt; he began by learning the bass at 12, keyboard at 16, and ultimately the guitar at 18. This has allowed him the independence he desires. Gray spent time in another band during highschool called The Blands. When asked about his time with them he said, “We were actually pretty good for our age but had clashing personalities.” He conveyed that his one man setup allows him more freedom as he isn’t burdened by the rules of a band.
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He has a very cohesive image in terms of being an artist. The use of recordings and multitracks in combination with live vocals and guitar accurately reflects his releases. This also enables him to avoid challenges in venue sound. Bringing all his own equipment and using the tracks means the venue is only relied on to amplify his sound, not construct it. Besides his sound, his presence on stage also helps solidify his image. Gray revealed he likes to be a bit ‘mental’ on stage since his personality in real life tends to be more shy and removed. Preferring to engage with the crowd, Gray says, “I can crack jokes at their expense or just make them feel a little uncomfortable. That's more for my enjoyment and if people like it and think it's funny then cool.” And he does just that. Along with his digs at the crowd, he brings a lot of energy and definitive emotion through his facial expression.
If you’re wondering if you’d dig his music, he divulged some of the artists- well known and smaller- who have inspired his music. Listed from the classics were Ramones, GG Allin, and Fear. Among the list were newer artists like Jay Reatard, Ween, and Suicide. As most musicians will admit, local influences are big in their development. Gray provided us with an interesting story about one of his old favorites, The Pukes. “I didn't find out about this until recently- they just broke up
randomly and then I found their music and saw like, ‘Punk music singer from The Pukes threatens to kill pregnant girlfriend’.” Though none of us are unaware of the dark, dreadful sides of the scene, it’s still crazy to hear stories like these.
That aside, his music is a vibrant synth-punk blend with a comedic genius ingrained in each song. Something Gray expressed was that he does care deeply about his music and takes the project seriously, though his music is very humorous. “The songs themselves, I don't know, even if it's a serious topic, it's like I like to put some sort of humor.” Though these joking elements are incorporated, it isn’t like parody music or satire necessarily, it makes sense when you listen to his songs. Depressing or thought "intellectual" lyrics wouldn’t mesh well with his music, especially since a goal of his is to get energy from the crowd. He named Akron, Ohio as his favorite city to play because, “...the audiences treat you well and don't seem fucking standoffish and boring.” Overall, he tries to build a performance of fun, humor, and liveliness.
Though the songs might not be serious, his dedication is. Gray noted that similar to most bands and artists, the goal is to do music full time. Where he contradicts so many upcoming bands is in the ‘if we don’t make it big, what’s the point’ mentality. It was clear a goal of his is to play music to people who love it full time- whether it was many or few seemed to play less of a role. Gray left us with a great perspective: “I think when it comes down to it there's shit everywhere on all ends of the spectrum, it's, you know if there's a shitty band it's who works the hardest. It's you know, I'm just trying to do as much as I can and hope that the hard work will pay off.”
Shortly after this past tour, Sex Mex will be making his return to the road in November. If you weren’t able to make it out, or hadn’t been blessed to know of him, you can catch Sex Mex again in Detroit, KZoo, and plenty of other cities. The “Shaking Hands and Kissing Babies” tour is sure to be a sick one- so don’t miss out!