Coming up in less than a week will be a mini-Maine tour conducted by three talented singer-songwriters — Colleen Sexton, Trina Hamlin and Maine’s own Lynn Deeves. To that end a phone interview was arranged with Sexton from her home in Boston.

Q: So, I understand that you ladies are coming out on your what, 11th Maine tour?

Sexton: It’s 11 — I know, we’ve been doing it for quite a while.

Q: Did you ever think it would have this much staying power?

Sexton: Never, no –nope! It’s just one of those things that kind of stuck. People come out and we get to some of the colleges, too, and we try to bring something new each year, because we want it all to be the same. I think we’re involved in one show this year that’s a benefit for Marriage Equality in Maine — it’s nice to get involved in things like that because Maine has been good to us.

Q: How are your shows set up?

Sexton: Well, it’s usually in the round — we’ll go one, two, three; one, two, three — and play on each other’s stuff as we can, take a break and do it again for the second set. Because we’ve been doing this so long — I may see Trina and Lynn throughout the year at a gig here and a gig there — but this is kind of the main time that we play together, so this tour gives us the opportunity to do that, which is fun.

Q: Have you ever recorded any of these performances?

Sexton: You know, Lynn has a live record out and I think she has a song or two from our shows on that record.

Q: I would think that the three of you — with voices united — would sound drop-dead gorgeous?

Sexton: Yeah, people seem to like it — I don’t like to congratulate ourselves, but people do seem to like it. I think in general people like it when artists collaborate with each other … it’s like the whole being greater than the sum of its parts — there is something to that. And that’s not to say that you won’t get a great show from each of us individually, but I like that as a fan, too, when people collaborate and join together.

Q: How’s your solo career going nowadays?

Sexton: It’s going, I would say well … I’m in a period where I really want to complete that next record, so I’ve got maybe half of the songs ready, but I want to have them all ready. I’ve been playing less and doing fewer shows, because I want to be out there playing newer stuff and not doing all older material. I really want to get back in the studio again.

Q: When the three of you play, it’s just the three of you, there are no other backing musicians, correct?

Sexton: Yes, that’s right — it’s just us.

Q: Now Lynn plays flute, does she not?

Sexton: Yes, she plays flute and brings some percussion along, and Trina plays harmonica, so we’ve got a good mix of layering that can happen in a song. One of my favorite things are the vocals and harmonies that Trina and Lynn and I do, because you don’t get to do that every show or even all that regularly … so it’s a nice treat, for me anyway, to come up and experience that … and they’re good.

Q: With 11 years of doing this, the three of you must have a little telepathy — instinctively knowing what each other is capable of doing and what they might do in any situation?

Sexton: Definitely! And I’ve heard someone refer to it as synergy … and I thought, “That is very true, they got that right!” I mean, even if it’s a new song and you don’t know it, you kind of know where they are going to go.

Q: Is there anything you’d like to pass on to the readers of this article?

Sexton: Just that we appreciate their support so much and we hope that they’ll come out to some of these shows this October. Oh, and — speaking specifically for myself — Maine is very near and dear because I actually recorded a record up there, too; so Maine kind of figures into my musical history and I’m just really looking forward to coming back up there.

Lucky Clark has spent over four decades writing about good music and the people who make it. He can be reached at luckyc@megalink.net if you have any questions, comments or suggestions.