Slaid Cleaves at Susanna’s Kitchen

Slaid Cleaves spins stories with the eye of a novelist and a poet’s heart. Unsurprising for a guy who studied English and philosophy at Tufts University. His songs are shaped by his Maine childhood where the economy and climate are often difficult, marked by clever rhymes and wordplay, keen observation, and bare bones storytelling. While slowly building his career as a working musician, his storytelling was honed by the varied day jobs he often took to support himself, including working as a janitor, ice cream truck driver, meter reader, pizza delivery person, and even as a busker (street musician) in Ireland.

Few songwriters portray bruised souls as clearly. Fewer still deliver such a wallop with those portraits. He tells stories about ordinary people, drinking, love, loss, mixed with political and social commentary. While many of his songs tell stories of those living a hardscrabble existence with little hope of rising above their circumstances, his shows effortlessly blend the dark with light and humor.

Those writing about Cleaves’ shows have also taken note of his beautifully dusty yearning voice, laid back approach, his banter and personal connections with the audience, and performances some have described as magical.

Terri Hendrix says of Slaid, “You get a lot of the man behind the lyrics. What you see with Slaid is what you get: He doesn’t have the eyes of a cynic. He has optimism about him through a realistic gaze and writes with a wise voice.”

Cleaves moved from Maine to Austin, one of hot beds of music in the U.S, in late 1991, where his career began to take off. His first national album was released in 1997, and in 2000, his album Broke Down featuring a song by the same name topped the Americana charts for five weeks. Over the years, several albums ensued. Four years after his under-the-radar gem Still Fighting After All These Years, Cleaves released an eighth and his most recent studio album, 2017’s Ghost on the Car Radio. These days when not on the road he makes his home in Wimberley.

Join us to hear Slaid Cleaves at Susanna’s Kitchen Coffeehouse & Concert located at the corner of Ranch Road 12 and County Road 1492 at Wimberley United Methodist Church. Concert starts at 7:30 p.m. on April 18, tickets are only available at the door which opens by 7:00 pm. Pie, tamales, pizza, coffee and soft drinks available. Tickets are $25 for adults, $5 for students under 18.

For more information, contact Perry at 512-914-1703 or visit www.wimberleyumc.org.