Peter Case is a songwriter’s songwriter who took Bob Dylan’s route backward, unplugging to go acoustic after doing the electric thing years with California power-poppers The Nerves and The Plimsouls.
His latest album, “Let Us Now Praise Sleepy John,” is stripped-down, but don’t let the title’s allusion to Sleepy John Estes fool you: It’s not a blues disc.
“Sleepy John was just a hero of mine. It’s my way of honoring him,” Case said. “He was an inspiration because he wrote about contemporary issues.”
STAGE PRESENCE
The one-time street musician will bring his Martin acoustic guitar along for a solo performance Sunday on N. McKinley Street ” specifically, at The Blue Door.
Venue owner Greg Johnson said Case’s dynamic shows contain not only early original songs and covers, but expert guitar-picking and funny stories.
“He commands a stage like no other, from gritty blues to wonderfully crafted pop-rock songs,” Johnson said. “He literally connects with one person, then another, and sometimes walks through the audience singing. It’s priceless. “¦ He is among a handful of truly great American songwriters.”
Case said The Blue Door audience can expect an entertaining show with one caveat: “I do it with my own style,” he said.
Case closed. “Tory Troutman
This article appears in Dec 5-11, 2007.