Chesnutt brings guitar and stories to Oxford

Justin Showah
dm senior Staff writer

There's something about a storyteller. If the tale teller happens to be from the South, people tend to listen more intently, especially if he is carrying a guitar and singing about what he knows best.

For singer/songwriter Vic Chesnutt, a Zebulon, Ga., native, nothing could be truer.

His lyrics come alive with characters who have real human problems and longings, and the bottom line is this. His music speaks in the same way that a great poem or painting speaks. Vic Chesnutt is an artist, a poet, a storyteller. This Wednesday he returns to Oxford by way of Proud Larry's for a solo show that serious music fans won't miss.

Chesnutt's road to musical laud has not always been paved with gold. After a car accident left him paralyzed in 1983, Vic forged ahead with his pen and picking talents. In 1985 he became friends with R.E.M. vocalist and fellow Athens local Michael Stipe who coaxed him into trying his hand at recording. From the get-go Vic's work was noted as original, poetic, and uncompromising.

His 1992 release "West of Rome" took another step forward and was followed in 1993 by "Drunk." Mr. Chesnutt's first contact with a full-scale rock band came when he collaborated with fellow Athenians, Widespread Panic. For the dozen songs they recorded together, they called themselves "brute" and the album "Nine High a Pallet." Chesnutt's association with Widespread Panic has continued as his songs have appeared in their live shows and on studio albums. He has also shared the stage during Panic live shows.

Since then, Chesnutt has put out two more critically -acclaimed albums--"Is The Actor Happy?" and "About to Choke."

His current tour is in support of his most ambitious album, The Salesman and Bernadette. Backed by Capricorn Records and the Nashville-based band Lambchop, the album features horn and key sections, unorthodox sound effects, 15 musicians, and a wide spectrum of songwriting styles, from haunting dirges to hook-based orchestras.

No matter if he's fronting a rock n' roll symphony or strumming quietly on his acoustic, Chesnutt breathes the tragedy and hope of storytelling into every syllable he sings and every note he plucks.

Kudzu King Tate Moore will open the 9:30 p.m. show in support of his solo LP, "Old Dead Dog". Wednesday's show at Proud Larry's will showcase Chesnutt's bare bones style--just the songwriter and his guitar--and it promises to be intense, poetic, genuine music.

After all, that's what Vic Chesnutt is all about. Come and hear him tell his stories.