David Wilcox, Luke LeBlanc

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Lynne Harty

David Wilcox and guitar.

David Wilcox

Some folk songs just sound best when delivered the way they likely were conceived. Enter My Good Friends, a recent collection of 10 acoustic cuts from veteran singer-songwriter-guitarist David Wilcox. Fans have been clamoring for a record like this from Wilcox, and his new music should shimmer (along with old favorites) in the intimate environs of The Bur Oak. But fear not: The man is working on a full-band album that is expected to drop later this year. Luke LeBlanc, a Minneapolis-based singer-songwriter with an organic and rootsy folk-pop sound, will open.

$30 ($25 adv.).

media release: Folk singer-songwriters are observers and documenters of the human condition, of the world around them, and of the intersection between the two. Revered folk musician David Wilcox is a penetrating storyteller with an effortless talent for spinning lyrics that quietly cut deep and for crafting melodies that embody the power of musical catharsis.

Wilcox’s folk singer-songwriter pedigree is peerless. You can hear every nuance of the Ohio native’s warm baritone on his latest album, 2023’s acoustic opus My Good Friends, released on his own Fresh Baked Records. Friends is an immersive piece of work brimming with universal lyrics and 4-minute mini-movies, including a trio of songs – “Dead Man’s Phone,” “This Is How It Ends,” and “Lost Man” – that are as cinematic as they are charismatic. The stripped-down collection of 10 songs is a fan-requested creative respite as Wilcox continues to work on a full band album coming later this year.

“I am grateful for the community that sustains me – my good friends,” he says. “These are the kind of friends that get you through difficult times. The kind of friends that you go to for a fresh perspective when the future looks grim. These songs grew out of conversations with friends, and they hold ideas that I like to have around.”

Wilcox shines before an intimate audience of fans and admirers, you could call them his good friends. Back on the road for a spate of shows, Wilcox returns to the stage April 26 at The Bur Oak, 2262 Winnebago Street in Madison, WI. The concert begins at 8pm (doors @ 7pm) and tickets are $25-$30; 21 & over, please. To purchase tickets, click HERE. Special guest Luke LeBlanc, from Minneapolis, will open the show.

The backbone of Wilcox’s entire career honors personal and heartfelt music, whether on a stage or in the studio. Although born in Ohio, Wilcox found his artistic muse in North Carolina during the mid-1980s. In 1987, he released his debut album, The Nightshift Watchman, which led to winning the prestigious Kerrville Folk Festival in 1988. That translated to a four-album stint with A&M Records starting with 1989’s How Did You Find Me Here, which sold 100,000 copies by word of mouth. Thirty-plus years and twenty-plus albums later, Wilcox won top honors in the 23rd annual USA Songwriting Competition in 2018 for his effervescent “We Make the Way by Walking” from his album, The View From the Edge. Wilcox has deservedly earned praise over the years in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Los Angeles Times, and Rolling Stone, to name a few. He also has a dedicated and vocal core of fans who regularly write to thank him for his work and the impact his songs have had on their lives.

For Wilcox, music is cathartic, even medicinal. Check out his website and you’ll find a “Musical Medicine” section that features songs ready to heal heartbreak, depression, and addiction. But also, there are songs to appreciate life, beauty, and “enjoying the bliss of the moment.”

There’s the power of original folk music. Wilcox taps into the reveries of humanity and turns out universal vignettes. These are tunes that make us feel, think, laugh, and cry. “I'm grateful to music,” he says. “I have a life that feels deeply good, but when I started playing music, nothing in my life felt that good. I started to write songs because I wanted to find a way to make my life feel as good as I felt when I heard a great song.”

Wilcox has more performance dates throughout the year.