Slaid Cleaves to bring storytelling style to Bodles

Chester — Slaid Cleaves weave stories through song in a performance he will give at Bodles Opera House in Chester on Friday, July 28. Cleaves is known for combining the quirkiness of his Yankee upbringing in Maine with the grittiness of Texas, which he’s called home for over a decade. Entertainment Weekly says Cleaves “tells gorgeously compact stories in a voice packed with Texas trail dust.” His album, “Wishbones,” was number 1 in 2004 on the Americana Radio chart. Cleave won the prestigious Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk competition in 1992 when he first hit that scene. His latest recording is “Unsung.” Steve Lane, a Bodles open-mike regular, will be opening the show. Bodles owner/manager Pat Mazo calls him a “talented young musician with lots of human emotion to share in his heartfelt songs with warm, thought-provoking melodies.” The show will start at 8:30 p.m.; doors open at 6:30. Tickets cost $17.50. For more information visit www.slaidcleaves.com. On Saturday, July 29, Bodles will feature singer-songwriter Chris Smither, a bluesman with a hot fingerpicking style. Smither was born and raised in New Orleans, and has been a mainstay on the blues-folk tour circuit around the world since he kicked off his career in the 1960s. Smither’s songs, including “Love You Like a Man” and “I Feel the Same,” have been recorded by artists such as Diana Krall, Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, and others, while he honed his fiery guitar licks in the Lightnin’ Hopkins and John Hurt style. Smither recently signed with the Massachusetts recording label Signature Sounds. “Leave the Light On” is due to come out in September. Smither’s show starts at 8:30 p.m.; doors open at 6:30. Tickets are $20. For more information visit www.chrissmither.com. Bodles’ regular events include open mike with Mike Baglione and Terry Michie (primarily acoustic) at 8 p.m. on Thursdays. Sign-up starts at 7 p.m. Cost is $3. For tickets or more information, call 469-4595 or go online at www.bodles.com.