A musical journey of song and humor

John Craigie is one of those performers that is the “whole package.” He writes great songs and in concert he’s one of the most engaging singer / songwriters on the road today. He’s hilarious. If you read his bio on the interwebs, people will liken him to John Prine and comedian Mitch Hedberg. That assessment is spot-on. His latest album, “Live: Opening for Steinbeck” is a perfect reflection of all of the above. Check it out. And for an even more high def experience, check him out when he hits 3S Artspace with the one and only Jason Anderson on Thursday, April 26. You’ll be so glad you did.

EDGE caught up with Craigie to chat about a bit of everything. And Bukowski.

EDGE: Let’s talk about “Live: Opening for Steinbeck.” What kind of goals can one set for themselves when they make a live record?

Craigie: For a live record all I’m trying to do is capture the essence of the Craigie show. It’s quite different than the studio albums and I realized from the beginning that people wanted a recording of that that they could take home with them. I work hard on figuring out what are the most popular and relevant stories of the past couple years and add them in between a mix of funny songs and rearrangements of old songs.

EDGE: What spurred the idea to make this particular record? Was it premeditated, or did you record the shows on accident and decide, ‘Yeah, that deserves a proper release, a second set of legs ... ’

Craigie: It was definitely premeditated. I don’t usually record my shows because I like them to have an “in the moment” feel where myself and/or the audience doesn’t feel that pressure of the microphones. But every few years I like to put out a live record. I recorded five shows that month and ended up using two from Portland. There was a lot of thought put into setlist and story arc.

EDGE: Do you enjoy or prefer live performance over the studio? Or…

Craigie: I definitely prefer live. Studio albums are fun to make in the sense that you have the time and liberty to really build something around the simple folk song. Depending on what vibe you’re in and what musicians you have access to. But it’s weird and slightly unnatural. Not having the audience there to feed off of. It makes way more sense to perform in front of people. If you think about the history of all music, it’s only recently that we started recording and making records. Live performance has always been the way, even back to when we were in caves and chanting in front of each other.

EDGE: What’s the making of a good show?

Craigie: It so much depends on the crowd. For me, at least. The room plays a part, too, but if the crowd is attentive and on board for the story-telling and the humor then it’s going to be a good show. If they are too drunk or too chatty, then it’s not my favorite.

EDGE: Music. Why do you seek it? Why do you create it?

Craigie: I’ve always wanted to create music. Ever since I first heard it. It’s my favorite form of expression and communication. And I see what music does for people. The healing powers it has. I always wanted to be able to offer that. I wasn’t smart enough to be a doctor. So I played music instead.

EDGE: Why Steinbeck? I mean, obviously it didn’t happen, but why would you have wanted the opportunity to open for the writer?

Craigie: Well, the title comes from an observation I make about how “openers" are strictly a music thing. And how books don’t do that, like you don’t open up “Grapes of Wrath” and there’s a short story by someone else you gotta get through because they’re opening. I could have said any author I guess. But I’m a huge Steinbeck fan, he’s probably my favorite.

EDGE: What would Bukowski think about the tunes of John Craigie? Would you ever open for him?

Craigie: That’s a great question. I would hope that he’d be into it. Not sure if I’ve drank enough, but I’m sure he would help with that if we were on tour together.

EDGE: Speaking of writing; is the act of putting pen to paper and writing down your thoughts and songs an easy or arduous process for you? Are you a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of writer or do you consciously need to “schedule office hours”?

Craigie: It’s not arduous these days. Sometimes going through whatever one had to go through to get the song is the arduous process. I think that’s the way to go. Life is hard and challenging enough. If you can tap into that, the songwriting should be easy.

EDGE: What’s the importance of humor? Or, having a sense of it?

Craigie: Well, personally, I think it’s incredibly important. Like I just said, life is challenging, no matter who you are or where you’re at. But it’s also one big joke. If you can’t find the time to laugh at it, you’re probably gonna go insane. Humor is one thing we can connect on sometimes as humans.

EDGE: Speaking of both humor and opening for (x), when you Google, “John Craigie Opening for…” the query auto populates options like “Coldplay,” and “Pink.” Have you ever tried that? How’d those shows go?

Craigie: I’ve never opened for Pink or Coldplay, but I imagine those shows would be a trip. Opening for Jack Johnson last summer was as close as I got to that stuff. It was quite the experience. My music works way better in small rooms with a quiet audience. But if the stadium is where they put me, I’ll sing my songs there for whoever wants to listen.

EDGE: You’re heading to Portsmouth for a gig at 3S. You’re no stranger to Portsmouth, nor are you a stranger of playing shows for Tristan Law, the booking dude at the venue. What keeps you coming back to the good ol’ Granite State? What excites you about this particular show?

Craigie: I’ve always loved that part of the country. And Tristan was one of the first promoters to book me. He had faith in me back when no one knew who I was and I had zero draw. He used to let me play in the corner of one of the bars for dinner and tips. I have a special place in my heart for people like that. I’m excited to come back and be a part of a legit show in town. And to play alongside the legendary Jason Anderson is a huge honor for me.

EDGE: What can folks expect this time around?

Craigie: It’s been awhile since I’ve played in Portsmouth. A lot has happened to me and a lot of new songs have been written. I’m really excited to check in with the Portsmouth crew and show them what I’ve learned from my travels.

Go & Do

What: Singer-songwriter John Craigie with special guest Jason Anderson

When: 7 p.m., Thursday, April 26; doors open 6 p.m.

Where: 3S Artspace, 319 Vaughan St., Portsmouth

Tickets: $13, members; $15, in advance; $18 on day of show.

More info: Check out www.3Sarts.org