Pokey LaFarge is a Midwestern songwriter who blends ragtime, Western swing, country boogie, and early blues, lately leaning into the warm sway of Rhumba Country.

Old-soul roots, new solo frame

This date is billed as solo, which means his usual band parts get folded into thumb-picked bass lines, snap chords, and foot-stomp percussion. Expect tight, lively takes on La La Blues, Central Time, Something in the Water, and Fine to Me, plus a sly cover from the pre-war songbook.

Songs that likely land

You will see a mixed crowd: vinyl diggers, swing-step couples, curious Americana fans, and locals who know every chorus. Trivia heads note that Pokey LaFarge was born Andrew Heissler and spent years busking and train-hopping, a grind that shaped his road-ready cadence. He also cut sides with Third Man Records, a nod that sharpened his vintage tone without turning it into a museum piece. Treat these set and production notes as informed hunches based on recent runs; the choices on the night may shift.

The Pokey LaFarge Crowd, Up Close

The scene skews vintage without cosplay, with newsboy caps, cuffed denim, floral dresses, and the odd bolo or two.

Vintage cues, lived-in ease

Pockets of dancers will mark time with a relaxed six-step, while others clap on two and four and hum along until the chorus hits. When La La Blues or Central Time starts, the room often answers with a simple repeat line or a handclap break, more porch party than pageant.

Rituals, not rules

Merch tends to favor classic type: 45-style label tees, postcard sets, and vinyl that looks like it could have lived in a jukebox. Between songs, Pokey LaFarge chats in short, dry asides, and the crowd usually answers with quick laughs rather than long shouts. People swap stories about seeing him with a full band versus solo, comparing how the pulse changes and which songs hit harder stripped down. It feels like a hang built around rhythm and lore, the kind where you leave humming a bass line as much as a hook.

How Pokey LaFarge Builds a Room from One Guitar

Live, Pokey LaFarge sings in a clear, lightly nasal tenor that cuts through the room without strain.

One voice, one engine

He paces songs with small dynamic lifts, pushing choruses a touch louder while keeping verses conversational and close. On guitar he favors tight, percussive strums and thumb-walked bass, often muting strings to create a snare-like chop between beats. Expect arrangements to strip studio horns into call-and-response guitar licks, with walking bass lines implying what the upright would normally cover.

Small moves, big swing

A common trick is a capo high on the neck to brighten the tone, giving shuffles a springy midrange that suits his quick syllables. Tempos land brisk but not rushed, and he will occasionally stretch a turnaround to tease claps or a sing-back before dropping back into the groove. Lighting tends to be warm and simple, keeping ears on the pocket and the stories rather than any big cue or gag.

If You Like Pokey LaFarge, You Might Like These Too

Fans of Charley Crockett often click with Pokey LaFarge because both balance old-time shuffle with modern storytelling and a road-honed bandleader's ease.

Kindred spirits on the road

JD McPherson brings jump-blues snap and rockabilly drive, the same pocket that makes a Pokey LaFarge groove feel like Friday even on a Tuesday. If you like the crisp R&B camera of Nick Waterhouse, that dry, vintage-mic sound aligns with Pokey LaFarge's taste for lean rhythm and sharp accents.

Why these bills click

String-band diehards who ride with Old Crow Medicine Show tend to enjoy the train-beat bounce and hoedown choruses Pokey LaFarge can spark. The analog-first crowd that follows Jack White will recognize the love of tape-era textures and the Third Man Records link in Pokey LaFarge's history. All of these artists work the same lane where danceable feels meet crisp songcraft without excess gloss. So if your playlists swing from honky-tonk to jump blues to early soul, this bill sits comfortably in that orbit.