Musician Todd Snider will perform his country-folk songs at 8 p.m. May 8 in the Englert Theatre, 221 E. Washington St.

The Portland, Ore., native was inspired to be a singer/songwriter after watching Jerry Jeff Walker perform in San Marcos, Texas. Snider soon wrote three songs and played at a nearby open-mike night. He spent some time writing songs, sometimes a few months, sometimes years, to tell a story.

“I only keep working on [songs] that start off like a conversation with myself,” Snider said. “They would be similar to the conversation someone has with a shrink. I never work on ones that start off like a conversation between myself and my manager about how I need a new song.”

In 1994, Snider’s début album, Songs for The Daily Planet was released. Eleven years later, he recorded The Devil You Know and soon played on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and “Late Night with David Letterman”.

Today he is known for his smart lyrics that find a way to incorporate humor and sorrow at the same time.

“Humor is my natural reaction to pain and fear,” he said. “People generally don’t like to hang with me. I’m better from a distance. With lighting and reverb.”

— by Laura Willis