One of this country's most astute commentators, veteran singer-songwriter and two-time Grammy nominee Loudon Wainwright III has been sharing his superb songs with us since the late '60s, performing live, on television and radio, and on over 20 acclaimed albums, including the brand-new Here Come the Choppers (Sovereign).

A superb lyricist who balances the unflinching honesty and powerful emotions of his autobiographical musings with a knack for pulling the rug out from under his own pretensions, Loudon "wrings more human truth out of his contradiction than any other songwriter of his generation," in the words of New York Times music critic Stephen Holden.

In addition to his music, you probably know Loudon's face from the airwaves -- he's acted on numerous television programs, from MASH to Ally McBeal -- or from the silver screen, where he recently appeared Tim Burton's Big Fish and Martin Scorsese's The Aviator. Berkeley contemporary folkster, Bart Davenport, opens.