An evening onstage with a treasured troubadour


Loudon Wainwright III Courtesy photo

Loudon Wainwright III Courtesy photo

Whether onstage or on record, Grammy-winning singersongwriter Loudon Wainwright III is never less than candid and confessional.

The treasured troubadour is set to perform an intimate, oneman show at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 29 in the Scherr Forum Theatre at Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza.

He came to fame in 1972 when his song “Dead Skunk” became a Top 20 hit. Since then the music hasn’t stopped, whether it’s solo material or songs he’s penned for artists like Bonnie Raitt, Johnny Cash, Earl Scruggs and Mose Allison.

Of late, Wainwright’s been looking in the rearview, prepping odds and sods for “Years in the Making,” a two-disc set that comes out Sept. 14 on StorySound Records. He calls the collection an “audio-biography” because it includes orphaned album cuts, live recordings, radio appearances and home demos that offer a never-before-seen perspective on his life.

The track “Flood of Tears,” a sequel of sorts to 1971’s “Motel Blues,” falls into that confessional category.

“It’s about the life on the road and the loneliness of the road and the mistakes that one makes out on the road because of the loneliness,” Wainwright says. “It was written 20 years after ‘Motel Blues,’ so I guess it’s saying I’d been an idiot for two decades.”

Wainwright’s most recent studio album, “Haven’t Got the Blues (Yet),” came out in 2014.

He co-wrote music for Judd Apatow’s 2007 movie “Knocked Up” and composed topical songs for NPR’s “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered.”

An accomplished actor, he has appeared in films directed by Martin Scorsese, Hal Ashby, Christopher Guest, Tim Burton, Cameron Crowe, Judd Apatow and Steven Soderbergh.

Wainwright has also acted on TV (“M*A*S*H”) and on Broadway (“Pump Boys and Dinettes”).

The Scherr is at 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks. Tickets are $43, available in person at the box office or through Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or online at ticketmaster.com. For information, call (805) 449-2787 or visit civicartsplaza.com.