Can something be wry, aching, hysterical, evocative, provocative, fun, beautifully sung and consummately played all at once? That would be Vance Gilbert. While he has released 13 albums thus far, Vance truly happens live.

He has made his mark on the folk and acoustic music scenes over the course of a prolific career that extends back to the early ’90s during which he has shared stages worldwide with Aretha Franklin, Shawn Colvin, Arlo Guthrie, the Milk Carton Kids, George Carlin (150+ shows), Anita Baker, The Subdudes, Paul Reiser and any number of others.

He has also made a prominent presence at some of the world’s most prestigious gatherings, among them the Newport, Winnipeg, Rocky Mountain, Calgary, Ottawa, and Falcon Ridge folk festivals, the Kate Wolf Music Festival, and Australia’s Woodford Folk Festival and Mullum Music Festival.

Over the course of his career, he has carved out a singular niche with songs that have resonated with his fans and drawn in new listeners. His classic compositions — Old White Men, Charlene and Unfamiliar Moon, Goodbye Pluto, and Waiting for Gilligan — are emotive and profound, offering certain truths in ways that make a meaningful impact in the most enduring and evocative ways.

Gilbert posses a wide palette and perspective, from a co-write with Grammy Winner Lori McKenna, House of Prayer, to a song on a Grammy-nominated children’s record by the duo Trout Fishing in America. Likewise, after alt-rock star Mike Posner heard Gilbert perform on a podcast, he invited him to take part in co-writing sessions and subsequently to sing on his recent single, Noah’s Ark. Posner reciprocated with a haunting background vocal on Flyby, a song featured on Gilbert’s forthcoming album.

“How rounded is that?”, Gilbert may quip. Truth is, ultimately, it’s the impact that he has on his audiences that matters to him the most. “People take away from these songs what they decide they’re going to take away,” he reflects. “I would hope they walk away thinking. If that’s the case, then I’ve done my job successfully.”