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Chris Knight performs "Ain't Easy Being Me"

Kentucky native Chris Knight writes some of the most deeply beautiful and unadorned songs about rural America since John Prine blew up the TV, and since Steve Earle saw his first pistol. That’s why you won’t hear him on contemporary country radio, even though it seemed in the late 1990s that he might have a chance. But Knight, whose resume includes a job as a strip-mine inspector for the state after graduating from Western Kentucky University, seems unable to write in any other voice besides his own. Thank God. With uncommon attention to detail, he’s adept at painting the imperfect little worlds of his characters, giving each song the feel of a well-crafted short story. From the title track of his current release Enough Rope (Drifter’s Church)—his first independent release after three critically acclaimed records on the Decca and Dualtone labels: “There’s a tavern down the highway/I go to drink some beers/And wash down all I’m missing by hanging around here/Then I drive back to the trailer/I make up with my wife/I kiss my sleeping children/And I get on with my life.” This simple and bittersweet tone has made him a popular staple on the Americana music scene. Knight has one night off on a package tour with Texas songwriting legend Robert Earl Keen—and he’s decided to spend it in Buffalo. Dee Adams, the talented local songwriter who ordinarily hosts the Monday night Open Mic at the club, opens the show.

Monday, November 20 at 9pm. Sportsmen’s Tavern, 326 Amherst Street (874-7734). FREE