FRED EAGLESMITH
9 p.m., White Water Tavern. $15 adv., $20 d.o.s.
Canadian singer/songwriter Fred Eaglesmith has been compared to Bruce Springsteen, John Prine and Woody Guthrie. Like those icons, Eaglesmith makes his bones on plainspoken, literate lyrics that strive to channel the voice of the common man. For nearly 20 years, in support of 18 albums, he’s barnstormed across North America, picking up awards, including a Juno (Canada’s equivalent to a Grammy), and acquiring a coterie of devoted fans, who bill themselves “Fredheads” and travel hundreds of miles to see shows. Fellow musicians, from Toby Keith to the Cowboy Junkies, have recorded his songs. Three tribute albums have been devoted to his music. At least two universities include his song in curriculum in poetry and social studies classes. Eaglesmith’s known as a rich, in-between-song storyteller. That, coupled with his music, a blend of honky-tonk and barroom rock, seems just about perfectly suited to a venue like White Water.