At 64, Smither fits role as a musical elder.

Byline: Serena Markstrom The Register-Guard

Chris Smither has been at this songwriting thing for a long time.

He threw his hat in the ring of the modern-day bard circus during the folk revival in the 1960s, and he attracted critical acclaim for his early efforts. He has toured steadily most of the years since.

Smither most often performs solo, as he will Saturday at the John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts. Those of you savvy enough to catch one of America's best songwriters in action will see just a man, his guitar and his rhythm section: a trusty piece of particleboard.

Known for his song-craft, consistent excellence and exquisite yet subtle guitar work, Smither is regarded in the industry with the type of respect reserved for dignitaries. He might not be as big a name as Bob Dylan, who is also in town this week, but on his new album "Time Stands Still," he has moments where his writing sounds more Dylan than Dylan's does.

Using the steady thump of his Italian leather shoe on that simple amplified board to keep rhythm, Smither will get under your skin if you listen intently enough. He is both insightful and incisive, but without a hint of malice. He goes from smooth wit to sharp social critique, all while maintaining a well-grounded perspective and not revealing much emotion.

Now 64, he has said young people often rely on inspiration to produce new material, but he needs a deadline.

"Ninety percent of all of this is craft," he said. "Only about 10 percent of it is creative spirit or genius.

"When I was younger, I used to rely on inspiration to get it done. It doesn't work that way. The only people who last any length of time are the people who figure that out."

Child's words inspire song

That observation may be true, but one of his favorite songs from his brand new album came to him with a little inspiration taken straight from life.

When reached for a phone interview, Smither was home in Boston getting ready to go out to dinner and celebrate his wife's birthday. References to her are all over the new CD's title track - we will get to that later - but it was his 5-year-old daughter, Robin, who inspired the charming meditation on parenting, "I Don't Know," that Smither is so fond of.

The song's opening line, "Where's the daytime go when I'm asleep at night?" is taken almost verbatim from a question Robin asked of her father. His response is not in the song, but in real life Smither actually got out a flashlight and a globe to try and explain to his curious daughter the concept of time zones how the world shares the sun.

The couple adopted Robin from China, and since then Smither has changed his touring patterns to try to avoid being on the road for weeks at a time.

Many consider his breakthrough album "Happier Blue" in 1993, and he has put out a new recording every two to three years since.

Some of the big stars of the '60s tour as nostalgia acts, having not recorded anything new in years. But the consensus among critics is that Smither is getting better with age.

"Leave the Light On," from 2006, reflects on getting older, but the narrator concludes he's still got some fight in him. The new album's title track is a love song, full of gratitude toward his wife.

By the time Smither reaches the Shedd, his new album will have been in stores for only five days. For both of his most recent recordings, the title track was one of the strongest ones, but he said he does not just choose his favorite song and run with it as a title.

"I usually pick the song at least whose title kind of typifies or might serve as a thematic indicator to the whole album," he said. "Even if it doesn't work that way, just one that would make a catchy overall title.

"It doesn't have to actually mean anything as long as people can assign meanings to it."

Meanings aren't fixed

Later, he offered poetic license to anyone who wishes to interpret his songs freely. There is no wrong reading, he said.

Like his contemporary Bonnie Raitt, who has recorded many of his songs, Smither has had to deal with a drinking problem. A 12-year recording drought associated with his alcoholism ended in 1984 with "It Ain't Easy."

When asked if the lines from "Time Stands Still," "She let me know a long time ago/ It's better to say just what I mean/ ... It keeps me clean" were about his addiction, he said he had not thought of that.

"That's really clever. I like that. It works that way," he said. "Basically, the songs are what people make of them. Once I put them out there, they are no longer mine."

People often will come up and relate elaborate stories about what they read into a song.

"I'll sit there and say, `You are absolutely right,' because they are," he said.

Smither's greatest gift may be his subdued eloquence, an ability to say a world of things in three short minutes. Simplicity is one of the things he strives for.

"I've always tried not to be pretentious," he said. "Even when I was young, I don't think I went out on too many limbs.

"If I said things that seemed wise to people, then maybe it's because at the time maybe they hadn't thought about it as much as I had."

Smither said he tries to write songs people can relate to and considers himself an "acute observer."

"By now, I am old enough that people take everything I say seriously. Or at least they know enough to pretend to."

Call Serena Markstrom at 338-2371 or e-mail her at serena.markstrom@ registerguard.com.