The way Ann Arbor-based artist Chris Bathgate slings his guitar can be described as somewhere between cradling and wringing. The liberal use of stomp boxes — both vocally and on the guitar — adds dimension to his music's quiet storm. The man and his post- modern folk-esque refrain are both riveting. Imagine Billy Bragg lost in the woods, or in this case Chris Bathgate, and all of a sudden, lonely doesn't sound so bad.
Chris Bathgate plays with White Woods and Wolf Jaw on Wednesday, January 27, at the Bug Jar, 219 Monroe Avenue. 9 p.m. $10-12. bugjar.com; chrisbathgate.org.