PORTLAND — Rod Picott will perform at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 9 at St. Lawrence Arts, 76 Congress Street.

Picott grew up in South Berwick where he became friends and formed a band with another Maine music icon, Slaid Cleaves. Picott is a gifted singer-songwriter and guitar player. He released his debut album Tiger Tom Dixon’s Blues in 2001 and has had a prolific career ever since. His recently released album Welding Burns received critical acclaim and spent 10 straight weeks on the American Music Association chart. He was voted Songwriter of the Year 2011 by the Freeform American Roots Radio reporters, and Male Artist of the Year by the FAR Chart reporters

The very definition of a modern troubadour, Picott tours the U.S. in a Jeep Cherokee with a current odometer reading of 276,300 miles. He also tours annually in Europe and the U.K. to the tune of 130-plus shows yearly.

Picott is lauded for his narrative and melodic songwriting, passionate delivery and darkly humorous onstage storytelling. Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 at the door, and may be purchased at www.stlawrencearts.org.