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   With a fresh snowfall, blustery winds, and the mercury barely climbing above zero, local Americana singer songwriter Charley Wagner played to an intimate crowd at the Longville Lakes Art Center, delivering enough honesty and humility to warm everyone in the room. Wagner is currently on the first leg of his winter tour in support of his newest solo album, Finding Home.

   Wagner was joined onstage by Tristan Schultz on upright bass and Mel Wolfe on cajon and washboard, keeping the arrangements simple and allowing the songs and stories to take center stage.

   In addition to the album release, Wagner unveiled an illustrated songbook that harkens back to the era of album inserts, while offering a deeper, more personal look into the music. The 50 page book features handwritten lyrics, paintings, and illustrations accompanying each of the album’s 21 songs.   “When I was painting these, sometimes I’d just get in the flow,” Wagner said. “I’d stay up until four, sometimes six, in the morning and feel like almost no time had passed.”

   Between songs, Wagner shared stories and connections behind the music, including how certain guitars chose the song during the recording process. Alongside his well used “paddle” guitar, named after an occasion when Wagner used it as a canoe paddle, the album features instruments built by local luthiers Grant Goltz, Danny Yochum, and Lloyd LaPlant. Wagner also played an OM style acoustic guitar he built himself under Goltz’s supervision, crafted with a cocobolo body and a local white spruce top. “There’s so many great musicians, artists, and people with incredible crafts down many of these dirt roads, and hardly anyone knows about them,” Wagner said, expressing appreciation for the Longville Lakes Arts Center and its commitment to highlighting local creative voices.

   Kindness, patience, and gratitude emerged as recurring themes throughout Wagner’s songs, values he credits in large part to his mother, Kathy Wagner, affectionately known as Momma Wags. Her powerful, flowing vocals filled the Art Center and are featured on several tracks on Finding Home.

   For a full list of upcoming tour dates and more information, visit www.charleywagnermusic.com. Wagner can also be found performing with the Americana band Forge North. The Longville performance reflected the spirit of Finding Home itself, where live storytelling, heartfelt songs, and visual art come together as one complete expression of Wagner’s creative voice. As the concert came to an end on a classic Minnesota winter evening, Wagner shared the season he looks forward to most, “When there’s no bugs, no ice, now that’s Minnesota nice.”

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