Jonathan Richman will play a sold-out show at Natalie’s in Grandview on Friday

Jonathan Richman, the singer and songwriter who founded the groundbreaking proto-punk band The Modern Lovers in the 1970s, continues to tour the country as a prolific solo act and will perform in Columbus on Friday.

Richman will be at Natalie’s in Grandview – 945 King Ave. at 8 p.m. – perform on the Music Hall stage. The sold-out show, presented by Columbus-based promotions company Archie Fox Live, will feature Richman on acoustic guitar, accompanied by frequent collaborator Tommy Larkins on drums.

Bobby Miller, a promoter who founded Archie Fox Live in 2013, said he believes Richman’s concert sold out quickly because of the special energy and warmth he brings to his live performances.

“It’s his personality, you know, of course his songs are great, but it’s also just the way he performs and connects with the audience,” Miller said. “It really creates a unique atmosphere that you don’t often find these days.”

Richman performs without an amplifier, which Miller says sets him apart from other artists. This sparse, stripped-back approach, he said, makes for a quieter, more intimate and personal show.

“Everything is at a level where you actually, you know, you don’t want to, but you could talk to the person next to you and they could actually hear you,” Miller said. “It almost feels more like someone is playing in your living room than on a festival stage.”

Miller brought Richman to Columbus for a show at Ace of Cups back in 2018 and said the show was “a magical experience,” which made him excited to bring the artist back when Richman’s management reached out.

“That evening remains in my memory as a very special evening,” said Miller. “He always delivers a truly memorable performance.”

According to Blue Arrow Records website — the Cleveland-based independent label that handles Richman’s press requests — the artist “chooses not to participate in online culture.”

Because Miller said this meant Richman did not use a cell phone or computer, his publicist Debbie Gulyas transcribed Richman’s answers to questions emailed by The Lantern.

Q: You’ve previously said that the music you play “works well in quiet places, like theaters and arts centers.” What characteristics of a smaller, quieter space like Natalie’s are important to you in your performance?

You said it! Smaller, quieter – so more intimate – but I can also do festivals quite well by doing what we do when they’re outside. But if it’s so big that the audience can’t see you well, then it’s too big.

Q: How do you think these qualities of a space – the way sound is transmitted, for example – affect how your music reaches an audience? What do you adjust, either between you and drummer Tommy Larkins or across the room as you prepare for a show?

I just sit in the dressing room and think about song ideas that we may or may not do that night.

Q: Speaking of Larkins, you both have been playing regularly since the 1990s. Could you describe your dynamic with him as a musician and collaborator?

Yes! Now 31 years old! It’s good chemistry. Sometimes I’ll just say, “Tommy, give me something,” and he’ll come up with a beat and I’ll just dance around and make something up for a while. Then we’ll do another song.

Q: Your live setup – just you and a drummer – is relatively unique. Can you explain how you decided to play shows in this format, rather than either alone or with a larger backing band?

Even a bass is too much for this kind of show. Since I’m constantly changing keys, changing chord progressions, changing songs in the middle and/or making up songs, the guitar and drums give us a lot of room for all of that. I want to be surprised by what we do. I wouldn’t like a show where I knew what we were going to do next.

Q: What can audiences who see your sold-out show at Natalie’s expect from the concert?

Hopefully they will be entertained. You get melodies to rhythms at a volume that is not too high. But mostly it’s about showing up and seeing what happens. That’s what we do.

Q: You once said in a quote that while many musicians your age would frame their performances as a retrospective of their careers, you would prefer to play newer works released in the last three to four years. Can you elaborate on your decision and the reasons for staying away from your older catalog when performing live?

I sing newer songs because I like my new songs better, but it’s not strict. Sometimes I sing old things. I just have to feel like it.

Q: I read that your live performances are more improvisational and the songs don’t always sound like the studio versions. What’s the connection between the way you write your songs in the studio and the way you approach them live?

I don’t write songs. I make up songs. Yes, I write down ideas for songs, but I don’t usually sit there and “write a song.”

Q: You have performed music in various languages, from French to Spanish to Italian. Can you explain your diverse musical use of language, where it comes from and what you can express with it?

The different idioms give you different rhyme schemes, cadences and therefore different ways to express feelings.

Q: In recent years you have experimented with different musical styles including Carnatic, Reggaeton and Arabic. What attracts you to such a diverse, globally oriented approach?

It is not global in scope. I just sing what I like.

Q: What inspires you and your art?

Life itself!

Q: What does the future hold for you, both in terms of your music and your life? What are you looking forward to?

Let’s see what happens next!