Q&A: David Wilcox

No matter how much one ages, some things never get old. For folk singer-songwriter David Wilcox, this couldn’t be more true.

Moving to North Carolina from Ohio in the early 80s, Wilcox has been at his trade for more than 30 years. He will visit The ArtsCenter on Monday in promotion of his sixteenth studio album, “Reverie.”

Dive had a chance to speak with the tenured musician.

Diversions: You’ve said your songs have generally been memoirs, but you describe your latest album as having a more story-like progression. Where along the line did you change your style after so many years?

David Wilcox: I don’t know. I think the process of putting together a CD is always surprising to me. After I gather a whole bunch of songs, it’s only in putting them all together that I realized that they’re different from my last set.

Dive: How would you describe your style of performance after so many years of experience?

D.W.: It’s spontaneous. I’m always adjusting to the crowds. I’m the most suspicious of this type of music, but I think if you take the time, it can be really powerful.

Dive: You’ve done things like go on tour by bike and record an album from the comforts of the log cabin behind your house. What is it about having that ability to create freely that intrigues you?

D.W.: For me, it’s the chance to have my music be self-powered. It just seems like it was important to me to have that in my life. I didn’t want some corporate infrastructure limiting my music, to have it under my own scheme.

Dive: Many artists seem to travel to promote their music, but you’ve said that you make music in order to travel. Could you elaborate on that dynamic?

D.W.: Most people are in a rush when they’re traveling. If you travel in a more simple way, you can enjoy the journey. I still love flying in airplanes, the getting up early to catch a flight. Every part of it feels like it has a meaning. I’m glad I never thrashed it down the highway and gotten sick of it, becoming some imitation of myself.

Dive: You’ve been at this for a while, and you’re still going strong. With all the travel and songwriting, how do you continue to pull on experiences in order to create for the future without exhausting yourself?

D.W.: It’s sort of the difference between feeding the roots and pulling in the entire harvest. For me, if there is a nice steady balance, it keeps things feeling fresh and new. Otherwise, you just get songs about hotel rooms, and who needs that?