Another big act is coming to the Stiefel Theatre in Salina. Ryan Adams is coming this fall.

Adams has released fifteen albums, and as a former member of the alternative country band Whiskeytown he recorded three studio albums.

Mixing the heartfelt angst of a singer/songwriter with the cocky brashness of a garage rocker, Ryan Adams is at once one of the few artists to emerge from the alt-country scene to achieve mainstream commercial success and the one who most strongly refused to be defined by the genre.

Adams was born in Jacksonville, North Carolina in 1974. While country music was a major part of his family’s musical diet when he was young (he’s cited Loretta Lynn, George Jones, Merle Haggard, and Johnny Cash as particular favorites), in his early teens Adams developed a taste for punk rock and began playing electric guitar.

Adams released a new album in February of 2017, Prisoner, preceded by the singles “Do You Still Love Me?” and “To Be Without You,”.  Prisoner continues to refine the sound that he first explored with his 2014 self-titled album: a sure-handed mix of Tunnel of Love-era Springsteen, ‘80s college rock, and soft-focus synths.

A track like “Anything I Say to You Now” illustrates how perfectly this formula suits him; a Smiths-esque jangle of guitars gives sentimental depth to his plain-spoken refrain, “Anything I say to you now is just a lie.” As he works through the rest of the emotional wreckage, highlights like “Shiver and Shake” prove that Adams’ poignancy as a songwriter can still bring us to our knees.

Ryan Adams will play the Stiefel Theatre in Salina on Tuesday, October 3rd.  Tickets go on sale this Friday. Ticket prices start at $35.  Tickets can be purchased in person at the Stiefel box office, over the phone by calling 785-827-1998, or online. Stiefel Friends can purchase tickets early.