As far as scruffy, folky troubadours go, Seattle has pretty much got the market cornered. But while many of his local counterparts’ worldview begins and ends at bedroom-bound acoustic strumming, Bryan John Appleby’s world is a much more colorful, interesting place. As a songwriter, Appleby is staggeringly well-balanced; writing spindly, splintered narratives built on lovelorn lost souls that exist as sentimental but strong characters, the kind you feel sympathetic for but who never fall into spineless, “woe is me” territory. On his first full length LP, Fire On The Vine, Appleby’s gentle voice and acoustic foundations get fleshed out into fully-fledged, masterfully polished arrangements while still retaining the intimacy of a living room performance. With Motopony, Tomten. GREGORY FRANKLIN

Thu., Jan. 12, 8 p.m., 2012