Avi Vinocur is a San Francisco singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer whose music roams these United States, spanning time zones and topographies, and arrives just when you need it most: a tune suddenly coming through clear over the radio during a long drive in the middle of nowhere. With a talent for crafting vivid, three-dimensional narrators and slice-of-life tales set in forgotten places, Vinocur has made a name for himself as a songwriter’s songwriter: a modern musician with an old soul’s gift for storytelling. A versatile performer and nearly lifelong guitarist — at age 15, obsessed with Jimi Hendrix, he sold his Magic cards to buy a Fender Stratocaster — Vinocur is best known for his work as a co-frontman of the acclaimed Americana band Goodnight, Texas; for his poignant blues-folk solo records; and, increasingly over the past two years, as an occasional collaborator and live background vocalist/mandolin player for Metallica. (His songs have also made appearances in places like the opening credits to Tiger King, the Academy Award-winning documentary Free Solo, Coors commercials, and Major League Baseball games. Vinocur has performed the National Anthem before the first pitch three times.)
