Grayson Capps and the Stumpknockers will appear at the 5th Annual Fairhope Music Festival on Saturday, April 28. The event is held at Faulkner State Community College campus in downtown Fairhope from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

An accomplished singer and songwriter, Capps describes his unique style as “rott ‘n’ roll,” a combination, he said, of Tom T. Hall with Mississippi Fred McDowell and AC/DC.

Capps writes both music and lyrics. “I write a lot, and I noodle with the guitar a good bit, sometimes together, sometimes separate,” he said. “To complete a song is like putting a puzzle together from pieces scattered in my head and scraps of paper in the van with random scribbles on them. The best songs come easy, right out of the ether.”

Capps came to Fairhope from Brewton at age 12. He graduated from Fairhope High School, went to Tulane University in New Orleans to study theater and finished with a bachelor of fine arts in 1989.

“When I was in theater, the regimentation and repetition of beats and words and blocking drove me crazy. I like to scream uncontrollably when I want to. Although all performance is theater, I like the freedom of music best at this point.”

During college, Capps started a band with two friends. They were signed by Tipitina’s Records and began touring America. Still, Capps had to work another job to survive — landscaping.

“I learned to write songs mostly shoveling dirt. The repetition and rhythm of manual labor and the frustration of lack of a creative outlet can lead to insanity or creativity or both.”

He said there are other influences in song writing: “every bit of music I have ever heard, old men at the coffee shop, birds in the trees, dogs barking, etc.”

Last year Hyena Records in Nashville released his second solo CD, “Wail & Ride.” Capps wrote 11 of the 12 songs on the album. His lyrics affectionately portray the underside of New Orleans life and characters.

“New Orleans Waltz”is an upbeat requiem for a city changed forever by Hurricane Katrina. The title song was inspired by the birth of his son, Waylon.

Trina Shoemaker, a three-time Grammy-winning producer with Hyena Records, works closely with Capps on production of his CDs.

“I usually decide what goes on the CDs, and I do have another one in the works.”

Capps’ graveled singing voice has sold well since he appeared in the movie, “A Love Song For Bobby Long.” Capps wrote and performed six songs in the film, which starred John Travolta and Scarlett Johansson. A CD of the same tide was released in 2005.

Capps has averaged about 200 shows per year for the past four years. Until Hurricane Katrina, he lived in New Orleans. He returns there at least once a month to perform and spends some time in Fairhope and in Nashville.

“Fairhope has been and still is a cultural guiding light for Southern small towns,” Capps said.

He remembers sculptor Craig Sheldon and theater director Tom Pocase as being artists who were not afraid to be different. They had the courage “to color outside the lines, and that is what art is all about: to broaden people’s perspectives and horizons and to help destroy racism, ignorance, war and hatred.”

Capps and the Stumpknockers (Tommy MacLuckie on guitar, Darin Douglas on violin, Josh Kerin on bass, John Milham on drums and Chris Spies on keys) will entertain during the afternoon at the Fairhope Music Festival. Money from ticket sales is used to promote innovative music programs in Baldwin County schools and to offer scholarships to promising music students.