An American original will receive his due at the Englert

In an era in which fame is arguably the most valuable currency, there aren't many folks like Dave Moore. The Iowa City singer-songwriter keeps a low profile, even when it comes to a rare show.

When the Cedar Rapids native was asked to chat up his forthcoming concert, "Magic Dust: The Songs of Dave Moore," the humble songsmith politely declined to speak. However, Jeffrey Foucault, an acclaimed singer-songwriter in his own right, put together an all-star tribute to Moore.

The show, slated for Thursday, Dec. 11 at the Englert Theatre, features local music royalty Greg Brown and Iris Dement, as well as Bo Ramsey, Pieta Brown, Joe and Vicki Price, Kris Delmhorst, Erik Koskinen, David Huckfelt, David Zollo and Phil Heywood. Each will sing their favorite songs penned by Moore. The guest of honor will perform along with Foucault and his band.

It's truly a unique event, which features considerable heavy lifting by Foucault, who had no problem assembling this special one-night only show.

"I love Dave," Foucault said while explaining why he produced the concert. "I believe he's an American original."

Adjectives such as “original” and “brilliant” are bandied about ad nauseum in the music world, and such descriptions are usually not apt, but those words fit Moore since his music is unclassifiable and remarkably consistent.

"He created his own category," Foucault said while calling from his home in Western Massachusetts. "Musically, he's the only one in it. No one else has combined the elements of country, blues, Gospel, ragtime, Tin Pan Alley and folk so seamlessly with Conjunto music the way he's done it. Nobody sounds like him, and for my money David is one of the greatest songwriters and players the Midwest has ever produced."

Moore, 74, isn't the most prolific recording artist, but the Iowa City resident certainly picks his spots. "Jukejoints & Cantinas,“ his 1985 debut, is an amalgam of nine covers of folk-blues songs and five norteño instrumentals that Moore plays on the button accordion. The norteño songs are upbeat and catchy.

1993's "Over My Shoulder" features Moore's debut as a songwriter. Moore impresses with a number of well-constructed tunes.

"Breaking Down to 3," which dropped in 1999, is an under the radar album with tracks that are clever and sturdy.

There is much to draw from, but what will be played at the sold out Englert? "Not telling," Foucault cracked.

Foucault won't reveal exact tunes but has no problem letting fans know how the night will go.

"For the first set, everyone on the bill has chosen a favorite Dave Moore song to play," Foucault said.

Foucault's band is made up of drummer John Convertino (Calexico) and Mount Vernon native Eric Heywood, who has played with Son Volt and The Pretenders, on pedal steel. Bassist Jeremy Moses Curtis (Booker T) and Erik Kosknen, who will be on electric guitar, will back up whomever wants a band behind them. Moore might sit in, according to Foucault.

"Then, in the second set, Dave is going to come out, backed by the band, and play some of his older tunes and some of his unrecorded songs, which are fantastic,“ he said.

The aforementioned Brown, who has collaborated and performed with Moore and others who are on the bill, quickly agreed to be part of the show after Foucault issued the invitation.

"Everyone was just delighted with the idea," Foucault said. "Dave's deep in the community, musically and otherwise, and one of those people that everyone seems to know. I've met people in other parts of the country who grew up in Iowa. They remembered when he came to play their elementary school. He's a beloved character."

The humble Moore was the toughest sell for Foucault.

"Dave's response was so sweet," Foucault said when recalling the conversation he had with Moore about the concert. "He was on the road last summer, and I called him to explain what we were going to do and invite him to be part of it. I had asked him a few months prior to hold the date and told him that I needed him to be in the band for a multi-act show at the Englert but without telling him what the show was. So at first he was sort of flabbergasted and then after a minute he said, ‘Isn't this the sort of thing we should be doing for someone else?' I think that tells you a lot about Dave."

Moore never had the desire to leave the area. Foucault has no idea why he chose to remain in Iowa City.

"I haven't asked him," Foucault said. "But I think there's a misconception in the middle of the country, having grown up there, a sense that real life happens elsewhere. That it happens somewhere out on the coasts and if you want to make art you have to go there. But the lifeblood of music has always been the local thing, whether you're talking about guys like Charlie Patton and Robert Johnson running around the Delta playing the jukes or the Minneapolis scene that created the Replacements and the Jayhawks. Or the Conjunto scene with Fred Zimmerle and Flaco Sr. that Dave went down and found on the border.

“The poet Gary Snyder said the most radical thing you can do is stay home. When you play music for a living you have to spend a lot of time on the road anyway, so you might as well live where you want."