Songwriter Tom May ties past to present in his music

Folk singer and songwriter Tom May reaches into the past for many of his songs, but he prefers to think of it as bringing the past forward.

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"I try to tell a little about history in the songs and then also bring in the present in contrast, comparing the attitudes and situations then and now," he said. "History brought forward, I like to call it."

May did just that with a song he wrote about Alaska after a visit to Skagway in the early 1990s. "The Boardwalks of Skagway" is a tribute to Skagway's gold rush miners and heyday as a mining boomtown era. May comments on the prospectors' adventurous spirit and laments how times have changed, "and most people prefer to watch their adventures at home."

May returns to Skagway for a concert tonight and performs in Juneau on Saturday, Oct. 5, at Northern Light United Church.

Sioux Douglas met May years ago when she was the mayor of Skagway and the two became friends. She's since moved to Juneau and she's producing May's two Southeast concerts, not as a business venture, but simply as a fan of his music.

Tom May in concert

When: 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5.

Where: Northern Light United Church.

Tickets: $10 at the door.

"We stayed in touch over the years and he said he was ready to come back to Alaska," she said. "He's downright talented. He's a good guitarist besides having a wonderful voice. He sings from the heart."

May, 49, lives in Vancouver, Wash., near the Columbia River. He grew up in Nebraska and for many years he's hosted "River City Folk," a nationally syndicated folk-music radio program.

He said this year marks his 30th anniversary as a professional musician. In his early days May would drive 70,000 or 80,000 miles a year, gigging all over North America. These days he stays closer to the Pacific Northwest, with occasional forays to Europe and Alaska.

Many of his songs are about the western United States and the culture of the American West. He was invited to perform at the Winter Olympics as a representative of the West.

"One song I played at the Olympics was a tribute to firefighters, particularly wildland firefighters," he said, "a song about the Storm King Mountain fire in Colorado that took 14 young lives."

May said he also does songs by other songwriters he admires, including David Mallet, Bill Morrissey, Bill Staines and Stan Rogers.

"I do primarily my own songs and others I feel are particularly affecting, by people I've met and gotten to know over the years," he said. "I do a song about Alaska by Chris Kennedy, a friend of mine, a song about Jack London. It's not only about his time in Alaska but also his influence on his world."

May has 10 albums to his credit. A few years ago he gleaned his favorite songs from his first three vinyl records from the 1980s for a compilation CD. He followed that with a collection of live performances, including a duet with Bill Staines and three songs he performed with the Omaha Symphony in a concert in Nebraska. His most recent CD is "Vested," which features his latest batch of original songs.

May is a fan of the 12-string guitar, and he travels with two guitars for his concerts.

"I'll bring both six- and 12-string guitars," he said. "It's a nice change and a wonderful instrument. It has a totally different voice from the six-string."

May will perform two, 45-minute sets at Northern United Light Church.

"I'll be featuring songs from last 30 years," he said. "Recent ones, old ones, and songs appropriate to where I am in life."

Riley Woodford can be reached at rileyw@juneauempire.com.