Possessed by Paul James brings his one-man revival to The Green Door on Dec. 19

Konrad Wert's foot-stomping folk act, with Coleman Williams opening, makes for a $22 pre-Christmas Saturday in Lansing.

The Saturday before Christmas, The Green Door gets one man, a few instruments and a lot of stomping. Possessed by Paul James is the kind of act people describe to their friends afterward with their hands, trying to explain how one person made that much noise.

Possessed by Paul James plays The Green Door on Saturday, December 19, at 7pm, with Coleman Williams opening. The date was announced on October 27. Tickets are $22 through Prekindle.

Possessed by Paul James is Konrad Wert, and he has been doing this a long time. The Austin Chronicle was writing about him back in 2005. No Depression put him in its One-Man Band Series, and Paste included him among six "massive-sounding" one-man bands. That phrase is the whole pitch: it is folk, country and rock built by one person, and it does not sound small.

The name raises a question, and he's been asked about it plenty. In a 2014 Relix feature, Wert explained that it honors his father and grandfather. That same year he sat down with Scott Simon on NPR's Weekend Edition to talk about the album There Will Be Nights When I'm Lonely, and Simon couldn't resist asking whether he is literally possessed by Paul James when he sings. NPR's headline for the segment gets at what his shows feel like: "Playing To The Rafters, Singing Like A Man Possessed."

Folk, country and rock built by one person, and it does not sound small.

Wert has told Relix his live shows are unscripted and sincere, and that is the real reason to go. Saving Country Music put it plainly in the headline of its review: "I'm Impressed by Possessed by Paul James." The site also argued the one-man-band label only partly fits him, which tracks. The setup is a means, not the point. The point is the songs and the conviction behind them.

His catalog includes Feed the Family, released on Hillgrass Bluebilly Records, which No Depression highlighted in its interview. If you want a primer before the show, that record and the NPR interview are a good place to start.

Coleman Williams opens, so plan on getting there for the start of the night rather than strolling in late.

For a $22 ticket, the Saturday before Christmas, this is about as easy a yes as Lansing will offer in December. The 7pm start leaves room for the rest of your night, and it gives you a break from the holiday errands with something loud and human instead.

Bring a friend who has never seen him. Watching someone figure out what's happening on stage is half the fun.

Sources: JamBase: Possessed by Paul James at The Green Door (jambase.com); Prekindle: Possessed by Paul James tickets (prekindle.com); Austin Chronicle: One in a Million (austinchronicle.com); No Depression: One-Man Band Series, #12: Possessed by Paul James (nodepression.org); Paste: Six Massive-Sounding One-Man Bands (pastemagazine.com); Relix: Possessed by Paul James (lede-v2.relix.com); NPR: Playing To The Rafters, Singing Like A Man Possessed (npr.org); Saving Country Music: I'm Impressed by Possessed by Paul James (savingcountrymusic.com)