When folk-rocker Willy Porter comes to the Maintenance Shop Saturday, the only thing he asks of his audience is that they drive safely.

“I was playing in Milwaukee at this little cafe-style place. It is a corner building and there is an oncoming, one-way street with cars flying right along. This drunk guy was coming toward the club and hitting cars on each side with his car, and he crashed right into the side of building,” Porter said. “All I heard was a really loud thump, and I thought the drummer brought the kick down in the wrong place, so I looked at him like, ‘What are you smoking?’ But then I turned around and saw a car wedged into the side of the building.”

Porter is currently touring in support of his latest release, “Falling Forward.”

Are you looking forward to your upcoming tour?

Yeah, I’m very excited. I’m going to be able to tour nationally with a band exclusively for the first time.

Is the tour set up and run any differently now that you’re with a different label (Six Degrees Records)?

I was with BMG before and this is actually a different sort of format. I’m with a different agency, label, everything. I’ve done lots of big opening tours, but none like this, so it’s great.

What is your live show like? Is it more energetic than the vibe you put out with your records?

The live show is a lot more improvisational. It’s very audience-interactive. I’m kind of a pain in the ass on stage, so it’s fun. The music is lot more high-energy than the record, which doesn’t take anything away from the record. I view the record and the live show as two different art forms.

How does “Falling Forward” differ from “Dog Eared Dream” and some of your other recordings?

I think “Falling Forward” is a richer production, meaning there is more depth and there is much more attention paid to building the songs from the bottom up. I’m hoping the song writing is better as well, but that’s not really for me to say. I feel more satisfied with this record than the previous two.

What is one thing you remember about playing in Iowa in the past?

There was a time that I came through and I was hired to play at a college. I showed up and there was goose poop all over the stage I was supposed to play on. My fondest memory of Iowa is the guy who hired me saying, “We’ll grab that squeegee, and we’ll clean this thing off.”

What are some big cities across the country that you enjoy playing in?

I like playing in Boston a lot. It’s only recently that things started to connect out there, in the last couple of years. I also have a great time in Chicago.

Who are some of your modern influences that have played a part in your recent music writing?

I’ve been listening to everything these days. A lot of classical music and a lot of the more British rock bands, like Radiohead for instance. I like the way Tori Amos produces her records, so I listen to her stuff a lot. And Richard Thompson, I really like him a lot.

You’ve toured with Tori Amos. Are there any other big names who you’ve enjoyed touring with?

Yeah, I toured with Toad The Wet Sprocket and the Cranberries. I connected well with them as musicians for the most part.

Since your style of music varies so much, do you have a style preference?

I would say no. I think that as a musician I’m just trying to keep expanding and doing different stuff. My biggest fear is writing the same song twice. So musically, stylistically, I do each record trying to step away from the one that preceded it. I think the next record will be a lot different as well.

Is there anything you would like to do better as a musician?

I wish I was a better guitar player, but that’s a constant process. In terms of being a total musician, the guys I’m playing with are just the right kind of knuckleheads, and they’re real intelligent players.

Is the majority of your song writing based on any certain emotion or experience?

It really depends on the tune. Some of the songs that were up for this record that didn’t make it are probably, in terms of subject matter, more eclectic than the album as a whole.

So in some ways, the album is representative of one side of what I do. This album deals with a lot of spiritual faith and all the baggage of life. Whereas, there is a lighter side of what I do that isn’t as represented as it might have been. And that is not a criticism of the record.

What are some of the harder things about the music business that you wish would just go away?

Sometimes I think that the business of music clouds and shrouds the actual music itself. Nowadays, the way record companies are set up, it’s very hard for artists to have and maintain relationships with support people like managers and stuff. Artists have to be at least as much business people as they are artists. And that’s not a complaint, it’s the reality of it.