When asked why she tours solo, Susan Werner replied bluntly.

“I don’t wanna play with little shots,” Werner said.

“You know what I mean? When I get a band to play with me, in the studio for instance, I want some some really talented musicians. I want the big shots. But the thing is, the big shots cost money — a lot of money. That’s why I tour solo. I still love what I do, though. No complaints.”

Werner held her own playing to a diverse crowd during her two solo shows Friday night at the Maintenance Shop.

Werner captured the best of her stand-up comedy abilities and folk music songwriting talents as she played songs mostly from her newest of four albums, “Time Between Trains.”

“The name of the album means a couple of things,” Werner said. “The trains are different stages of life that we all go through. ‘Time Between Trains’ represents a stage of life where you are in transition.”

Throughout the show, Werner kept the audience members intrigued. One minute she would have the crowd rolling with laughter and two minutes later mesmerized by a ballad.

Werner sung with nothing to back up her hard hitting lyrics but her acoustic guitar and a piano. Her songs told stories of love, growing up and moving from a small town to the city.

An Iowa native, Werner left her home in Cedar Rapids to pursue a career in Philadelphia.

“I’ve got tons on connections in Iowa,” Werner said. “I love coming to Iowa and I’ve played quite a few shows here. My one biggest memory of Iowa, though, has nothing to do with music. Do you guys still have that cow at ISU that has like a glass stomach so that you can see inside of it when it eats? That was so cool.”

Coming back to Iowa for a concert has served as an ironic twist to Werner’s career.

“Iowa’s rich in nostalgia,” Werner said. “I want to take something old and bring it up to date. Kind of like bringing the past to the present. I’m not a Lauryn Hill type of person who is going to break new ground.”

Werner draws from many influences, including Count Basie and Joni Mitchell. She has also associated with talented artists, such as the Barenaked Ladies, Richard Thompson and Mary Chapin Carpenter.

“You know, I know this sounds cheesy to a lot of people, but someday I would love to do a duet with Tony Bennett,” Werner said. “I think it’d also be great to do a song with Burt Bacharach, since he did such great stuff with Elvis Costello.”

Werner said her next big project will be the completion of her fifth album.

“I think the past four records and all of the touring have given me a lot of experience,” Werner said. “I know now how to make a good record. And that’s exactly what I want to do — make a good record.”

Whether in the studio or on the stage, Werner’s music takes the listener back to more traditional folk ballads with her own twist of reality and comedy.