James McMurtry speaks with a tired, Texan voice and seems as if he’d rather not reveal his true feelings on his talent. But give him his guitar and he’ll tear down his wall through music.

“I try to chronicle figures of speech and get stuff down before it fades away,” McMurtry said of his style.

McMurtry’s narratives show the sensitivity of an artist at ease with his musical subjects. Sometimes playing with a relaxed tempo and sometimes jamming away, he tells a tale of life.

But it’s more than the music that leads the listener through his stories, as McMurtry is able to conjure up a bygone place and time with his insightful lyrical style.

“I am drawn to writing about places, people and ways of living that are in danger of disappearing,” McMurtry said. One could compare his music to a documentary on Americana.

Born in Fort Worth, Texas, McMurtry’s parents divorced early on, but each had already donated a wealth of talent to the young musician.

He learned to play guitar from his mother. He learned to tell tales from his father, writer Larry McMurtry. Other influences included Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson and The Band. McMurtry said all helped to shape his musical style.

Growing up, he tried his hand at acting, house-painting and bartending, while playing happy-hour gigs in small-town bars. Finally, in 1987, his big break came.

McMurtry entered and won a songwriting contest at the Kerrville Folk Festival, giving him a spot in an impressive group with the likes of Nanci Griffith and Lyle Lovett. From there things only got better.

He went on to collaborate with John Mellencamp on the soundtrack for the movie “Falling From Grace.”

“Working with Mellencamp was hard and scary,” McMurtry said. “He was a tough coach. There was a wrong way and there was John’s way. But I enjoyed it immensely.”

McMurtry was with Columbia Records for three albums but, after a falling out, eventually signed on with the roots-oriented independent label Sugar Hill.

His fourth and most recent album under this label has been termed “the best album he has done” by Rolling Stone. Most of the songs deal with the inner conflict of aging and growing up.

Currently touring to support the album, McMurtry views touring as “frantic” and that there’s “no time to get bored.”

His fondest memory from touring thus far was getting to open for his idols, The Band, a feeling he described as “incredible.”

McMurtry takes his own stage Saturday night at the M-Shop at 9 p.m.

Tickets to the all-ages show are $8 for students and $10 general admission.