With the raspy twang of Lyle Lovett and the looks of Tom Hanks, singer/song writer Pierce Pettis will blow into Ames tonight to perform his heartfelt ballads at the MoonCookie Cafe.

Pettis has been labeled part of the “new folk” movement, “a largely acoustic style with rock or world beat influences and hard hitting, socially relevant lyrics.” His music is a combination of country, gospel, bluegrass and rhythm and blues.

Growing up in Fort Payne, Ala. ,Pettis began writing songs at age 10, but his big break came when he was named “Best New Artist of the Year” in 1985.

His first album, While the Serpent Lies Sleeping, which he independently recorded and produced, set the stage for appearances he would later make at Carnegie Hall, the Nashville Network, and National Public Radio.

In his second album, Tinseltown, his dynamic heartfelt tunes sing about politics, family and world problems.

Songs include lyrics about the death of congressman Mickey Leland and a tribute to his grandmother who raised her children through the Depression Era.

“Chase the Buffalo,” the title track of his most recent album, entered the billboard charts at 35, the highest debut that particular week.

Perhaps the most moving song on the album is titled “Stickman,” a story of a man dying from AIDS. “A lot of people romanticize

this thing, and there’s nothing romantic about people dying.” Pettis said in a press release.

“I wanted to talk about the people and the way they feel: the loneliness and isolation, being rejected by your family and friends and laying in a bed somewhere with people afraid to touch you—what that must feel like.”

The MoonCookie Cafe is located at 1015 North Highland Avenue, at the UU Fellowship of Ames. The cafe opens at 7:30p.m. with the show starting at 8 p.m. The cost is 6$ at the door.