For a fun party trick, take an artist that you love, Google “[That Artist] Sucks,” and see what pops up. While usual internet hate is piled on just about everyone, Richard Thompson yields only one result: “I dunno if I’d say Richard Thompson sucks,” one guy writes, “but the tracks I’ve heard have been really disappointing. Supposed to be all dark and tragic, and instead it’s just . . . dull.” Not much of a case there, I’d say! The reality is that Thompson is one of the finest guitarists in the world, and onstage, he alternates heartbreaking storylines with a quick wit. See him in a small venue when he plays a benefit for the Kinkaid Foundation on Friday, May 20, at the Glaser Center. 547 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa. 7pm. $40. 707.568.5381.
.May 20: Richard Thompson at the Kinkaid Foundation
