Lynn Thompson’s songs often resonate with audiences, his unique writing style, musical approach and heartfelt lyrics even getting attention from fans of the superstar variety.

Take Michigan bluegrass virtuoso Billy Strings, who stopped to listen to Thompson during a recent performance at Lowell’s Flat River Grill where the Ionia County-bred guitarist was picking up a takeout order.

“He’s listening to this tune and he puts his food down, leans back against
the wall with his hands folded, puts his knee up and he listened to my entire
tune 'till I finished,” Thompson recalled.

“He leans over to me, comes over to my (tips) bucket and puts a hundred-
dollar bill in. He goes, ‘Nice tune.’ I knew I would get him with that tune
because it’s a good tune and it’s a little different.”

"Little different" and "good tunes" go hand in hand with Thompson, a veteran
Grand Rapids tunesmith and frontman for Lynn & Ian: The Moonshine
Runners, which just released, “Old Hard Top,” a new collection of
“mountain music” and related folk/Americana/Southern songs that
showcase the duo’s unique, rootsy, penetrating style.

Performing regularly with bassist Ian Grant, Thompson and his Moonshine
Runners project officially release the follow-up to 2019’s “Worlds Away” on
Saturday, Jan. 11, as part of the Wheatland Music Organization’s Winter
Wheat festival at The Intersection in Grand Rapids.

Ten Michigan acts will perform on two stages that day, with Lynn & Ian: The
Moonshine Runners closing out the Traditional Stage (The Stache) at 6:40
p.m. that Saturday. Tickets are $30 in advance, available online at
sectionlive.com.

West Michigan’s The Round Creek String Band not only opens the festival
at 2 p.m.

Thompson called on several special guests for “Old Hard Top,” recorded at
Greg Baxter’s Second Story Sound in Grand Rapids starting in 2023.
Baxter, keyboardist Dutcher Snedeker, drummer Rick Bennett and djembe
player JD Jones all added to the recording which can be difficult to
pigeonhole stylistically and comes across as “a little more diverse” than
past projects.

“‘Old Hard Top’ is still along the lines of mountain music, but it’s probably
not as bluegrass,” said Thompson, noting that some tracks come across as
“more of a folk song” with subject matter ranging from the dark “Cry for the
Children” — inspired by Kentucky flooding that took dozens of victims — to a
tune about Bigfoot.

“WYCE once said to me, ‘Lynn, we don’t know where to put you in a
category. And I said, ‘Oh, then I’m doing something right.’”

The Moonshine Runners follow up their Winter Wheat performance by
returning to SpeakEZ Lounge in Grand Rapids for a Jan. 31 show as part
of the Local Spins Wednesdays and Fridays series. (They also play South
Haven’s Harbor Light Brewery on Jan. 25 and Grand Haven’s Grand
Armory Brewing on March 14.).

“Ian and I have been together for six years and he and I work together
extremely well,” Thompson said. “With me on the 12-string (guitar), which
tends to be on the treble side, and Ian on bass being the low end, it fills the
room with a full sound even though it’s just an acoustic and bass guitar with
a kick drum.”

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Thompson noted that he’s “already got new songs” written that he plans to
record for a follow-up album, thus adding to his extensive, growing
repertoire of original music.

“I am a songwriter, so when I sit down to create, it’s whatever channels in
at the time,” he insisted. “I’m just in a mood and it’s like the song just
comes along. I kind of just see it right before my eyes and it just writes
itself.”

— Email John Sinkevics at john@localspins.com. Get more Michigan music
news and concert listings at LocalSpins.com.