Traditional folk music typically stands at odds with punk rock aesthetics and vulgarity. However, solo-acoustic songwriter Spitzer Space Telescope (AKA Dan McDonald) has managed to seamlessly blend the two into one erratic and often humorous live show.

While the self-titled 2009 Spitzer Space Telescope LP (available on white vinyl from Good People, a Lansing-based indie label) showcases his impeccable songwriting and Irish folk vocal skills, the St. Johns native’s live show is brash and, at times, foolhardy.

Currently living in Boston and attending Boston University’s College of Fine Arts for painting, McDonald first started playing solo in Lansing in 2005. Since then, he has become notorious for powerful folk shows. “Everything is turned up when I take the stage,” McDonald said. “I can do whatever I want up there. I can swear and be potty-mouthed, but my goal is to have control of my audience and completely capture their attention.”

McDonald, 22, said he is careful not to carry over the wit or wildness into his recordings, which radiate the authentic folk music of Bob Dylan and the Clancy Brothers. “There is an element of humor in the live show that I’m adamant about not putting in the records,” McDonald said. “The live show is fleeting. I’m not going to be around forever to do it. But the record is going to last for as long as there are speakers around.”

While he said he respects the true folk music, McDonald said he wants to avoid becoming stale, which is what inspired him to perform his music in a reckless manner. “I don’t want the audience to be able to predict what’s coming next,” he said. “If a show isn’t interesting, nobody’s going to give a shit. So if I can be an idiot on stage and get people to be curious about me then I will. It will generate more interest in me than if I was just sitting down on a stool, respecting my songs.”

Giving the audience an exciting show has gained him a growing following, but McDonald admits it may be starting to overshadow his songwriting. “People will come to my shows to see the antics, not hear the music, which I’m really worried about,” he said. “One day, I hope the music will reach enough people that they’ll come to listen to me, that way I don’t have to act like a fucking moron every show.”

Aside from music, McDonald is also a busy artist; he will receive his bachelor of fine arts in painting in May.

Heavily influenced by the mind-bending works of M.C. Escher and surrealist Rene Magritte, McDonald creates a warped style of imagery on canvas, as well as in his recordings. He said the themes in his music and oil paintings often blend together. “My style of painting is a lot like my music, because it’s very image-based,” he said. “It’s not abstract, expressionist or impressionist; it’s very much realist. Right now I’m kind of in transition. I’m trying to jump between the old world style and optical art from the ‘60s, which is my other passion.

“There are suites of paintings I’ve done that are based on lyrics for songs I have written, and I have songs that are based on images that I’ve imagined and sketched out,” he added.

Much like his music, McDonald said his paintings also have a vintage vibe. “I have some paintings that I want people to be awe-stricken by and really be impressed that it was made in this century,” he said. “When I’m not doing that, I want to be playing with my audience with optical pieces. I want to fuck with their sense of perspective and their brain.”

Visit Spitzer Space Telescope onlineat www.myspace.com/spitzerspacetelescope.

Spitzer Space Telescope
w/ Seagrass Diov
8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 28
Basement 414 , 414 Michigan Ave. (Enter though Jay Street alley behind Nut House Sports Grill)
8 p.m., $5 suggested donation
www.b414.org