Cult songsmith Richard Shindell makes the long trip from his base in Buenos Aries to play at Steve Tilston's Trades Roots night on Wednesday.

Richard flies in from South America to play a long awaited gig at the Trades after months of negotiation by Steve who is a huge fan of his beautifully crafted songs.

Strong early bookings for this gig suggest local roots fans share that view as Richard's seven solo albums have always demonstrated a total commitment to the craft of songwriting.

Some of his songs have been recorded by Joan Baez and they switch effortlessly from championing the downtrodden to deeply personal tunes empathising with those lost on the fringes of society.

"Steve Tiltson has been chasing Richard for some time to play at the Trades and it's a real coup that we managed to persuade him to jet in from South America for a rare gig in this part of the world," says Trades Club spokesperson Paul Clarke.

"We've had bookings from all over the country for this hotly anticipated gig which is not surprising as this is an artist right at the top of his game who shares the progressive values our club stands for."