The Patrick Coman Band will kick up the “red dirt” on June 30 at Precinct, Union Square.- Photo by Photo by David Maccaferri

By Sanjeev Selvarajah

Since last playing a Bruce Springsteen tribute show in Somerville, Patrick Coman returns to this artistically rich town on June 30 at 8 p.m., specifically Precinct in Union Square, to perform red dirt music, a genre of rock that in Coman’s own words comes “straight out of the ground.”

Coman and his series of concert shows, For the Sake of the Song, play in Somerville often. The last show was a success particularly in terms of the number of Springsteen enthusiasts who turned out, a factor considerably more poignant since Clarence Clemons’s passing, as he was a vital player for the E Street band. “The Springsteen show turned out great. They are always a blast and this one especially so,” said Coman.

The Red Dirt Show, just like the Springsteen event is priced at an affordable eight dollars, which is a welcome rate when it comes to the rich and authentic experience of concert attendance. Fluffy pop acts are charging audiences a couple of hundred and here local musicians on June 30 will add nuances to music definitely classed as Americana. The group that is co-sponsoring the event in addition to Coman’s For the Sake of the Song is Desert Race Boston. The title of the event is Red Dirt on the Red Line.

“Union Square has so many awesome music venues packed into such a tiny area, and Precinct is no exception.” Coman likes Precint for its warm atmosphere and “intimate vibe,” which the Armory also possesses, but Coman adds that Precinct may allow his band and the others to be “a little louder and a little rowdier. They have their music in a separate room within the venue that gives it a really great intimate atmosphere that gets lost in other bar type venues.”

Practicing at home, Coman is comparatively more “laid back” if he has to choose the most appropriate phrase. “The practice time, although relaxed, exudes a well involved thought process. We like to ease into things maybe by playing a bit of improvised music just to get the sound levels right and get everybody in the groove. The great thing about a show with a theme like this one is that it keeps us on track. If we know we’ve got to learn these songs in time for a specific date then it has a way of lighting a fire under us.”

Tracks like Woody Guthrie’s hymnal This Land is our Land and the rapid succession of Steve’ Earle’s Tom Ames’ Prayer are coveted records at local music stores and covers of these tunes, Coman says, will be a part of the show. “I’m from Tulsa, Oklahoma originally. We’re in the center of the country there and they say red dirt is where all four American musical traditions come together – folk, country, blues, and jazz – so when it is done right you really can’t define it, it just is red dirt.”