Denison Witmer, a middle-aged man with short hair and a beard, sits on a couch playing a ukulele in a warmly lit, wood-paneled room. He is dressed in a light-colored sweater and dark pants, gazing down at the instrument. A floor lamp with a yellow-orange shade sits behind him, casting a cozy glow. The room features a large window to the right showing greenery outside, and a stack of books on the floor. — Denison Witmer Credit: Lindsay Elliott

Record shop concerts may seem scarce these days, but store owners that hold them never say die.

Microgroove’s Keith Ulrey—who also drums for legendary local emo band Pohgoh—is notorious for hosting release parties and punk shows in his almost 14-year-old store, and next up on his stage is Pennsylvania-bred troubadour Denison Witmer, in the midst of a southeast solo tour.

The 49-year-old’s longtime friend and collaborator Sufjan Stevens has had a rough few years, with the death of his partner and his diagnosis with Guillain-Barré syndrome, an autoimmune disorder that forced him to relearn how to walk. But before shit hit the fan, he produced Witmer’s new album Anything At All.

The soothing indie record, which comes 30 years after his first-ever cassette (a musical project for his English class) reflects on the beauty of the simple, oftentimes taken-for-granted things in life, and according to a press release, the ideology that “a life lived with thoughtfulness and care can lead to deeper joy and fulfillment.”

This show won’t be Witmer’s first dance with Tampa, either. In 2015, he played a release party at New World Brewery’s old Ybor City location for a 10th anniversary reissue of his album Are You A Dreamer?, which saw St. Pete-based indie outfit The Grapes play as his backup band. And as luck would have it, Grapes Alexander & Philip Charos return to Witmer’s presence next month to open this show.

Tickets start at $15 for Denison Witmer at Tampa’s Microgroove on Thursday, Dec. 4.