Steve Poltz and Daniel Rodriguez play in Willits

Steve Poltz has been joined at the hip with his guitar since the age of 6. The instrument is always within reach to work on new songs to slide into his shows, each of which he calls “the greatest show of his life.”

He began referring to each gig, night after night, as “the greatest show of his life” years ago out of simple gratitude for life. He never uses a set list; instead, each show differs, depending upon his mood and inspiration around exactly how to entertain audiences that night.

“I’m always excited by whatever I’m working on — if I’m learning someone else’s song, or I’m working on a song I just wrote, or I’m re-learning a song I wrote years ago, there’s always something that makes it interesting for me. That’s what makes it fun for me; from show to show, I feel like there’s always something new for me to stretch out on. If I had to live by a set list — maybe like a band that had a huge hit in the ’90s or ’80s and I had to do those songs — I would not make it. It would be like Groundhog Day.”

The Canadian-born musician grew up in Southern California and cut his teeth in San Diego as a member of underground favorites The Rugburns. But he didn’t attract widespread acclaim until he co-wrote two tracks for Jewel’s 1995 debut album, “Pieces of You,” one of which happened to be “You Were Meant for Me.” Nine years ago, he moved to Nashville, eager to continue the partnerships he had developed in California, surfing, and writing songs with other artists.

“I really love what happens when somebody comes over, and we create something, and when they leave, there’s this new song,” he said. “Usually when … (musicians) come over to my house in Nashville, we end up with something I love. I try not to overthink it. There are no rules. It’s kind of like fishing. You don’t catch anything if you don’t throw your rod in the water. So I guess I just try to be available for inspiration, mixed with perspiration and exasperation.“

He has collaborated with a plethora of musicians, from Billy Strings to Molly Tuttle, Sierra Hull, Oliver Wood, and the late Mojo Nixon.

He co-produced his last album, “Stardust and Satellites,” with his good friends, The Wood Brothers.

“They have this really cool recording studio, and they invited me over to do one song. It was like a crack dealer saying the first hit’s free; I went over to their studio and did one song, and I loved what they added to my songs, and I liked the vibe we had together, so I ended up making the record there,” he said.

His first album, “One Left Shoe,” came out in 1998, paving the way for a dozen more releases, which he collectively describes as “evocative lyrics mixed with positivity and traces of tragicomedy.” While his music has evolved in terms of mastering his guitar skills throughout the decades, his music still carries the same charismatic thread.

“I feel like I’m still kind of coloring outside the lines, and I like things to be a bit quirky,” he said. “(I like) things that take a left turn, something that makes me laugh. I don’t think I would make it in the world where you have to do more paint-by-numbers, Nashville-style (songs) and talk about God and a pickup truck and the Bible and fishing. I mean, if I did that, it would be in a more smart-ass way.”

He’s currently working on a new album, which he hopes to record in the next couple months.

“It’s going to be real stripped down — that’s what I’m feeling — and probably 10 songs, very acoustic sounding,” he said. “And I think it’ll have some humor thrown in for good measure.”

Friday night, he teams up with Colorado native Daniel Rodriguez, one of the lead songwriters of the transcendental folk band Elephant Revival. Rodriguez blends melodic hooks with poetic, contemplative folk tunes. The pair bonded over coffee after Elephant Revival invited Poltz to open shows on its tour.

“He and I would wake up and go in search of coffee, and we called it ‘beaning up.’ We would get beaned up and write songs together,” Poltz said. “He’s just a really fun hang, so anytime I get a chance to do a few shows with him, I’m always throwing my hat in the ring. He’s a real honest, sincere kind of person, and he’s also got a goofy sense of humor. He goes at his own pace, and I really appreciate that, and he’s got a good sense of melody.”

Rodriguez will stage the TACAW stage first, followed by Poltz, and then the two will play together. Audiences can expect to hear stories ranging from growing up to what they did that day.

“If I stopped in a coffeehouse, if I can turn it into a little bit, that always makes it fun, if it’s something locally infused. Sometimes, people like to hear about their own town — that you stopped into some place that makes these muffins everybody knows about and your experience getting it,” Poltz said. “You’re now like a crack addict, and you’re gonna move into their town, and you dug a hole underneath their store and found a way to tunnel in.”

He incorporates that kind of humor into every show because that’s just who he is.

“I’ve always been kind of a smart ass,” he said. “It always happens during the show that I do something stupid, and it makes me laugh, and that gives me energy to make a better show.”

You know: The show he calls the greatest one yet.