Daniel Bachman has played at Red Onion Records enough times now that he might as well take up residency there. Still, each and every performance he’s done at the small record store has felt like a special occasion. (This show marks an actual occasion: the first in-store performance at the shop’s new location on U Street NW.) Perhaps that’s just the type of performer he is. At just 25, Bachman’s sparse, haunting guitar picking suggests a wisdom well beyond his years. His particular blend of post-apocalyptic folk lands somewhere between an unhinged John Fahey and a more composed rendering of the elusive Jandek. In the liner notes of his latest record, River, Bachman explains the unifying theme guiding each and every carefully plucked chord; the Rappahanock River, which “divides north and south, mountain and bay and, at one point in time, it even separated two great armies.” Though he may not be a vocalist, Bachman conveys more meaning with his guitar picking than most singer-songwriters. Don’t miss this—or else you’ll probably have to wait another full month, at least, before you have the chance to see Bachman at Red Onion again. Daniel Bachman performs at 7 p.m. at Red Onion Records and Books, 1628 U St. NW. Free. (202) 986-2718. redonionrecordsandbooks.com.