The life of the traveling songwriter certainly seems romantic. But as Austinite David Ramirez notched mile number 260,000 traveled in his 2006 Kia Rio, the novelty began to wear off. "I've learned a lot from being alone and isolated," says David, who until recently toured completely by himself, without a band, manager or anyone else for company. "Yes, it's romantic in a way. But it has also been kind of rough on my head and my heart. After a while it made it difficult to connect with people on a personal level when I got home." It's taken three years since that realization, but with his new album, "Fables," David shows personal growth both as a musician and as a man. That newfound maturity and clarity translated into a new approach in the studio as David traveled to Seattle to work with friend and producer Noah Gundersen, who produced the album. "Fables" is a sparse, poignant set of songs crafted around David's starkly beautiful baritone, which The New York Times once described as full of "haggard loneliness." Songwriter Lucette, who has toured with Sturgill Simpson and Joe Ely, is tonight's special guest.