AC Newman is best known as the songwriter for Canadian power-pop band The New Pornographers. But he’s been playing in bands since the ’90s, and he’s been releasing solo records for 20 years. It was the 20th anniversary of that first solo record, The Slow Wonder, that brought Newman to The Miracle Theatre in DC for a recent show.

On Nov. 23 at The Miracle Theatre, Newman said his record label pressed a new run of 500 vinyl copies of the album. These records will not be available in stores, he said. I’m not sure if he was joking about this, but he said he plans to destroy whatever he doesn’t sell.

Naturally, most of the show consisted of playing the album from front to back, which is what AC said he was “contractually obligated” to do. He expressed his admiration for avant-garde artist Mayo Thompson (leader of Red Krayola) performing his solo album, Corky’s Debt to His Father and promptly ending the show, but said he didn’t feel like he could get away with that.

Although AC and his band had promised each other they would talk less during Saturday’s show, the evening was filled with memorable quips and banter. After “Drink To Me, Baby,” he said, “We’re going to make a mental note of any mistakes we make, and we’ll play that song again at the end.” There were also some moments of real tenderness and sincerity, like when, after “On The Table,” he recalled his first time in the District and said, “DC’s always been very dear to me.”

Watch AC Newman perform “On the Table” live in San Francisco in 2009 via YouTube:

The most relatable moment, at least for me, came when AC told the story behind the writing of “The Battle for Straight Time.” “I wrote this song when I’d quit my job a few years before. I was glad I was making money as a musician, but I looked back and thought, ‘That job fucking sucked.'”

After Newman finished the songs from The Slow Wonder, we got an interesting mix of music. A few years ago, he explained, he was asked to record a cover of English folk musician Bill Fay’s “Be Not So Fearful” for the TV The Walking Dead. It wasn’t much money, but he did because he hoped it would make his son, who’s now 12, think he is cool. And sure enough, it worked!

Introducing “From Blown Speakers,” he he said, “I’m going to do a New Pornographers song. Let’s see if I can stay on the rails.” He also recited the Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear from Dune: “Fear is the mind killer.” Next, he did John Cale’s song “Buffalo Ballet.” “As far s I can tell,” he said, “some soldiers come and kill everyone.”

He started “I’m Not Talking,” he said, before his son was born. The set was rounded out with “There Are Maybe Ten or Twelve,” “Like A Hitman, Like A Dancer,” and “Prophets.”

Adam Schatz, who records and performs under the moniker Landlady, opened the show with an engaging set that fit the cerebral, somewhat eccentric vibe of the evening. He started out playing the saxophone, wandering off stage a bit. Other songs had him at the keys, with some breaks where it was just his vocals. While I’d listened to his material before the show, he indicated that he was playing a lot of new material that he’s going to be recording soon.

In some ways, the moment when AC quoted Dune perhaps best captured the tone of the evening: he writes great hooks and melodies, but this cerebral rock that appeals to a smart audience, which is always welcome.