A Malcolm Holcombe performance is nothing short of mesmerizing. Back bowed towards an impossibly low microphone, sweaty wisps of long hair framing his face, Holcombe pulls melodies from his flattop guitar with his own style of percussive fingerpicking. It is Holcombe’s voice, though, that sets him apart from other singer/songwriters. His haunting, gravel-road rasp seems to flow from the very core of the Appalachian Mountains.

But for a brief foray to Florida following the death of his parents, Holcombe has called the mountains near Asheville, N.C., home. He began playing guitar as a teenager and has been writing and singing songs for over 30 years. September found Holcombe celebrating his 51st birthday, and his talent continues to improve with age; 2006 saw the release of “Not Forgotten,” a startling collection of songs that chronicle the hardscrabble existence of life in the Appalachians.

Holcombe’s reputation has extended far beyond the confines of his Western Carolina home. His work has been lauded by, among others, Rolling Stone and the Wall Street Journal, and Holcombe has shared the stage with such notables as Merle Haggard, Leon Russell, and Wilco. It is only fitting that Holcombe’s rootsy Americana has spread without the trappings of the Nashville music scene; his fiery independence is more akin to the spirit of the mountain folks whose stories he tells, than the corporate nature of Music City. Holcombe plays the Gravity Lounge in Charlottesville, Va., on March 7 and the Laurel Theatre in Knoxville, Tenn., on April 7.