Tempting fate: Texas guitarist Carolyn Wonderland makes a stop in the City Different

Texas guitar slinger Carolyn Wonderland brings her southern sounds to Santa Fe.

Wonderland will perform at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 24, at Tumbleroot Distillery and Brewery, 2791 Agua Fria St., in Santa Fe.

Shelley King, who is promoting her new album “Madam Mystic,” will open the show.

Wonderland is also promoting her new album, “Tempting Fate.” It is the first record that she has recorded under the Alligator Records label. Wonderland’s dream of having the album produced by Dave Alvin became a reality. Bruce Iglauer, founder of Alligator Records, got wind that Wonderland was recording an album and asked to hear it.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Wonderland said. “I’m a big fan of Alligator Records, so I was super excited that he put it out.”

Wonderland said she was more than pleased with how “Tempting Fate” came out.

“It was so fun to work on,” she said. “And that’s one of the things I think that really comes across on it, is you can hear the joy, you know, how much fun it was to do.”

When it comes to the writing process, Wonderland jots down whatever comes to mind.

“Sometimes it will just hit you,” she explained. “You’re driving or you’re in the back and sometimes it comes full-fledged. Other times, I keep a notebook of just funny one-liners or things that will set you in a direction. I think every writer goes through little dry spells like, ‘Am I really a writer? What was I thinking?’ But then when it hits you, it hits you, so be thankful for the waves when they come.”

Wonderland said it is helpful to surround herself with other creatives.

“Shelley’s an amazing writer and so getting to be around her all the time, she was a good inspiration,” she said. “It’s like write some stuff down. Think about what you’re doing. I think it’s surrounding yourself with fun folks and folks that will kick your butt.”

Wonderland describes her music as being “all over the place.”

“I suppose (it is) kind of one foot in the blues, a little bit of rock ‘n’ roll, a little country, a little soul, a little punk,” she explained. “I don’t know, it’s just fun. It’s good music, definitely. It definitely sounds like Texas a little bit to me. But, you know, that’s probably just because that’s where my ear’s at.”

Wonderland completed her East Coast tour prior to coming to the Southwest.

“We’re pretty much going out three weeks or so at a time,” she said. “We did like 15 shows on the East Coast. This (leg of the tour) is like 10 or 11 (shows) and then back home for a little bit. And, yeah, just kind of here and there, a few festivals, a few runs at a time.”

Wonderland has performed in New Mexico several times, but it is her first time playing at Tumbleroot Distillery and Brewery.

“All my friends who play there on the road, they’re always like, ‘Oh, it’s so fun. Everybody there is super nice.’ So this will be a good stop.”