Aaron Watson

Look up the phrase “country singer” in the dictionary and you might just see a picture of Aaron Watson. He’s got the look, for sure: The ever-present cowboy hat. The closet full of denim. The pearly white teeth and strong jaw line. The general rugged-but-approachable-ness.

He’s got the sound, too. For two decades, Watson has approached country as an independent artist with a mainstream sound, one that draws from the genre’s traditions, its ‘70s outlaw spirit and its ‘90s grandeur, as well as the rootsy songwriting focus of contemporaries like Zach Bryan and the Randy Rogers Band.

All of that is on display on Watson’s new album, “Unwanted Man,” his 18th full-length studio recording since the turn of the century. Written mostly during the pandemic, it’s an excellent introduction to an artist who exists in the space between the underground and the big time, and who seems perfectly at home there.

“I’m right where I wanna be,” Watson says on his website. “No one can put any labels on me. And I tell a lot of younger artists, ‘Listen, there’s enough room at the table for all of us. This is not a sprint. This is a long distance race.’”

Aaron Watson, with Jon Stork: $25 in advance, $30 day of show, 8 p.m. Saturday, doors open 7 p.m., Midtown Ballroom, 51 NW Greenwood Ave., Bend, midtownballroom.com.