Ray Davies could be coasting, having hung it up after a career of which most can only dream. Imagine this on a résumé: co-founder and lead songwriter of the Kinks; played major role in setting the bar for punk's aesthetic through guitar distortion, an attitude and four decades of timeless songs that skewered British society with a non-whiny populist bent. He brings his stripped-down band into the Bardavon this Saturday, December 6.

Davies laid low during the 1990s, until a gunshot wound in New Orleans in 2004 and a pair of solo records released one year apart put him back on the global radar. Tunes like "After the Fall" from 2006's Other People's Lives and the piercing anti-globalization-themed Vietnam Cowboys drew attention that the guy still raged with similar intensity to when his former group hit the scene 44 years ago. Even when talking about his old band, the legendary Kinks, he seems in a good mood, reports say. He won't call his old band by the well-known name; he gets a $10 fine among his solo band even to mention the Kinks.

Not having the pressure of playing with brother Dave Davies at his side in the context of a legendary ensemble seems to have pointed Ray to his solo outings. The narratives are straight to the point, and the guy has embraced how effective the Storytellers vibe works for him. Makes sense, since he practically launched the show himself. Expect a healthy dose of classic Kinks material ("'Til the End of the Day," "20th-Century Man," "Sunny Afternoon") blended in with tunes from Working Man's Café, which contains several songs about his ordeal in the Crescent City.

Ticket prices are $65 for Golden Circle seats, $45 for Bardavon members and $52 for the general public. They're available at the Bardavon box office at 35 Market Street in Poughkeepsie, (845) 473-2072; at the UPAC box office at 601 Broadway in Kingston, (845) 339-6088; or through TicketMaster, (845) 454-3388.