Steve Dedman turned 50 earlier this week. As such, the songwriter and leader of East Haddam band Plywood Cowboy has perhaps different musical ambitions than famous and much younger artists with their Tik Tok videos, tangential clothing lines, intricate hospitality riders and influencer designations.

"I love seeing those 22-year-olds out there doing it and I admire their ambition and carefreeness," Dedman says in a recent phone conversation. "Anyone who can get their act together in their 20s, establish a career and make music and even win awards? More power to them." He laughs. "Let's just say I got my act together a little later on."

As per "Green Grass," the newest CD from Plywood Cowboy, which is being celebrated with a release party and performance tonight at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, it can be said that Dedman has more than made up for lost time. An 11-song collection, "Green Grass" reflects Dedman's engaging style as a composer, singer and guitarist, as well as his love of American music from country and pop to folk, rock and jazz. As produced by Dedman and Ira Sakolsky at Long Ear and then Riverway studios in East Haddam, it's also beautifully performed and recorded.

One fan at a time

Dedman's approach to the new release makes perfect sense in its delightfully old school stratagems. "I'm still of the thought that you make fans one at a time, so I don't have any grand illusions that ('Green Grass') is going to suddenly become the hot ticket," Dedman says. "There are 10,000 albums uploaded to Spotify every week. How does anyone compete? A lot of it's luck.

"That said, we recorded most of the album during COVID, so we're excited to be able to get out and play the songs for people. And my plan has been to spend 2022 doing what I can in support of the band and the album. There's a lot of ways to build our name."

Plywood Cowboy formed in 2015 and, though they've been through a few personnel changes, the current lineup also includes bassist Shane Tanner, pedal steel guitarist Ed Iarusso, drummer Emmet Hale, vocalist Mary Melillo-Teague and JD Williams, who sings and plays fiddle and mandolin. It's a tight unit with that natural ensemble sound that suggests not only musicality but that they also truly enjoy playing together.

The songs on "Green Grass," their third album, are a compelling mix of playful and positive up-tempo material and wistful balladry — and don't forget the intriguing, jazz-flavored album-closer "Bougeekabougee." Given that variety, Dedman says he gave a lot of thought about how to structure the order of the tunes to sustain listener attention throughout.

Listening from A-Z

"It definitely wasn't random, and there are aspects maybe only a musician would think about," he says. "I try to vary the keys from song to song, for one thing, which is subtle but makes a difference. And I don't want to put too many slow songs in a row. We come out of the gate with energy (the uplifting 'Sunny Little Town') and then mix it up. And ending the album with a light jazz tune is meant as a fun surprise."

Regarding the quicker-paced material, "Fire Inside," "Highwire" and "Love On a String" contain elements that might trigger thoughts of artists like Bryan Adams, Steve Earle and the Dukes or Alan Jackson — though distinctly filtered through Dedman's sonic blueprints and earnest but wry vocal delivery.

"It's interesting because, the older I get, the harder it is to write an up-tempo, happy song," Dedman laughs. "The lyrics are usually lighter and maybe lack the depth of the ballads — but you hold the listener because it's more about the beat. It's gotta be a song where someone might be washing the dishes and thinking about something that happened that day rather than the lyrics, but they're still tapping their feet and nodding along."

The ballads on "Green Grass" are indeed outstanding. "Too Soon," "On a Wing," "Clouds" and in particular "Paris in the Rain" are lovely and convey melancholy but hopeful emotions and memories that could only be real.

"Writing introspective music is much more natural for me," Dedman says. "For example, I wouldn't write a song like 'Paris in the Rain' without actually being there." He describes a trip he and his wife took to France and being moved by the experience to write about it — NOW. "I borrowed a guitar and sat under some olive trees overlooking the Mediterranean and it just flowed out. That tends to happen with the slower songs."

With a (knock-on-wood) all-clear for Plywood Cowboy to start performing live with some regularity, Dedman says he hopes to gradually hit venues or outdoor shows throughout New England over the next several months.

"My goal has always been to write and record music and play it with this very great band of musicians — and share it with live audiences," Dedman says. "That's the end game for me. If someone called tomorrow and said, 'We want you to open a big show' somewhere, we'd be there in a heartbeat. But that probably won't happen and that's OK. There are plenty of opportunities to play and we'll go where we can. And if it all stopped tomorrow, I'd be so grateful for all we've achieved."

If you go

Who: Plywood Cowboy

What: Release party for their new CD "Green Grass"

When: 8 p.m. Saturday

Where: Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, 300 Main St., Old Saybrook

How much: Admission $26, CDs $15

For more information: www.thekate.org, www.plywoodcowboy.com, (860) 510-0453