Richie Kotzen Rocks The Suffolk

The Suffolk presents guitar slinger Richie Kotzen, of The Winery Dogs, on Sunday, October 20, at 7 p.m. Kotzen has recorded more than 20 albums under his own name since his debut at age 19, evolving from metal whiz-kid to mature singer-songwriter.

Kotzen, born in 1970 in Pennsylvania but a longtime resident of Los Angeles, was drafted for a bit into glam-metal MTV favorites Poison in the early-1990s and served a turn in L.A. hard-rock band Mr. Big around the turn of the century. As well as playing guitar and singing in the band Vertu alongside Jazz legends Stanley Clarke and Lenny White, he also impressed 6-string aficionados with a long string of solo ventures that touched on everything from metal to fusion.

In 2012, Kotzen reunited with Mr. Big bassist Billy Sheehan for the power trio Winery Dogs alongside ex-Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy; the band recorded two studio albums and a live DVD. Over the past few years, Kotzen has refocused on his solo albums, playing all the instruments.

With new music recorded and his latest single, “Cheap Shots,” already streaming, he’s set to return to the live stage with a vengeance in the power-trio format he loves so well. After all, playing his music live is what brings everything together.

“I like the flexibility in the level of improvisation I can do in that trio format,” says Kotzen. “I go to that place in my head where I know what I’m feeling when I’m singing onstage, and I connect with it.”

Tickets are $49 to $69 at thesuffolk.org. The Suffolk is at 118 East Main Street in Riverhead.