Eric Himan doesn’t like to stay in one place for long. Call it boredom or just plain-old desire, but after a few days of staying put, the road beckons. The young troubadour spends more time in his trusty minivan speeding off to his next gig than relaxing at home. In fact, he says in the last three years, he’s put 190,000 miles on his makeshift tour bus driving across country.

“I really enjoy being on the road and I appreciate the people who come to listen to me,” Himan said. “It’s really special to have people connect to a group, but even more special when you’re one person.”

Last spring, the 28-year-old musician set out for a 50-state, 58-day “Knock Out Tour,” presented by Gay.com and PlanetOut, Inc. When he finished, Himan took a break from touring to record his latest album, Everywhere All At Once. He will be performing songs from his new album at Bourbon Street on April 27, and listeners can expect one hell of a performance.

“This show is definitely going to be very upbeat and filled with a lot of wild and raw energy,” he said.

Since he will be playing in a bar setting versus a coffeehouse, such as Twiggs Coffee, where he has performed in the past, Himan said his performance will be more free and open than before.

Anyone who has seen Himan perform knows that when he’s on stage, he lets loose with his impressive guitar riffs and emotionally raw lyrics. His sharp vocals break through even the toughest preconceived notions one might have about an openly gay lyricist. Addressing such topics as the death penalty, family acceptance, sexual assault and the difficulties of relationships, he poetically conveys his personal message to listeners.

Within the rock genre, few musicians come out, much less allow their music to reflect their sexuality. But Himan is an exception. Past hits like “One Night Stands” helped men across the nation realize that holding out for that special someone is worth the wait. Having stepped into the spotlight as an openly gay man, Himan is well on his way to stardom, landing on OUT magazine’s top 100 musicians list. He also joined industry heavyweights Christina Aguilera, Melissa Etheridge and Pink on the Human Rights Campaign compilation, Love Rock’s.

Himan has come a long way in the six short years since his humble beginnings entertaining crowds near his alma mater, Penn State University. But his love affair with the nomadic life began even before he plucked his first guitar string or struck a chord. Growing up with a father in the military, Himan constantly relocated, shuffling through cities and states without enough time to establish serious roots. It was then that Himan first sought solace in the music of the Black Crowes, Ani DiFranco, Richie Havens and Patty Griffin, whose styles have influenced Himan’s own songwriting. It wasn’t until he attended Penn State University that he picked up a guitar and became a coffeehouse crooner.

With his fifth studio album, Everywhere All At Once, which was written entirely while touring, audiences will notice a different sound than his previous collection of music, for Himan considers this release to be his “most personal” to date.

“This CD is more like me. I was able to say what I wanted while being honest about my feelings. Instead of trying to tell myself what my feelings were – whether it’s happy, sad or confused – I feel like I grew as a songwriter.”

While his new album is about love, it strays from the narratives of grieving over lost loves that are found in the ballads of many artists, and celebrates love in its various forms. It’s with this perspective that Himan reveals his most personal thoughts about romantic relationships, familial love, breast cancer, homophobia and surviving Hurricane Katrina, an event that hit close to home for Himan who endured the devastation of Hurricane Andrew in 1992. A song he wrote called “A New Life” is based on that experience he faced as a teenager when he and his family lost everything. “More than 10 years later when Hurricane Katrina came, that song just came because it brought back a lot, and it just came out of me.”

Since his first release on his own independent label, Thumbcrown records, fans have been given the unique opportunity to hear Himan mature as a songwriter and as a man through his music.

Eric Himan will perform at Bourbon Street on Friday, April 27, at 8:30 p.m. Tracks from Everywhere All At Once can be heard on Himan’s official Web site, www.erichiman.com. Also on his Web site, you can watch his first music video and get a sneak peak at his life on the road.