David Mayfield plans to entertain his Columbus audiences with the same voice that has gotten him into Southeast Asia without the correct legal papers.

Ohio-bred Americana folk artist David Mayfield, of The David Mayfield Parade, is scheduled to perform at 8 p.m. Thursday at Woodlands Tavern.

Mayfield said his fondest memory as a performer is the time he got into Cambodia without proper visa papers and other forms of identification. He said he was kept trying to communicate with the security officers who wouldn’t let him into the country, but because of the language barrier he wasn’t getting anywhere.

Finally, he started to sing.

Once he started singing, the officials decided that was the reason he was there and what he was trying to explain to them was true, and they let him in. Mayfield said his trip to play in Cambodia made him realize music can open doors, even without proper paperwork.

“Music is a universal language,” Mayfield said.

It’s not only his voice that has received recognition, but also his producing skills.

Mayfield received a Grammy nomination in 2009 for the album “In God’s Time,” which he produced for Barry Scott & Second Wind.

Mayfield said he was shocked by the nomination because he was on such unfamiliar ground when he worked on the album. He said he believes his lack of experience in that genre is why the album actually stuck out.

Mayfield is more comfortable in the Americana and folk music genre, but he said his music differs from other artists in the same class because he is more theatrical.

“It’s the Flaming Lips meets Simon and Garfunkel,” he said.

Mayfield said the differences are noticeable not in the sound, but in the content. He said it has a humble nature and it lacks pretentiousness.

“I’m not cool enough to be pretentious,” he said.

Mallory Malone, 22, of Columbus, has listened to Mayfield for about two years, and said she is looking forward to his Columbus show for a number of reasons. Other than his talent, which she said she holds in high regard, Malone is also looking forward to Mayfield’s antics on stage.

“David Mayfield has a hysterical stage presence,” Malone said. “He performs well, while making jokes and dancing, never boring his audience.”

Mayfield says he is goofy in real life, but when he is on stage that quality gets amplified.

Mia Grimes, an Ohio State alumna, said his performance on stage is one of the main reasons she likes Mayfield also.

“He makes his shows fun,” Grimes said. “He’s not up there playing from a set list and just playing song to song with no commentary. He is hilarious.”