It’s no secret that most of Strasburg shuts down as soon as the sun sets. Nightlife in this sleepy mountain town generally consists of little more than pleasant dreams. But on a recent Friday the 13th, there’s a party brewing inside an old white house along West King Street, and superstitions aside, it promises to be quite a celebration.

As Lucinda Williams croons in the background, a group of friends is gathered around the dining room table, sipping Fat Bastard merlot and flipping through CD collections. A tray of French bread, olive oil and fresh mozzarella complements a plate of chocolate chip cookies and a frosted birthday cake. As one man quietly strums a guitar, two others hum and snap their fingers in time to the tune.

Gracious host and birthday honoree Joe Herbert is happy. Dressed in a Shenandoah Valley Pow Wow shirt and plaid shorts, the 42-year-old Strasburg musician seems content to be surrounded by family, good friends, food and music. During his performances, Herbert often sings:

“I can’t slow down I can’t stop here I can’t go back and I can’t stay clear.”

But at this particular moment, his hectic life has come to a grinding halt, and this is not necessarily a bad thing. A mental health therapist by day, jammin’ musician by night, Herbert broke into the valley’s music scene two years ago when he and his family moved to Strasburg. After fighting the noise and traffic of the D.C. suburbs for five years, Herbert, his wife and two daughters came to the Shenandoah Valley in pursuit of a quieter life in the country.

“I liked the excitement of the city,” Herbert admits. “It has so much cultural diversity, which I love. Coming here was a bit of a shock at first, but we’re never going back. Musically speaking, the community here has really seemed to embrace me, and I’ve met a lot of cool musicians.”

Writing his first song at age 30, Herbert describes himself as a musical late bloomer. Although he performed in several cover bands over the years, playing other people’s music grew more and more dissatisfying. Finally, Herbert decided to try his hand — and his guitar — at songwriting.

“I sat myself down and said, ‘I am not leaving this table until I’ve written a song,’” Herbert recalls. “And so I wrote a song called ‘Doctor Now.’ It was about a guy I knew from high school who had become a doctor. I ran into him one day, and he didn’t even recognize me ’cause I was kind of a hippie. Anyway, I recorded it, and I haven’t played it since. The way I look at it is you’ve got to write some pretty bad songs before you get any good ones.”

Unlike many musicians, Herbert writes his lyrics before he writes his music. In fact, the shaggy-haired artist confesses, he doesn’t have nearly enough tunes to accommodate his growing collection of rhymes.

“For me, the lyrics are the easy part,” Herbert explains. “I don’t really have to think at all. All I have to do is feel. Just rely on my instincts, you know? What my lyrics do is capture a moment in my life, and I can normally write a song in about five minutes. I rarely do any edits. If something doesn’t sound right, even one line, I won’t play it.” While Herbert’s lyrics generally establish a beat for his songs, the actual music does not always immediately follow. Sometimes the tune won’t come for another year, Herbert says. When the notes finally do inspire him, he digs into his cache of lyrics to match words with melody.

“See, all the notes have already been used before,” Herbert says. “You just rearrange the chords. All musicians are thieves, and they’ll tell you that.”

Inspired by artists ranging from the lyrically evocative Bob Dylan to the song-writing chameleon Neil Young, Herbert credits his own eclectic style to a diverse taste in music. An extensive collection of albums, cassette tapes and CDs are testament to his appreciation of jazz, pop, rock and world influences.

In between dunking tortilla chips into a chunky, homemade salsa, Herbert and a friend from Reston examine a compilation of bootleg CDs. After little debate, Lucinda Williams comes out of the stereo, and a Brazilian artist goes in. Within moments, the dining room is filled with the energetic rhythm of gentle drumming.

Herbert talks about an upcoming gig at a Strasburg venue. Soon, the conversation drifts to his “Mad Amalgamation of Musically Inclined Friends,” an assortment of local musicians, who often join Herbert at his performances.

“I always book gigs under my own name, and then I’ll call different musicians and ask them if they want to play with me,” Herbert says. “It’s never a set group of people. Hence the name ‘Mad Amalgamation.’”

Buddy Wolfe, a local guitarist and vocalist who has performed in Herbert’s “Mad Amalgamation” for the past year, says he is always impressed by the energy Herbert delivers during a performance.

“It’s a great feeling to perform with Joe,” Wolfe says. “He’s an example of some of the best local talent and songwriting we have around here. Everyone seems to love him. I mean, I love him, too!”

During a show at Chappalino’s Pizza and Pasta House in Woodstock two weeks ago, Herbert and his “Mad Amalgamation” rocked the joint until closing, recalls Chad Alkire, the restaurant’s manager.

“It was one of our best shows in the three years that I’ve been here,” Alkire says. “You could just feel the energy. Joe has enough talent to pack this place, and I’d like to see him pack Nissan [Pavilion] someday. He’s one of the most individual and unique musicians I’ve ever come across. As far as raw talent and lyrics go, he’s definitely one of the best.”

Within the next few weeks, Herbert says he hopes to begin recording his first studio CD, which is due to be released in February. Another CD, “Mostly Live,” is available at several local music stores, as well as online. If all goes well, Herbert says he hopes to get some radio play, quit his day job and become a full-time musician.

“I swear I’m on the slowest upward curve in history,” Herbert says, chuckling as he picks up his guitar and begins to sing “Can’t Slow Down.”

“I can’t slow down, I can’t stop here,” he sings softly. “But you better slow down if you wanna be free.”

Joe Herbert and His Mad Amalgamation of Musically Inclined Friends will perform at the Two Daughters’ Cafe in Strasburg on Friday from 8 to 11 p.m. For more information, visit joeherbert.com.