All by himself: Solo performer Keller Williams creates unique soundscape with diverse roots
Posted on Friday, August 22, 2008
Those who think they've seen everything Keller Williams has to offer are probably wrong.
Sure, he's been to the area several times before, notably, last September at the Mulberry Mountain Harvest Music Festival near Ozark and in January at George's Majestic Lounge in Fayetteville.
But as for the set he'll perform on Aug. 30 when he returns to George's for the venue's 81st birthday?
It will be nothing like his past performance there, he said by phone from his home in Fredericksburg, Va.
In the hours before the show, he will put together a group of songs -- using a catalog that spans 13 albums -- different from those he has assembled in the past. It is rare that he plays the same song two nights in a row, he said.
He does this for the fans, but also for the challenge.
"It would be easy to play the same songs every night,"he said.
The rationale for changing sets each night is also inspired by The Grateful Dead, a band Williams first saw live when he was about 19. Their rabid fan base, who often followed the band from gig to gig, demanded a constantly evolving set list, and Williams keeps that tradition alive, even though he doubts many fans follow him very often.
"I still pretend,"he said with a chuckle.
A devoted Dead fan, it is no coincidence that just as the legendary psychedelic rock troupe was known for its lengthy jams, Williams is known for some of his own.
Except he does his alone. Although the Virginia native has performed with groups such as the String Cheese Incident; Moseley, Droll & Sipe; and more, he is perhaps better known for his work with just a guitar and his voice.
Accurately described as a one-man jam band, Williams accompanies himself by looping sounds during his performance. For instance, he might play a chord progression, put it on repeat, then solo live over the top of those chords.
Williams isn't afraid to cross genres in the process, inflecting bits of reggae, bluegrass, jazz and about any other genre one could imagine. His music tastes are inspired by attention deficit disorder, he said with a laugh, noting he goes through phases of genre immersion, followed to a detour to another style.
And it all comes together onstage, an eclectic variety of sounds played on an eclectic variety of instruments. For the show at George's he plans to bring several instruments, including several acoustics, a baritone guitar and an instrument fitted with six guitar strings and two bass guitar strings.
All in the name of mixing it up.
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