 Return to Lonely Goat Features ArchivesFirst published in Lonely Goat Print Magazine Volume III - #3 Chillin' with
Keller Williams On what turned out to be the coldest night of the year, I ventured out to Ziggy's in Winston-Salem for an evening with Keller Williams. The crowd was sparse, hardly a crowd at all just more like an entourage. Nevertheless, Keller put on a great show. Keller Williams is truly unique in his approach to music. He is a virtual one-man band. He plays a ten-string guitar. In doing this he produces a rich texture of notes fuller than a six-string; probably a bit easier than trying to manage a twelve string. In addition, he accompanies himself with a sixteen track recorder and emits wonderful trumpet sounds with his mouth he calls 'mouth fluegel.' He dabbles a bit with an electric bass also and busys himself back and forth with his soothing voice and extraordinary prowess on the guitar. He was truly fascinating. His performance made me forget the cold, at times, transcending me to a warmer, cozier place filled with a sweet serenade. It was about twenty degrees inside the place but there Keller stood in shirt sleeves and barefeet seemingly oblivious to the chill of the night. Keller Williams is originally from Fredericksburg, Virginia and frequently jams in our area. His CDs feature many local favorites like Larry Keel and Danny Knicely. His latest effort, Breathe, features The String Cheese Incident (his favorite band, so I hear). Audiences will probably get another opportunity to catch this unique artist in the future, so I highly recommend the effort. To those die hard music fans who showed up that particularly chilly night, I applaud you. For those who prefer to snuggle up at home, I suggest you pick up one of his CDs. They are perfect for an evening at home too. |