In an era of music that avoids niches and categorization, one musician has proved that he has been doing that for decades.
Keller Williams has spent the last 24 years defining himself on his own terms, pulling various components of funk, rock, jazz and bluegrass into his work. While it is hard to put Williams' music in a box, he likes to think it can always get people’s feet moving, in what he describes as "acoustic dance music."
As a teenager, Williams began learned the music of rock bands like The Smiths and The Cure, but he grew to draw inspiration heavily from The Grateful Dead and Michael Hedges. Both were important the development of Williams’ sound.
While he briefly tried to conform to the traditional college and workforce pathway, Williams quickly gave up on pursuing anything other than music. After completing a few years of school, he started working blue collar jobs while still practicing music.
“I had to do all kinds of day jobs, from landscaping to construction work,” Williams said. “I gave all that up and just focused on playing music.”
His album titles are always a single word, a word that Williams thinks tries to capture the essence of the record and its sound. From "Dream" to "Odd," each album varies vastly from the previous, both in sound and in approach.
“I like to think that each record that I do is kind of a evolution in where my mind goes musically,” Williams said. “I can only hope that that keeps happening.”
Williams plays about 110 shows a year, all of them on weekends. He refers to himself as a "weekend warrior."
In addition to his solo work, Williams frequently works in groups and ensembles for different projects. Just like his individual work, these acts can also vary in genre.
“It’s really fun to be able to not stagnate in one particular genre,” Williams said. “I wouldn’t be able to do it if it wasn’t for the folks buying tickets and having me at their festivals.”
On Sept. 22, Williams will be performing with funk band More Than A Little at the Glass Half Full Festival in Columbia. They will be playing records off of his album "FUNK," as well as several covers.
“This particular project ... doesn’t really get to play as much as we used to,” Williams said. “When it happens, it’s definitely an event for us.”
Williams will be releasing his first instrumental record in mid-October. After gaining enough skills and confidence to perform the melodies of these songs, Williams is excited to present the music he knows so well in a brand new way.
“It’s a really, really fun way to live, to play all different kinds of music with all different kinds of people,” Williams said. “Certainly grateful for that.”