The acclaimed, much-revered singer-songwriter plays a sold-out show at The Alluvion on Friday while also working with Interlochen Arts Academy students. The Local Spins interview.
Having Something to Say in a Dynamic Way: Dar Williams (Courtesy Photo/Ebru Yildiz)
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For acclaimed East Coast singer-songwriter Dar Williams, folk music isn’t about protest but rather an artist’s dynamic and enlightening observation of the world.
“Folk can be very dynamic. It can be very loud and thrashy. The expectation is there will be something enlightening or illuminating,” said Williams, who’ll not only showcase her songs at The Alluvion in Traverse City on Friday (April 19) but also work with students from Interlochen Arts Academy.
Friday’s sold-out 7:30 p.m. show is part of the “Interlochen in Town” series, where faculty members and visiting artists perform at the cozy listening room on Eighth Street.
“I’ll be doing recording and master classes at Interlochen,” said Williams, whose career spans more than three decades.
Williams said her brand of music is organic, born of her experience, rather than packaged for and by TV shows. That’s much the case for the genre she’s a part of, what James Taylor has jokingly called “the great American folk scare,” though she prefers the term singer-songwriter.
“I think that’s probably the best one, though folk too (fits),” she said.
Calling someone a folk singer, she suggested, is a way of acknowledging their musical style – usually acoustic, often with lyrics recalling a way of life or environmental or political concerns, though those are not prerequisites. Particularly when it comes to her music.
“It’s not protest music to me. Folk is an audience-based genre,” she said. “It’s based on how they (the songwriters) observe the world.”
That means the music’s fans create a community, both in person at shows and online. “They go to support music that’s is off the beaten track.”
When it comes to songwriting, Williams wrote the book, literally: She penned “How to Write a Song That Matters,” based on her popular songwriting retreats.
“I lead a songwriter retreat. It’s focused on your growth as a songwriter,” she said. She believes sharing one’s experiences are of paramount importance to an honest song.
“I want you to bring them (listeners) something, show them you’ve been to some place,” whether that someplace is literal or figurative. She refers to a line in a Bob Dylan documentary, where he asks of concertgoers about the performers, “Did they have something to say?”
Songwriting Mentor: Williams teaches regular songwriting classes. (Photo/Ebru Yildiz)
Williams wrote her first song at age 11. By her late 20s she’d become part of the Boston music scene, where she was inspired by an eclectic mix of music, from alternative rock to jazz musicians from Berklee College of Music to local folk artists, including Melissa Ferrick, the Throwing Muses, Vance Gilbert and Jonatha Brooke.
She released her first full album, “The Honesty Room,” in 1993 and was invited by Joan Baez to tour Europe and The United States.
She’s since released a dozen more albums, along with performing countless shows across the country and beyond. One of those “beyond” shows is an upcoming tour with her friends in “Rhine, Women and Song” — a week-long excursion on the Rhine River. Williams will perform with her friends Susan Werner and Heather Maloney. “I’m excited. We sound very different from one another.”
She continues to offer her songwriting retreats. This year, there will be three, taking place in July, August and October at a historic inn-turned-retreat center in Chester, Conn., between Boston and New York City.
Through all the years, all the miles and all the performances, Williams believes she still has something to offer. That’s part of the rationale behind her shows, her master classes and songwriting retreats.
“In the long haul, I think I’m a better world citizen for having traveled around. Doing concerts is a lovely way to see the world,” she said. “I usually go out and meet people after the show.”
As to the concert in Traverse City, Williams will perform some songs from her latest recording, “I’ll Meet You Here.” While many of the songs feature orchestration, such as cellos, violins, keyboards and more, she’ll showcase the heart of the tunes in this solo performance.
She said all her songs start with just her singing and playing guitar, and they can be performed effectively without the additional instrumentation. “All the songs start alone and (stand) on their own,” she said.
In addition to music from the album, Williams said she’ll also perform some of her favorites and possibly even songs written since “I’ll Meet You Here” was released. “What I usually do is play some things people expect and some from the latest album. Maybe one or two new ones,” she said.
For more information, visit TheAlluvion.org.
VIDEO: Dar Williams, “After All” (Paste Studios)
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