Keller Williams (also known as
K-Dub or just
Keller) (Born February 4, 1970) is an American singer from Fredericksburg, Virginia who began performing in the early 1990?s. Keller (as he is referred to by his fans) is best known for his innovative live shows, energetic audience, and unconventional playing style. A self taught musician, he usually performs with an acoustic guitar connected to Gibson Echoplex Delay system. His use of the delay system is unique because it allows Keller to play unaccompanied and include a wide variety of other instruments in his shows. The system works by recording any sound that is played and repeats it over and over through the speakers. In essence, Keller can play a riff once on his instrument and the delay system will repeat it and allow him to play other instruments. Once he has a sound on loop, he can add other sounds to it and play entire songs without a band. His music combines elements of bluegrass, folk, alternative, reggae, electronica/dance, jazz, funk, and other assorted genres. At times, Keller's live performances feature harmony vocals, harmonica, trumpet, didgeridoo and a host of other assorted instruments. Williams' lyrics tend to reflect a lighthearted focus on life's travels, touring, random thought, and his everyday activities.
Jamming
The improvisational nature of Keller?s shows place him squarely in the jam band genre made popular by such bands as the Grateful Dead and Phish. In fact, Keller began his career as the opening act for the nationally touring jam band, the String Cheese Incident. Often, when on tour, Keller and the String Cheese Incident play on stage as the Keller Williams Incident. Keller also records and is managed under the String Cheese Incident's label, SCI Fidelity. He also tours frequently with other bands such as Yonder Mountain String Band. Because of his relationship to the jam band scene, Keller is most known for playing at music festivals such as High Sierra, Haymaker, and Bonnaroo.
Tours
In 2004, Keller toured on the Acoustic Planet Tour with Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, and Yonder Mountain String Band. In 2005, he had a very successful Summer tour with String Cheese Incident, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Umphrey's McGee, Yonder Mountain String Band, New Monsoon, and occasionally Australian native Xavier Rudd
Also in 2005, Keller joined the band Umphrey's McGee in a collaborative project known as Keller McGee.
In summer 2007, Keller joined Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir and his band Ratdog on a mostly east coast tour.
Keller Williams performs an annual fundraiser show between Christmas and New Years Day (Usually on the 26th, at a hotel or the county fairgrounds) in Fredericksburg, Virginia, which benefits the local SPCA.
Recent albums
In 2003, Keller released his eighth studio album entitled Home. Home centers around his love for Fredericksburg and contains audio clips from his childhood within the songs.
In 2005, Keller released his next album entitled
Grass. On
Grass, he is accompanied by The Keels, a husband and wife duo named Larry and Jenny Keel. On this album, Larry Keel, Keller's childhood friend, plays lead guitar, Jenny Keel plays bass, and Keller plays rhythm guitar. There are covers of Pink Floyd's "The Wall", Tom Petty's "Mary Jane's Last Dance", and Yonder Mountain String Band's "New Horizons" as well as many original songs. The album as a whole is very bluegrass influenced.
Keller released a DVD,
Sight, on June 28th, 2005.
Sight was recorded during a two day run in November, 2004 at Mr. Small's theater facility in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The video includes 100 minutes of concert footage as well as b-roll footage and behind the scenes clips.
Keller's collaboration album, Dream, was released on February 6, 2007. On this album Keller is accompanied by various other artists. The album includes appearances by Bob Weir, Bela Fleck, Victor Wooten, and The String Cheese Incident. Keller?s twelfth album release, available beginning December 18, 2007 on SCI Fidelity Records, looks back at 20 years of making music. Titled 12, the album features one song from each of his previous eleven releases. Added is one new, previously un-recorded song. Keller himself dubs this his album of ?hitless greatest hits.?
Live recordings
As far as his live recordings go, Keller is a firm believer of bootleg and tape trading, but he does not allow video at his concerts. You can listen to some recorded shows at
the Live Music Archive.
Instruments
His main guitars used are modified 12 string Guild JF30-12s and a Martin HD-28. He also has a few custom guitars, a custom baritone, and he uses a Godin Electric synthesizer as well as being known to use a tobacco sunburst, Mexican made, Fender Jazz Bass. On his 12-string guitars, Keller takes one string off of the high and low E pair for better and sharper harmonics during playing leaving ten remaining strings.
Since the 2005 concert season, Keller has strayed from performing live with the JF30 model 12 strings and has been making use of his "trusty Martin", in more of a fine-tuned, Hedges fashion, ala wedding ring percussion and tapping styles. He has also been using a Godin electric guitar snyth while playing with the WMDs, a Breedlove 6-string acoustic baritone, and has switched from the Fender Jazz bass to a rumbling, Hofner Beetle Bass, just like Paul McCartney of the Beatles played.
Recent news
Keller formed his own full band in 2007, the WMDs. The WMDs played at the Bonnaroo music festival and were well received by fans despite sound difficulties. The WMDs consist of Keller Williams on rhythm guitar, Jeff Sipe on drums, Keith Mosely on bass, and Gibb Droll on lead guitar. Keller also made a surprise appearance with The String Cheese Incident at Bonnaroo 2007.
Keller currently hosts the radio show Keller's Cellar which has a live online stream and is pre-recorded at Wally Cleaver's in Fredricksburg, VA. Lately, he has been working with bassist Tye North, formerly of the bluegrass jam band Leftover Salmon, and drummer-percussionist Dave Watts on his albums, as well as drummer Jeff Sipe.
Keller did a Summer tour with Bob Weir and Ratdog. Keller also opened for the Allman Brothers Band on August 17th, 2007 at the Tweeter Center in Camden, New Jersey.
In October, Keller headed to Japan for the first time since his Fuji Rock Festival debut in 2004. He hit Nagoya, Osaka and Kanazawa for the first time, before wrapping up the tour in Tokyo. On November 2nd, 2007, Keller will hit off the Fall WMDs tour starting off at at the Ram's Head, in Baltimore, and eventually work his way around the Southeast, ending at the Lincoln Theatre, in Charlotte, NC. Keller is asking that fans create a set list request for the Fort Collins, CO show, at the Aggie Theatre. That show will supposedly be in an extremely intimate environment. Keller is also performing December dates at the Hedonism III, in Runaway Bay, Jamaica. After Christmas, (SPCA benefit) Keller will be playing the Beacon Theatre with Gov't Mule and then Tweeter Center with The Disco Biscuits.
External links
American guitaristsJam bandsAcoustic GuitarVirginia musiciansTaper-friendly musicians1970 birthsLiving peopleTaper-friendly musical groups
