Jam Band Spotlight: Keller Williams

Words By Greg Molitor (ReMIND Photography)

Back in 2001, my Uncle Bill introduced me to the scene at age 16 by taking me to my first jam show, The String Cheese Incident at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor. Before SCI performed, an opening act took the stage to the delight of those who had arrived early. The opener was an impressive solo act that played multiple instruments throughout his set, laying down licks and looping the phrases to create a full band sound that relied heavily on intertwining polyrhythms and his talented musicianship. The crowd went wild for this guy! The performer, the first jam act I ever saw, was Keller Williams...

Ten years later with hundreds of additional shows under his belt, Keller has become one of the most important and sought-after artists in the jam scene. His 2011 festival schedule, like always, is a busy one that includes stops at Hangout, Summer Camp, All Good, Grateful Fest, Northwest String Summit, Gathering of the Vibes and SteelJam Festival among others. Always mixing it up, Keller will be playing throughout the upcoming months as the WMD’s (Williams, Mosely, Droll, Sipe), Keller and the Keels, as a solo act and will also be loaning his talents to Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann’s The Rhythm Devils project. Check out his website for a complete list of tour dates, and until then, enjoy this show from Bonnaroo 2007 where he performed as Keller and the WMD’s!

Keller Williams Live at Bonnaroo Music Festival on June 16, 2007.

www.kellerwilliams.net

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