‘Groovy’ Keller Williams Trio set to entertain

Singer-songwriter and “one-man jam band” Keller Williams says he takes having fun very seriously.

On Dec. 4, Williams and his trio plan to have fun at The State Theatre.

Williams’ love for music started long before he could ever play an instrument and his distinct sound has evolved over his two decades in the business.

“My sound — I call it acoustic dance music,” Williams said. “Whether I’m doing a solo acoustic thing or the solo looping thing, there’s always some kind of back beat. There’s some kind of rhythm to it. That’s kind of how I describe it. Everything I play you can move to. Some more than others: some fast, some slow, some groovy, some dirty, half-time grand.”

The recent leg of his current tour has seen the often solo performer bring two of his favorite musicians together for bigger “band” shows. Williams will play a solo set before the band comes out.

“The trio is really cool because these are two guys that I respected and admired long before I got to meet, let alone play music with, so it’s a real thrill for me to be around greatness of that caliber,” he said. “You kind of get the whole gamut of where my head is at with this project. The trio is definitely a groovy thing. It’s all acoustic; Ron Wasserman on the upright acoustic is just an amazing spirit and holder of the pocket. Rodney Holmes is just a technical wizard. He’s like a human metronome machine type of thing.”

No stranger to State College, Williams has not only played here before; he’s recorded here, too.

“There was project I did in ’07/’08.” he said. “We put out a triple disc project ... I think the first track off that record called ‘Same Old Thing,’ was filmed at The State Theatre. It’s definitely a beautiful space, and I’m excited to get back into it for sure.”

Besides obvious influences like the Grateful Dead, Williams’ taste in music is vast and varied.

“I got into the Grateful Dead when I was 16 and absorbed their whole catalog. I got into (Michael) Hedges two years later when I was 18. Taking the energy of those Dead songs and then going to see the band and understanding that it’s more than just music, that it’s a community and a family, taking all that energy following the Grateful Dead and then discovering Michael Hedges: The two collided and then I sort of formed the idea of what I wanted to do from there. Also, Bobby McFerrin. He’s such a vocal master, I really pull a lot of inspiration from him.”

Immediately following the Keller Williams Trio concert on Dec. 4, local music favorite The Nick Miller Project will perform in The Attic of the State Theatre.

“There are a lot of things going on in the world right now, and I am a music lover first, musician second and songwriter third,” Williams said. “So, the show will be steeped in the entertainment side of things. I think with the news cycle the way it is, the last thing you need to be reminded of is real life. I think now is a good time for entertainment, to get away for a couple hours.”

This story was originally published December 3, 2015 at 12:13 PM with the headline "‘Groovy’ Keller Williams Trio set to entertain."