Famed French novelist Albert Camus once posed the rhetorical question "But what is happiness except the simple harmony between a man and the life he leads?"
In describing such a harmony between singer/ songwriter Keller Williams and his life is one he would probably sum up with just a few words: simple, genuine and humorous.
Williams, who first picked up a guitar as a self-taught student at the age of 12, was once quoted as saying, "This whole music business is just an attempt to keep myself entertained."
This artistic mantra rings particularly true in Williams' latest work, entitled "Home," with songs inspired by his love handles, his two dogs and the good old saying, "You are what you eat."
"Home" is Williams first solo studio effort in which he plays all of the instruments on the record and creates what he terms the "blatant looped drums." Williams is what you would characterize as a live-show artist in that he's acquired the majority of his fan base through his live gigs just the same way bands like Phish have.
Williams this week talked with The Beach Reporter over the phone from somewhere in Pennsylvania about this new album that was recorded in his hometown of Fredericksburg, Va., and the silly, lighthearted content of his lyrics and titles to his instrumental jams.
Playing all the instruments yourself with the exception of what you describe as 'blatant looped drums,' did you ever get bored with just you?
Well, I don't consider myself a real drummer and every band is as good as its drummer, so I think the other records might be a little faster in the sense that there are real true drummers. But I did the best I could, I had a good time doing it and I feel like I got the point across. I was there with my engineer, Jeff Covert. So he was there to bounce off ideas and so I wasn't there completely alone.
Since you are playing all of the instruments, are you writing some of the songs like a composer would with an entire piece made for a band or orchestra?
Yeah, when I'm writing a song there is always kind of an accompaniment to an arrangement in my mind, so putting it down in a band setting wasn't really difficult at all. Most of the songs were all road-tested long before I recorded the album so I had a really good grasp of the arrangements going into the recording.
How did you put together the instrumental song 'Butt Ass Nipple' with all of its changes?
It started out with the djembe (West African percussion drum) track and then it went to the percussion track. It's an interesting percussion song so it's fun to actually name those because there are no words so there is nothing to go on other than imagination, I guess. Butt ass nipple is kind of a saying of my little clique of friends, describing when it's really cold. When it's kind of cold it's "nipplely" but when it's really cold to where you're sitting shivering it's downright butt ass nipple.
I think the song 'Dogs' is so funny because I usually expect somewhat of a serious lyrical content with a reggae-type rhythm and tone, yet here you are talking about your dogs.
Yes, they are about my two dogs. When you hang around with your dogs all the time, it's pretty hard not to write a song about them, especially if you're trying to stay away from love songs and political songs but trying to write songs just the same. You tend to write songs about things in your surroundings. I think dog owners can really relate to that song. They become so much a part of the family that they're a big part of your whole life.
In fact, most of your lyrics have a lighthearted and humorous tone to them. Is that kind of how you approach the lyrical process?
Yeah, I put myself in the place of the audience, really. I kind of write and sing about what I would want to hear if I was out in the audience. However, I can relate to the darker sad songs and political songs because I think it was what the artist was feeling at the time. Fortunately, my life has been really good, I've been able to travel with my wife and I have a great road crew so I'm usually pretty happy and it just comes through in my music.
Is this record kind of an ode to your hometown in Virginia?
Yeah, all of my studio albums have never been recorded in my hometown. I always had to drive or fly to record but this one was done in Fredericksburg.
How does the live show work out since you are playing all of the instruments?
What I do is this thing called live phrase sampling. I have a machine that is kind of like delayed pedal and what I do is loop sounds. I step on the pedal, I play something or sing something, I step on the pedal again and it repeats what I just played or sang over and over again. So then I can go in and layer a bass line and a drum line, and the next thing you know, you kind of have a whole band setting.
With the song 'Moving Sidewalk,' did you do each part of the vocal percussion parts separately?
Yeah, it started out with the guitar track, the vocal percussion track, the bass line and then the final vocals last. Since these songs have been road-tested, I can go and lay down a vocal track without anything else happening. I know the arrangement as it's going and I'd mentally sing words as I was doing the vocal percussion track, which was first to start out on that song.
Do you then road-test a lot of your tunes before walking into the studio?
Oh yeah, I'm always looking for something new and interesting to play on stage and if it's a new song, I'm not going to save it for when it comes out on a record. I'm definitely going to play them as I write them.
Are you then writing songs quite often?
No, it's not that often. I write about a half dozen songs a year.
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