He's ready to rock at Gratefulfest
Williams is admittedly self-indulgent.
By JOHN BENSON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
Nearly a dozen years have passed since Jerry Garcia last sang about "Ripple," but the Grateful Dead visionary's spirit remains vibrant and, arguably, ubiquitous on today's jam band scene.
While surviving members keep the music alive in various incarnations (The Other Ones, Bob Weir & amp; Rat Dog, Phil Lesh & amp; Friends), there are dozens of influenced acts traversing the countryside singing various styles from the "Book of Jerry."
One of the more interesting performers is solo bluegrass artist Keller Williams, who plays Gratefulfest 7 (a five-day Dead celebration) on July 3 at Nelson Ledges Quarry Park in Garrettsville. While other artists and groups may posture complete originality, Williams knows his apple didn't fall too far from the Haight-Ashbury tree.
"I'm more than grateful to be attached to that family in any way, shape or form," said Williams, calling from his backyard outside Fredericksburg, Va. "It's where I came into music, with this whole Grateful Dead scene, just a crazy little kid running around the country seeing shows. It's kind of an umbrella, as much as people want to admit to it."
Granted Williams never posed the question to Mr. Garcia but for argument's sake, he gives his thought about WWJT? You know, what would Jerry think about this movement.
"From what I heard, Jerry really didn't like people trying to mock his tones or imitate from where he was coming from," Williams said. "I don't think he really appreciated that and that's a shame."
As a one-man wrecking crew of a bluegrass jam band, Williams sure knows how to push buttons. Not only does he think his idol would, well, slap him silly but there's also those bluegrass purists who view his upbeat, fun, quirky and oftentimes irreverent picking as heresy.
This is undoubtedly the case with his latest album "Grass," which features his longtime friend and flat picker Larry Keel on guitar and his wife, Jenny Keel, on bass. The 10-track album includes a few originals and some hodge-podge covers ("Mary Jane's Last Breakdown" combines Tom Petty's "Mary Jane's Last Dance" with "Breakdown," while "Loser" by the Grateful Dead includes a few lines from Beck's GenX anthem).
Novelty act
However, it's his take of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall" that will invariably get him on a Bill Monroe zealot's hit list. He's heard the N word used before but there are worse things in the world than being considered a novelty.
"Of course, it's the same with the real jazz musicians and reggae musicians," Williams said. "And the real down-to-earth nitty-gritty Polish polka players -- if it's not Polish polka, then it's a novelty. But the thing is we're all having fun and we don't really care what people think. It's all very self-indulgent."
Williams is pegging the self-indulgence meter with his next album "Dream," which is due out next year. He said the project is 99 percent finished and features all original material with guest appearances by Bob Weir, Charlie Hunter, Michael Franti and more. As expected, the entire experience has been cathartic.
"It's really a lifelong thing I've been trying to mentally wrap my hands around," Williams said.