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It's strictly self-indulgence, wanting these people to play with me and my music, and not really thinking about anything else other then that... I'm actually touring now so that I can have a golf cart when I'm 80. I made the record so I can actually listen to it, at loud volumes, when I'm 80 and be proud.
-Keller Williams on Dream |
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Photo by C. Taylor Crothers
While Keller has played with The String Cheese Incident on many occasions, Bill Nershi's departure does NOT mean that Keller will be joining SCI.
Keller Williams Incident by John Smrtic |
"I always thought Garaj Mahal would be a really cool thing to jump into, they're predominately instrumental, and all of them are incredible players and I think it would be fun to play with them," says Keller, who's also a longtime fan of bassist Kai Eckhardt. "I was first exposed to Kai through an old live John McLaughlin record, and going to see him perform with Garaj Mahal is just a real treat."
Until Keller reveals his next musical incarnation, fans will continue to watch him put in another "Day at the Office," the title of an excellent new song he's been road testing. It's a good description of his current touring philosophy, which is a departure from the road warrior years of 1997 – 2000, when Keller and his wife would basically drive circles around the country building up markets. "I'm lucky to be able to dictate how my tour goes down" says Keller. "Now, the majority of it is just hanging out at home during the week and then going out and working on the weekends, sort of like a reverse office job."
Keller Williams by C. Taylor Crothers |
Keller's success means improvements to the "office" like the fancy camera setup he now uses. During his show, multiple angles of Keller are displayed on a screen behind him. Visitors may wonder where all the cameramen are. He explains, "They're really cool, state of the art, R2-D2 looking things about the size of a shoebox. My video guy, Scott Sun, has a joystick to go around and pan in and out. Nothing is rehearsed. During the show he's frantically following me around."
Keller is quick to praise his co-workers, giving ample credit where it's due. "My stage guy is Andrew Queen, who sets it all up and changes strings and kindly escorts tripping people off stage. Then, there's Lou Gosain, my front-of-house guy, who backs as the tour manager and harmony vocalist."
Keller approaches the songs on Dream just like any of this other material. "All the songs are basically written with just the solo guitar in mind. Every thing else that gets added to it is just a bonus. Pretty much all the songs have been played onstage for three years or more, so it kind of originates from the singer-songwriter standpoint and then shifts."
In the end, Dream is the culmination of Keller's journey, at least his journey so far.
"It's strictly self-indulgence, wanting these people to play with me and my music, and not really thinking about anything else other then that. It's all for me, wanting to hear these things, and this type of music, and these particular players, and hoping that people like it, but not really caring if they do because I'm not doing it for them. I'm actually touring now so that I can have a golf cart when I'm 80. I made the record so I can actually listen to it, at loud volumes, when I'm 80 and be proud."
JamBase | Worldwide
Go See Live Music!
Check out Backstage with JamBase's interview with The Keller Williams Incident
Listen to Keller talk about each song on Dream, including his collaboration with Bob Weir (and Weir's dog)
here.
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