Friday, Jun. 26, 2015 by Kate O’Toole, Special to the Times-Mirror| 0 comments | Email this story
Dar Williams is more than a musician. A songwriter, author, teacher and mother, she intertwines all parts of her life into her music.
The result is meaningful songs about human connection and the world around her.
Williams recently released her ninth album, titled “Emerald,” about friendships and relationships. Fittingly so, the album was created in collaboration with a number of artists – one being Jill Sobule, who will share the stage with Williams on June 28 at the Tally Ho Theatre in Leesburg.
Sobule and Williams originally started collaborating over their love for the ’70s. When Williams decided to write a tribute to ’70s radio a year later, she knew who to call.
Together they wrote the song “Fm Radio,” which is featured on her new album.
Williams’ life is all about these connections. Her lectures on music movements in the ’70s, songwriting workshops, family, friends, travels and world reflections are all wrapped up into her music.
For her, songwriting can be about anything that matters to an individual personally, no matter how silly or small.
“It’s a common poetry about things that aren’t just about getting from point A to B or just about romance or passion, but about all the different kinds of passion for the world and for life,” Williams said. “Music is like poetry for people’s lives, and I think that’s extraordinarily important.”
Williams grew up in the suburbs of New York City and found herself following a career in music when she moved to Boston for college. It wasn’t until one night at a venue while candidly interacting with the audience that she found her voice as an artist.
“There was a warmth in the room and we were connecting, and I realized that’s why people perform to begin with,” Williams said. “It’s about the relationship that you have with the audience and all of those charged atoms in the room that you can’t even see.”
That was the moment she understood what being a performer really meant, and the doors to the rest of her career opened.
If you go:
Who: Dar Williams with Jill Sobule
When: 8:30 p.m. June 28
Where: Tally Ho Theatre, 19 W. Market St., Leesburg
Tickets: $30 in advance, $35 day of show
For more information, visit http://www.tallyholeesburg.com
Kate O'Toole 