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Dar Williams

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Summer Child
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Summer Child
Released: Jan 1, 2012
Label: Razor & Tie Label

About Dar Williams

Many Great Companions
Dar Williams is set to release her eighth studio album, Many Great Companions, via Razor & Tie on October 12th. Many Great Companions is a new album of Dar Williams classics recorded acoustically with special guests, with an additional disc of Williams’ most significant songs. Songs span Dar’s impressive career from 1993’s The Honesty Room through 2008’s Promised Land.

On Songs Revisited With Guitar and a Few Friends, Dar re-records 12 classic songs from her extensive catalogue, all performed acoustically. She’s joined by several fellow musicians and friends on the new versions, including Sean and Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Patty Larkin, Motherlode, and Gary Louris of the Jayhawks who also produced the album. The bonus disc, Best of Dar Williams, is not just a compilation, but rather a journey through Dar’s career. Listeners are able to follow Dar as she transforms from a folk singer just starting out to the seasoned musician she is today.

Many Great Companions showcases classic Dar Williams in a remarkably unique way, different than anything the songstress has ever put out before. Dar’s personal and artistic growth can be seen throughout her career, and this album is the perfect summation of her natural evolution. Songs Revisited With Guitar and a Few Friends and Best of Dar Williams complement each other flawlessly, creating the memorable Many Great Companions. The new album will not only engage and interest Dar’s current fan base, but will surely intrigue those who may not be as familiar with her prior music.

Dar Williams is one of the most respected singer-songwriters of her generation, and continues to engage her loyal fans and growing audience throughout the country. Dar’s personal and artistic growth have happened concurrently. After attending Wesleyan University, Dar spent 10 years performing at coffee houses in the artistic town of Northampton, Massachusetts before self-releasing her first album, The Honesty Room. She now spends her off time with husband Michael, and their two children, Stephen and Taya. Dar will be touring from September through November, with residencies in a few select cities. For more information, visit www.darwilliams.com.


Live DVD Cover
In Stores Now!

Order It Direct From MusicSpace
Order The DVD Now!

Or Download Direct From iTunes
Dar Williams - Live At Bearsville Theater

Comments

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  • Cheryl Hayes

    Just showing some Love xxx

    2 years ago
  • Misty Knight (Now on iT…

    Thanks for the Add! Please check out my music and tell me what you think!

    2 years ago
  • Crystina Maez

    May you have your feet on the ground, your heart in the stars and clarity in your mind.

    2 years ago
  • Grant Beedie

    hi dar. love your music. all the best for now. grant in new zealand

    2 years ago
  • Michael-Ann

    I do so wish you'd grace us with your lovely voice out West..... :)

    2 years ago
  • Michael Flett

    Looking forward to tomorrow night - going to be so good to have you back in Edinburgh!

    2 years ago
  • SPacedog WOof

    HELLO FROM SEATTLE- LOVE YOUR MUSIC!

    WOOF!

    2 years ago
  • E graham

    hey dar, great to see ya play last night in ithaca!

    2 years ago
  • James Monahan

    Dar: May God watch over you and your family and bless your new year.

    2 years ago
  • Lizzy Pitch

    hey dar when do you want your rollerblades back? peace from lizzy

    2 years ago
10 of 2277More

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Contacts

Management:
Russell Carter Artist Management
567 Ralph McGill Blvd.
Atlanta, GA 30312
phone: (404) 377-9900
fax: (404) 377-5131
email: russell.rcam@gmail.com

Press:
Jason Consoli
Razor and Tie
email: jconsoli@razorandtie.com

Online Promotions:
Marni Wandner
Sneak Attack Media
email: marni@sneakattackmedia.com

Booking:
Seth Rappaport
The Agency Group
1775 Broadway, Suite 515
New York, NY 10019
phone: (212) 581-3100 ext 255
email: sethrappaport@theagencygroup.com

Booking (UK and Europe):
Nigel Morton
Moneypenny Agency
The Stables, Westwood House
Main Street, North Dalton
Driffield, East Yorkshire YO25 9XA
UK
phone: 44 (0) 1377-217815
email: nigel.morton@moneypennymusic.co.uk

General Info

  • Genre: Acoustic / Folk / Pop

    Location Un

    Profile Views: 551002

    Last Login: 5/29/2012

    Member Since 8/18/2005

    Website www.darwilliams.com

    Record Label Razor & Tie

    Type of Label Indie

  • Bio

    .. .. ....Now Available: PROMISED LAND.. .. .. .. .. ..Dar Williams has just released her first album of original material in over three years, PROMISED LAND. With clean, driving production by Brad Wood (Pete Yorn, Liz Phair, Smashing Pumpkins), the album features 12 songs that showcase Dar's signature wide range of stories and social themes on songs including "It's Alright," "The Easy Way," and "Buzzer." Dar also does a cover of "Midnight Radio" from the acclaimed rock musical ..Hedwig and the Angry Inch.., as well as a cover of the Fountains of Wayne song "Troubled Times." Lending support on the album are such renowned artists as Suzanne Vega, Marshall Crenshaw, and Gary Louris (of the Jayhawks)... ......Get "Promised Land" on iTunes today!.. .. ...... .. .. .. ..About Dar Williams.. .. .."With every album, I'm trying to figure out what I don't have to say, while still giving each song its due," Dar Williams says. Of her new album, ..Promised Land.., Williams commented, "On this one, I was paring the stories down to their core. I wanted the songs to sound simple and down to what they were meant to be, which is hard to do. It takes a lot of knowledge to get to the point where you can say what you need to say — no more, no less.".. ..To peel her insightful, melodic story-songs down to their essence, as well as inject them with the energy and momentum they clearly called for, Williams enlisted Brad Wood, a Grammy-nominated producer and musician known for his work with rock singer-songwriters Liz Phair, Pete Yorn, and Ben Lee. "Dar was looking to try something different and get out of her comfort zone," Wood says. "She had made a number of records and it seemed like a good time, career-wise, for her to make a change. I was flattered that she thought to ask me to help. Her voice is so great that you can do just about anything behind her and it's going to sound cool!".. ..Personally inspired by the spindly live feel of late '70s/early '80s albums by the Police, Elvis Costello, and the Pretenders, Wood manages to make Williams' elegant, worldly songs sound visceral and urgent, while preserving the integrity and emotion that have been hallmarks of her sound (along with a beautifully intimate, bell-clear voice) since Williams began playing out on the Northeast singer-songwriter circuit in the early '90s... .."Brad understood the songs and gave them the space they needed," Williams says. "I love that clean, straightforward sound he gets." And so ..Promised Land.. includes several immediately engaging toe-tappers, such as "It's Alright," "The Easy Way," "Buzzer," and "Go to the Woods," as well as Williams' trademark thoughtful balladry, including the keenly felt "Book of Love," "The Tide Falls Away," and "You Are Everyone.".. ..There are also two covers, Fountains of Wayne's "Troubled Times" ("I'm a sucker for a tragic protagonist conveyed through what seems like a really pleasant pop song," Williams says) and "Midnight Radio" from the stage musical and film ..Hedwig and the Angry Inch.., whose soundtrack Wood produced, though Williams says he had nothing to do with her choosing to record the song. "Midnight Radio" was written by composer Stephen Trask, an old friend of Williams' from her college years. "Stephen and I go way back. He wrote a song for a student film I was in where I played a dancing potato," she recalls with a laugh. "But we also go way back in that spiritual sense, so I always wanted to do that song.".. ..Throughout, ..Promised Land.. brims with the renewed vigor that Williams clearly felt working with a new producer and group of musicians, including Better Than Ezra drummer Travis McNabb, who adds a welcome bounce and spring to the proceedings, and noted multi-instrumentalist Greg Leisz, who has played with Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Wilco, and Sheryl Crow. Other guest musicians include Williams' pals Marshall Crenshaw (guitars on "It's Alright"), Suzanne Vega (backing vocals on "Go to the Woods") and Gary Louris from The Jayhawks ("The Tide Falls Away")... ..In the past, Williams' songwriting has located the personal in such universal topics as politics, religion, sexuality, and family. This time, rather than tie the songs together around any particular theme, Williams presents a collection of disparate stories and characters. She writes about trying to be open to major life change on "It's Alright," trying to take the high road in past relationships on "The Easy Way," the perspective that comes with age on "The Tide Falls Away," and the Milgram obedience experiment that took place at Yale University in the '60s on "Buzzer" ("a subject I have been obsessed with since reading about it when I was 18"). However, Williams, a wife and mother of a four-year-old son, did find what she calls "the high seas of parenthood" influencing several of the songs, which she began writing after she finished her second children's book ..Lights, Camera, Amalee.. (published by Scholastic in July 2006)... .."I'll go through a day where the only people I'll talk to are my husband, my son, and the person behind the counter at CVS," she says, "but being a parent has pushed me out into my town too. It connects me to all the stuff that I care about, but on a local level, like politics, the environment, one's town, and all the interesting personalities in it. I'm interested in those stories. I see them connecting to the big picture of how people approach life. I think that's in the songs.".. ..Williams' passion for the big picture has led to a long-held connection to social and environmental issues, which she nurtures by getting involved with various projects, including community gardening and lobbying for renewable energy in the upstate New York town where she lives. "I'm as green as you get for what I do for a living, which require, you know, things like flying," she says. "I think about the environment all the time. The biggest deal to me right now is trying to get my town's elementary and middle schools to look at geothermal as an option," she says. Williams' other passions include local-food movements and arts outreach with kids. She will often perform at benefits in small towns that are struggling to save a local theater, bookstore, or farmer's market. "I love to get into these places and learn about their battles," she says. "In my mind, this country is like a patchwork of towns filled with people hanging out, growing gardens, listening to music, and talking about important stuff. In a way, that's what the album title is about. I found myself making a distinction between the Promised Land we claim and the actual promise of the land that we try to live up to. ".. ..Williams' growth as a person over her 15-year career has gone hand-in-hand with her evolution as an artist. Raised in Chappaqua, NY, and educated at Wesleyan University, Williams spent 10 years living in the thriving artistic community of Northampton, MA, where she began to make the rounds on the coffeehouse circuit. An early fan of her music was Joan Baez, who took Williams out on the road and recorded several of her songs. Williams self-released her debut album, ..The Honesty Room.. in 1993, then signed with Razor & Tie Entertainment in 1995, which has been her label home ever since. She has released one live album — ..Out There Live.. (2001); six studio albums — ..The Honesty Room.. (1993), ..Mortal City.. (1996), ..End of the Summer.. (1997), ..The Green World.. (2000), ..The Beauty of the Rain.. (2003), and ..My Better Self.. (2005); and one live DVD — ..Live at Bearsville Theater.. (2007)... ..Through it all, Williams' motivation as an artist is to "experience meaning without fooling myself," she says. "There are these moments where everything feels connected, and I think my art is about trying to find the stories that make us feel connected. That's the verve of my life. It's what keeps things interesting.".. ....View The "EPK" for ..Promised Land.. -- learn more about the making of the album from Dar herself!.... .. .... .. .. .. .... .. .. .... ....In Stores Now!.... ....Order It Direct From MusicSpace.. .... ...... ....Or Download Direct From iTunes.. .. .. .. .... .. .......... ........ .. .... ..(Layout ideas by ..Mike Industries.. - tweaked and polished by ..Dave Bias...)..

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    ..Contacts:.. ....Management:.. ..MCT Management ..520 8th Avenue (Suite 2205) ..New York, NY 10018 ..phone: (212) 563-0630 ..fax: (212) 563-5099 ..email: ..mailbox@mctbold.com.... ....Press.. ..Kerri Brusca ..TheNetworkPR ..Office: (646) 666 – 0840 ..kerri.brusca@thenetworkpr.com ..www.thenetworkpr.com.. ..Label.. ..Razor and Tie ..214 Sullivan St. ..Suite 4 ..New York, NY 10012 ..email: press@razorandtie.com ..(212) 473-9173 ....Booking:.. ..Seth Rappaport ..The Agency Group ..1775 Broadway, Suite 515 ..New York, NY 10019 ..phone: (212) 581-3100 ext 255 ..email: ..sethrappaport@theagencygroup.com .... ....Booking (UK and Europe):.. ..Nigel Morton ..Moneypenny Agency ..The Stables, Westwood House ..Main Street, North Dalton ..Driffield, East Yorkshire YO25 9XA ..UK ..phone: 44 (0) 1377-217815 ..email: ..nigel.morton@moneypennymusic.co.uk....

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