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[over the last two decades—from love and
heartbreak to social issues and spiritual
ideas—but she's never tackled the gods of
ancient Greece until now. Last year, she began
arranging songs based loosely on the stories
and parables of Greek mythology that she
remembered from her school days. The end
result was the melodic and emotive 10-song
concept album In the Time of Gods, released in
April, 2012 on the Razor & Tie labeL
"As much as I love Bible stories, a lot of
those are about having faith, obeying certain
things, feeling the spirit of God—and there's
a lot of that on my other albums—but Greek
mythology is about the journey of the hero/
Williams says, speaking on the eve of her cur
rent North American summer tour. "In these
times, people find themselves stepping up and
finding their voice in ways they didn't expect.
As I travel around, I meet people, and I see
a lot of humor, kindness and courage where
they're not just thinking of themselves. I see
some of those strong Greek stories, and it all
began heating up for me."
Listening to the lyrics of Williams' new
songs, it seems she's fascinated by the ongo
ing balancing act between human-created
chaos and civilized order—among the con
cepts of wisdom, education and justice. She
touches on the classic tragedies and battles,
things that initially seem discouraging and
scaiy, but there's a deep sense of encourage
ment and optimism in most of the music on In
the Time of Gods.
"I don't think it's pessimistic to say that
despite the fact that we're constantly stepping
in our own mess, we're still finding the words,
languages and gestures to keep the wheel
moving forward," Williams says. "I have to
be careful, because I get excited like a child
gets excited. You have to try to remain poised.
I promised myself that I wasn't going to be
chained to the concept. It was like going back
to a place where you'd had some luck. Carl
Jung, Joseph Campbell and all sorts of modern
scholars have gone back and said that these
stories are aspects of our psyches through the
years."
Williams assembled a fine team of seasoned
musicians and studio cats for the In the Time
of Gods sessions. Acclaimed producer Kevin
KiUen, who has worked with the likes of U2,
Elvis Costello and Peter Gabriel, oversaw the
production.The core band featured drummer
Charley Drayton, guitarist Gerry Leonard and
vocalist/keyboardist Rob Hyman, a producer
and arranger in his own right who's perhaps
best known as a founding member of '80s
pop-rock band The Hooters. (Hyman has been
working regularly with Williams since her
PQ03 album The Beauty of the Rain.) Special
guests on In the Time of Gods include vocalist
Shawn Colvin and veteran string player Lany
Campbell.
"If was terrific working with Kevin Killen
and the musicians he handpicked for the
album," Williams says in a press release issued
by Razor & Tie. "Kevin really was the alchemist
behind the record. Rob and I co-wrote four
songs, so a lot of the album is based around
our relationship. There is a grown-up fairy-tale
feeling to In the Time of Gods. It sparkles with
simple and beautiful layers, and it's muscular
in places and very lyrical in others. It was a
great service to my storytelling to have these
fine musicians giving the arrangements so
much strength and sophistication."
Compared to her team of collaborators
in the studio, Williams' touring band is a
stripped-down affair. Brooklyn-based key
boardist Bryn Roberts is a native of Montreal,
who regularly plays with various jazz, rock
and Americana artists. Guitarist and multi
instrumentalist Josh Kaler co-owns and helps
run the Hello Telescope recording studio in
Charleston, SC. When he's not strumming and
picking in indie-pop band Slow Runner, he
keeps busy as a sideman for Illinois songwriter
William Fitzsimmons and various other acts.
"It's been a very solid trio," Williams says
of her touring group. "They do the best back
ing vocals I've ever had, and they both hold
down the low end very well. The only thing
we're missing is drums, but, over the years,
duos and trios have resonated with audiences
better than solo or full-band shows. So, that's
what I'm doing on this tour." 3.
Williams admits that presenting a set
of pop/folk songs based on characters like
Persephone, Hephaestus, Hestia and Athena
might seem strange, but the live set works
well without coming off as heavy-handed, stiff
or academic. She doesn't yet suffer from Greek
mythology fatigue or overkill, but she is sur
prised by a few fans' reactions so far.
"Some people think that I'm saying that
the gods are Republican or corporations, but
I am not," Williams laughs. "Some think I'm
portraying them arbitrarily as outsiders, but
I think we are like the gods, and we have a
through-line of goals. These are epic battles in
everybody's heart, as well as out in the world."
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14 FLAGPOLE.COM JUNE 13,2012