Concert Review: Keller Williams & the WMD's in Washington, D.C., Nov 4, 2007

For nearly two decades Keller Williams has been fascinating audiences with his lively and imaginative performances. Manipulating sounds with an extensive array of delay systems, looping devices, and custom-made instruments, Keller has rightfully earned the title of “guitar’s mad-scientist.” He builds his songs in phases, recording each layer individually using a series of gadgets and gizmos.

Despite the improvisational nature of his stage act, even the most loyal Keller fans have expressed fear that his one-man show may be growing stale and repetitive. While the validity of that argument is clearly subjective, it appears to some extent that Keller has taken those criticisms to heart.

This past summer, Keller announced that he would be hitting the road with three brilliant colleagues from the jam band scene - bassist Keith Moseley, guitarist Gibb Droll, and legendary percussionist Jeff Sipe. What was originally thought to be a few select festival performances was expanded to include a short tour of the Southeastern U.S. this November.

The group, going by the name Keller Williams & The WMDs, made their third stop of the Fall tour at Washington D.C’.s 9:30 Club on Sunday. Soon after 8:30, Keller and his all-star entourage emerged, confirming reports that there was no supporting act. There was an arsenal of axes lined up on the stage and a slightly atypical layout; instead of being centrally positioned, the drum kit was to the far right facing the band as opposed to the crowd.

The show started with some beat box from Keller, with the others joining in one by one. There were a few minutes of warm-up jams and noodling around before the opening chords of “Best Feeling” hit with a bam. Keller sang out “for one second I felt like a kid,” and the trippy projected visuals switched to a recording of his toddler-aged daughter dancing around. As if it was the crowd’s cue, skirts began twirling, arms raised in the air, and the floor in front of the stage became a wave of motion.

The intensity built as Gibb and Keller played the call-and-answer game, finally culminating in a soaring solo from Gibb. A pained expression spread across his face and his eyes shut as he shredded his guitar with feverish energy, unleashing greatness that most performers reserve until the end of the night.

Article Author: Katrina

Katrina Croswell is a self-proclaimed music junkie residing in Harrisonburg, Virginia. When she is not at a concert or writing about one, you can find her stuck behind a desk at her boring day job. To read more of Katrina's music experiences, please …

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