Allison Williams: News

I'll be leaving in about a week to start my February tour with Chance McCoy. See if we're coming to your town by checking the calendar dates here:

http://allisonwilliamsmusic.com/calendar.html
I'll be at Folk Alliance right after that, Feb. 17-21 in Memphis, TN. I'm still adding showcases, but so far, my showcase schedule is as follows:

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Thu Feb 18 - 12 noon
Lunch concert at the Center for Southern Folklore - 123 S. Main Street

Thu Feb 18 - 3:00 pm
Traditional Room - 3:00-3:25 pm, Room 1904

Thu Feb 18 - 12:00 midnight
Private Showcase - "Banjos in the Round" - Steam Powered Preservation Society - room 1721.

Fri Feb 20 - 2:00 am
Private Showcase - Steam Powered Preservation Society - room 1721.

Sat Feb 20 - 11:15 pm
Private Showcase - Zippity Doo Dah, Room 1928
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Check back for updates!
-Allison

I'll be in New York in two weeks for a few exciting events:

On Jan. 8, I'll be showcasing for the APAP Conference, at a Manhattan cabaret space called Don't Tell Mama - http://www.donttellmamanyc.com/ - It's part of a multi-genre evening called "From Manhattan to Moose Pass," hosted by fiddling poet Ken Waldman. My bit starts at 10:30.

On Jan. 9, I'll be playing a concert at Brooklyn's Jalopy Theater: http://www.jalopy.biz/ - including a late night squaredance! My backing band will be Joebass, Jason Sypher, and Collin Gallihue, so you know this'll rock.

any questions? email info (at) allisonwilliamsmusic.com
See you there!

This just in!

I'll be showcasing with my friend Nora Jane Struthers in her Renaissance Hotel Suite on Friday at 11:30 - Room 2326.

This is a free showcase and open to anyone. I'll have Chance McCoy fiddling with me, and a hot Nashville rhythm section: Wes Langlois and Nathan Shuppert.

IBMA!

I'm excited about a few upcoming shows: I'll be at Knoxville's Laurel Theater with the Jake Leg Stompers, on September 25. We'll also be performing at Madison Creek Farms on October 3rd.

I'll also be showcasing at IBMA in Nashville, September 28 and 29, with Chance McCoy on fiddle, and my red-hot Nashvegas rhythm section, Wes Langlois & Nathan Shuppert.

Check my calendar page for details, and I hope to see you there!
-Allison

I know I haven't updated this blog in WAY too long, but I can explain!
I've been really wrapped up in audio work this year, working on a few recording projects, but mostly digitizing the Tennessee State Parks Folklife Collection, for the TN State Library & Archives.

This is an amazing collection of music, oral history, and interviews with traditional craftspeople, all made in Tennessee between 1979 and 1983. I've posted some of my favorite selections as a podcast here:

http://folklife.podbean.com
and I hope to post more soon!
I haven't abandoned music completely, though, I promise. I've been working a lot with the Jake Leg Stompers, playing bass and singing old country blues and hokum.

I've also been playing with Jesse Milnes & Emily Miller, of the Sweetback Sisters, in various configurations. We just took home a prize in the oldtime band contest at Uncle Dave Macon Days on July 11, with first place fiddle winner Anna Roberts-Gevalt on bass!

Check back here for upcoming shows, and as always, get in touch if you'd like to see me in your town! Also, check out my ReverbNation page, which I update much more frequently:

http://reverbnation.com/allisonwilliams
Mad love,
Allison.

hey all,
I've got a new YouTube page up, featuring fantastic videos of myself and Chance McCoy, plus links to archives of Forge Mountain Diggers performances. Check it out here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/allisonwilliamsmusic
Chance and I are talking about our next tour. It may be in the US, or the UK, but we will be back out on the road before too long. If you want to book us, contact:

info@allisonwilliamsmusic.com

love,
allison.

Well, we're almost at the end of it. I'm ensconced over a heating grate at the Purple Fiddle in the West Virginia highlands. it's snowing outside, but we're keeping warm here.

Morgantown was lovely; Rachel Eddy sat in with us on guitar, and took us to the Big Damn Jam across from the Black Bear afterwards. Chance & I stayed at her cabin that night, overlooking the town. In the morning Rachel & I did a breakfast dance to make the toast toast faster, and I left my soap in her shower.

We played a house concert at Cindy Harris' in Pittsburgh, and i got to visit my old friend Mike Roth, from back in the old DIY punk days of playing shows at Mr. Roboto.

the Philadelphia house concert, at the PSALM, was absolutely packed. Wiyos bass guy Joebass drove out from Brooklyn to play with us, and we rocked it down. The concert was caught on film by a wonderful crew, and should appear on Pennsylvania public television very soon. Look for it!

New York! Nothing else like it. We stayed in Brooklyn, ate serious breakfast at Cafe Shane, and I got a bass lesson from rockstar Jason Sypher. Our gig at Banjo Jim's went well; only minor drunken heckling quickly quelled by a ballad about alchoholism. Thanks to Eli Smith for his curation of the evening, and for being a parking Jedi! He found us a parking spot on the Lower East Side, only half a block away... that's some mystical shit.

The gig at Shepherdstown's Blue Moon Cafe was packed. They fed us really good food, and the audience was wonderful. I think that was our best set of the tour. Afterwards, I was too wired to sleep, so I drove the snowy mountain passes to Thomas, arriving just in time to catch the last of the Wiyos set at the Purple Fiddle, with Matt Brown sitting in. They're all sticking around for our gig tonight, so if you come out, be prepared to party! Hopefully it will all dissolve into crazy oldtime jam and squaredance action.

I'm ready to get back home to Nashville, to play with the Can Kickers on the 19th, and kick it with the Jake Leg Stompers again.

Thanks again to everyone who helped make this tour a success! Chance and I have had a great time, and will very likely do this again. If you'd like to book us in the future, just holler!

info@allisonwilliamsmusic.com

Love,
Allison Williams

Well, it's been a whirlwind these past few days. Chance McCoy and I have a few days off, and I'm staying with some dear friends in Virginia, eating all their bacon and pancakes and using up their wireless with my blogging.

We had an interesting first few shows... I caught the stomach flu the night before the Warren Wilson concert, and we barely made it through that one. The Old Farmers' Ball the next night was much easier. It's always a pleasure to play a dance with caller Phil Jamison, though sometimes I get jealous of the dancers! I was also surprised that night by an old friend from middle school, whom i hadn't seen in many years.

By the time we got to Augusta, GA's Stillwater Tap Room, I was much recovered, just in time for an awesome meal at the Blue Sky Cafe. Gabrielle got piped away by an amazing brass band playing in the street. About halfway through our concert, we noticed a strange array of inflatable toys popping up in the crowd. Apparently someone was celebrating a bachelor party, and i can tell you, if you haven't played hillbilly music for a crowd of people toting giant inflatable penises, you just haven't lived.

Rory Mullenex and Sam Linkaus joined us as rhythm section for the Blacksburg Square Dance, and they whupped it down. Great dancers there as well.
Jen Pollard graciously hosted our Blacksburg house concert, with generous organizational assistance from Scott and Susan Nelson. The oldtime scene here is truly supportive and nurturing, and I want to play here again as often as possible.

Chance & I have a few days off before we head up to Morgantown, then to Pittsburgh, Philly, and New York! Hope to see you on the road,
Allison Williams

Hey ever'​body,​
this is the first​ insta​llmen​t of what i hope will be a regul​ar tour blog for the next 2 weeks​.​

I'm in West (by God) Virgi​nia,​ rehea​rsing​ with Chanc​e at his farmh​ouse.​ We are way out in the count​ry,​ with very few distr​actio​ns,​ and it's great​.​ This is going​ to be an aweso​me tour,​ and I reall​y hope you can come see us somew​here on the road.​

We have speci​al guest​s joini​ng us for sever​al of the dates​.​ Gabri​elle Macra​e,​ of the Macra​e Siste​rs,​ will be along​ for the first​ three​ dates​,​ in North​ Carol​ina and Georg​ia.​ Rache​l Eddy may be persu​aded to join us in Morga​ntown​,​ WV, and our Phila​delph​ia conce​rt will be grace​d by the rhyth​mic talen​ts of Joeba​ss,​ from the Wiyos​,​ and possi​bly some super​-​secre​t other​ speci​al guest​s.​ In Thoma​s,​ WV, at the famou​s Purpl​e Fiddl​e,​ the Wiyos​ will also be on hand,​ so who knows​ what will happe​n?​ Maybe​ we'​ll give up hillb​illy music​ for a night​ and play you nothi​ng but jugba​nd swing​.​.​.​

Tour start​s Wedne​sday,​ at Warre​n Wilso​n Colle​ge in North​ Carol​ina.​ Come on out from your winte​r cocoo​n and get deep into the roots​ of Ameri​can music​ with us; it's hot down here.​
Love,​
Allis​on Willi​ams

http://myspace.com/allisonwilliamsmusic

Chanc​e McCoy​ and I spent​ most of last week in Londo​n,​ Engla​nd,​ where​ we perfo​rmed at the Barbi​can conce​rt hall.​ The 2,​000 seat venue​ was sold out, and the BBC was there​ to film it all!

The Observer (U.K.) called us "Accomplished and exuberant."

Those​ of you acros​s the pond can watch​ the resul​ting docum​entar​y:​ "​Folk Ameri​ca at the Barbi​can:​ Holle​rers,​ Stomp​ers,​ and OldTi​me Rambl​ers"​ this week on BBC Four.​

More info can be found​ here:​

http://www.bbc.co.uk/musictv/folkamerica/concerts/
It was an amazi​ng,​ magic​al night​,​ with our frien​ds the Wiyos​,​ and Cedri​c Watso​n'​s badas​s Creol​e/​zydec​o band,​ among​ other​s.​ Danny Knicely and Aimee Curl rounded out our band with their formidable talents.

Chanc​e and I will be on a tour of the Easte​rn U.S. start​ing Febru​ary 4, in North​ Carol​ina,​ so check​ my Myspa​ce for dates​ and come see us!
love,​
Allis​on.​

Buy it here:


The CD Release Party will be on Saturday, Dec. 6, at Nashville's 5 Spot. I'll be fronting a band of talented locals, the Jake Leg Stompers will bring their jug band madness, and more!

hey all,
I'm excited about several new happenings. First, my CD will be available at the end of this month! I'll post a link to CD Baby, so you can buy it online. There will be a CD Release party in Nashville, and I'll post details about that soon.

Second, I've joined the Jake Leg Stompers Jug Band. This is a powerhouse band with a dirty swing, and I'm thrilled to have folks to play traditional country blues with. We'll be performing around Nashville, so look for those dates on my calendar or MySpace site:
http://myspace.com/allisonwilliamsmusic
Third: I'll be touring in February with Chance McCoy. Chance is the West Virginia state champion fiddler, and he has his own solo album out. We'll be singing duets, performing fiddle tunes and originals, and kicking up some squaredancing too. Come out and see us, and if you want to book us in your town, get in touch now!

My upcoming album, "Give Me the Roses," is mixed and going to mastering next week. For a sneak preview, check out the new tracks on my MySpace:

http://myspace.com/allisonwilliamsmusic
I'll be playing locally this weekend at Asheville's Green Sage Cafe. Check my calendar page for details...
love,
Allison

Wow,
we're back from Georgia, and those of you that caught us really got to see something special. Playing with the McRae Sisters was a joy, and I'm looking forward to doing it again.

Here's what I'm doing now: Joe Bass and I are mixing the new record long-distance. I'm looking at having it out by the Mt. Airy Fiddlers' Convention.

I am engineering the McRae Sisters' first album. Marian, Gabrielle, and Joanna have put down nearly 20 tracks of haunting vocals and tight fiddle/banjo duets. Look for it soon.

In April, I will be going on the road, running sound for the Carolina Chocolate Drops. I won't be touring much until I can get my album out, so this is how I'll be satisfying my wanderlust and passion for oldtime music!

Also, I've been organizing a monthly traditional square dance in Asheville, NC. With all the talented musicians and callers here, as well as the wealth of deep tradition in this area, a dance like this makes sense. We had Phil Jamison and the McRae Sisters last month, and this month our caller is Beth Molaro, with music by Lindsey Hogan and friends.
If you're in the area, come down to the Asheville Arts Center, 308 Merrimon Ave., this March 30 (and the last Sunday of every month) at 7 p.m. for some rowdy dancing!

I'll be free to perform, call dances, or teach banjo lessons when I'm not on the road, so feel free to get in touch:

info@allisonwilliamsmusic.com

-Allison Williams.

Hey,
I'll be performing at the Back Room in Flat Rock, NC, this Thursday, March 6, at 8 pm. All you locals, this is your chance to come out and see what I've been working on this winter. Backing me up will be the phenomenally talented McRae Sisters.

See you there!

Hey everyone,
I'm going to be playing two shows in Georgia next month:

March 7: Stillwater Tap Room in Augusta, GA

March 8: Flicker in Athens, GA

Backing me up will be the stunningly talented McRae Sisters, Gabrielle & Marian.
Come out and hear the new songs, and, as always, some rocking old-time music!

You can get all the details at my website calendar page, or myspace site:

http://myspace.com/allisonwilliamsmusic
-Allison.

Hi! welcome to Allison Williams' official website, where you can listen to music, see photos, and find out what's new.

Take a moment to sign up for the mailing list, and feel free to email us with any comments you might have:

info@allisonwilliamsmusic.com

Thanks for visiting!