She has been likened to ground-breaking artists such as Ani Difranco and Eliza Carthy and has played with star-status acts such as the Indigo Girls and Mary Chapin Carpenter. This Saturday, Dar Williams comes to Dartmouth to unleash her powerful songwriting and passionate vocals in a one time engagement.
Known primarily as a songwriter, Williams has received much acclaim from the big name leaders of her musical genre, contempory folk. Along with opening for Joan Baez on the folk-diva's world tour, Williams is featured in a duet on Baez's 1995 album, "Ring Those Bells," and was selected to accompany Baez and the Indigo Girls at a benefit concert at Alcatraz in the fall of 1996.
Williams' music has been described as "sweet and melodic," and recieves nothing but the highest praise from reviewers all over the country.
The New York Times reports: "[Williams] has the craft and heart to make the folky basics ring true again ... Her songs reach beyond modest ambitions; they glow with compassion and intelligence."
The concert, sponsored by Phi Tau coeduacational fraternity, is a rare opportunity for Dartmouth students to experience such a lauded musical figure bound for greater success.
Her latest album, "Mortal City," sold over 40,000 copies in the first six months -- a tremendous number for an indepently released folk album.
William's success lies in her wit. Her songs are composed with thought and executed with a certain trademarked honesty and precision characteristic only to her.
Like most folk artists, Williams thrives off of live sound. She has been all over the globe and country in the past years, selling out shows to a growing sect of "Dar Heads."
Students should not forgo the opportunity to see this ground-breaking artist. The show starts at 6 p.m. on Saturday, after an opener by Dartmouth's Irish band, Finnegan's Wake. Admission is free.
