An Intimate Evening with ALEX WILLIAMS

100 Public Square North,Dahlonega GA 30533

13 November, 2022

Description

Alex Williams 'Waging Peace' Bio Waylon Jennings said it best back in ‘78, realizing the line between his life and art had all but vanished. “Don’t you think this Outlaw bit’s done got out of hand?” the legend sang – and it’s a feeling Alex Williams knows all too well. Portrayed in 2017 as the heir to the Outlaw Country throne, the Lightning Rod Records artist played his part to perfection, living out the words to gritty hits like “Little Too Stoned” and the rest of a Nashville-produced album debut, 'Better Than Myself'. But after five years of waging war against himself, it’s time to put the guns down. “It’s all I knew at that point. When I made the first record, I didn’t have a band, I didn’t have a lot of writing experience, and overall a very surface level sense of what I wanted to do,” Williams says of his early days, and the tunnel vision which eventually led to his new LP, Waging Peace. Matching a cold look in the mirror with a newly liberated sonic style, the set marks a brand new chapter for an artist once pushed into a creative corner. “Now I feel like a totally different person, because there’s so much more I have experienced,” he goes on. “It’s not easy to get out of that powerful machine up in your head, and in my opinion it’s the toughest battle you can face ... But in the end, it’s worth it. I’m just trying to be honest with the songs and write the kind of music that I would want to listen to.” A small-town Midwestern kid who’s now amassed more than 5 million global streams, and toured throughout North America and beyond, those words reveal a man who’s lived and learned, finding a way to put his truth in song. And how he ended up here is a story of its own. Raised in Pendleton, Indiana, Williams grew up assuming he’d follow his father into criminal justice – but was laying down the law onstage by high school. Soon the old soul was enrolled in Nashville’s prestigious Belmont University, but he quickly left for an education on the road – connecting with Outlaw heroes like Waylon and Willie, Billy Joe Shaver and more along the way. Clearly gifted, the youngster’s cavernous vocal and gritty, go-your-own-way charisma drew attention, and soon Williams was offered a large-label deal too exciting to refuse. “I had just recently discovered and fell in love with all of the records from the 70’s Progressive Country era. It just sounded so fresh and real and really struck a chord with me like it has with a lot of musicians,” he explains, describing the scope of 2017’s Better Than Myself. “But now, things are expanding.” Thrusted into life on the road , the young talent quickly discovered his dream’s dark side. Surrounded by temptation and hurtling (uncharacteristically) toward rock bottom, his new record, Waging Peace, explains the fall-out. Still rooted in tradition and a bold, against-the-grain swagger, Waging Peace finds Williams growing – professionally and personally. Finding guitar-slinging inspiration in everything from Skynyrd and The Allman Brothers to Jerry Reed, plus the biting Texan poetry of songwriters Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt, Williams scours his very soul in each song, rumbling vocals framed by organic twang and retro fuzz. And unfortunately, there’s plenty of ground to cover. “It was that typical rock-star thing, traveling around and thinking ‘cool’ is the same as being reckless,” Williams admits. “I did it for a lot of years ... Until one night, and I’m still trying to process. I wasn’t that person then – and I’m definitely not now – and Waging Peace is just about trying to make peace with yourself. “It’s tough to be transparent about the difficult things that sparked these songs,” he goes on, quiet resolve guiding his voice. “But I’m not going to fabricate anything.” Over 12 deeply-personal songs produced by Ben Fowler, Williams gets real about the cost of living wide open. Built around an internal struggle between good and evil, he comes clean, seeks redemption and learns to trust his instincts again, injecting that pure-country theme with a blast of Rust-Belt rock. “Everybody has some sort of an escape, a way to tune out the realities of life whether it’s cocaine or your significant other,” he explains. “But as much as it feels like you are moving in those moments – like you’re on the road to where you want to be – in reality, you’re going nowhere fast.” To be sure, Williams isn’t the first artist to grapple with the temptations of success, and he won’t be the last to feel boxed in by his first record. But with those challenges come growth – and on Waging Peace, they lead Williams to something more authentic than any “Outlaw” label: three chords and the truth. “It’s been said before, but it’s true. All anybody like me hopes is that my songs will affect somebody,” he says. “Something that makes life a little bit easier to handle, and maybe finds some positivity in the struggle. I just hope there’s a connection there, and that I can keep making the art that satisfies me moving forward. I think that’s a big difference.” For more information about Alex Williams and his adventurous music journey, visit him on Facebook or www.AlexWilliams.com PRESS QUOTES & CREDITS 2017's heir to the "Outlaw Country Throne", Alex Williams ... cavernous vocal and gritty, go-your-own-way charisma inspired by everything from Skynyrd and The Allman Brothers to Jerry Reed, plus the biting Texan poetry of songwriters Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt, Williams scours his very soul in each song, rumbling vocals framed by organic twang and retro fuzz.