By Kate Andrews
Daily Progress
Charlottesville, Va.
January 18, 2002
 

Dar Williams walks a fine line between advocacy and entertainment.

The singer, who emerged from the Boston-Cambridge, Mass., folk scene in the early 1990s, is known for her liberal political and environmental stances. But she aims for a light touch, avoiding the sledgehammer approach.

For example, Williams will sometimes announce, mid-song, an environmental rally or a abortion rights march.

"I think you've got to be really careful," said Williams, who will perform here Saturday.

She learned that the hard way when she wore a Ralph Nader T-shirt on her last trip to Washington.

"I got completely panned" in a Washington Post concert review, Williams said. "Nader is persona non grata."

Despite that review, Williams has long reaped the praises of critics and fans, dispatching four thoughtful studio albums since 1994. Her latest, live release, "Out There Live," is a mixture of old and new songs.

"We were already doing versions of the songs that were the most recordable," Williams said. "I always thought after four albums, you have a lot of material.

"I definitely didn't want to do a [a live album] after two or three albums."

Williams will perform solo Saturday.

"When I come with a band, that's one kind of show, and when I come alone, I have more freedom," she said. "It's a little more intimate."

Spontaneity doesn't preclude set list planning, however. "Indecision doesn't really function on stage," Williams noted.

Indeed, Williams has shown little indecision in her career, plunging right in.

Early on, "if somebody wanted me to play, I played, no matter the condition," she said. Now there are other challenges.

"There's the financial layer," Williams said. "There's the physical layer."

Also, the singer is getting married in May, making home life a larger consideration. And there are politics: "What do you talk about or not talk about on stage?"

Williams said she and other politically active artists try to make audiences aware "without lopsiding your own show."

Her fans, several of whom have quite detailed Web sites, welcome Williams' political views, although many of her fans react to her songs emotionally.

"They usually tell me things about their lives," Williams said. "My big joke is, I don't think I'll be famous, but my songs will be."

On that end, Williams is quite busy. She'll return to the studio next month to record another album, which will feature an instrumental song and a Yoko Ono-influenced experimental number.

Williams won't emit Ono-like screeching because of her sensitivity to high-pitched sounds. The song will instead be like a small radio play.

The singer is also writing a book for 11-year-olds about a girl who sometimes acts more grown up than the adults who surround her. Other projects include compositions for other artists and a story about the history of the Statue of Liberty. An then there's wedding planning, Williams sighed.

But for now, her mind on touring, Williams is excited about arriving her, where her grandparents lived.

"Charlottesville feels like my home," she said.

Dar Williams plays 10 p.m. Saturday at the Starr Hill Music Hall's Listening Room Series, which puts the kibosh on noise and smoking. Tickets are $20, $18 in advance. Call 977-0017.