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Tour Schedule | Appearances
March 5, 2008
 September 17, 2007
 September 3, 2007
Host a screening party for Dar's Live at Woodstock DVD before the launch  (updated Sept. 17)

In May of this year, Dar Williams performed two concerts in Woodstock, NY and those shows were filmed for a live DVD.  Dar Williams "Live at Bearsville Theater" will be released on October 16th!  The DVD, which includes both solo and band sets, features luminous performances of Dar Williams classics ("Iowa," "When I Was a Boy," "The Beauty of the Rain") as well as a brand new song entitled "The Easy Way."

Over the years, Dar has attracted a devoted audience drawn to her extraordinary musicianship, engaging lyricism, charitable efforts to connect local community programs with the public at large and thoughtful, empathetic storytelling.  Recognizing Dar’s special relationship to her fans, Razor and Tie is offering fans the chance to host an exclusive Preview Screening Party weeks before the DVD becomes available in stores!

If you are interested in hosting a party, click HERE to download R&T's questionnaire and email your replies back to them at Darparty@razorandtie.com. The deadline to submit your entry is September 21st.

The winning hosts will be notified on September 24th by e-mail.  If you are selected, you will be sent a package containing the DVD and other party favors, as well as instructions on how to invite guests and throw the party.  R&T asks that you set up an Evite event and hold your screening on the night of your choice between the October 1st and October 15th.  Party Hosts who post pictures of their parties and give post-screening feedback will be automatically entered to win a guitar autographed by Dar!


June 10, 2007
Note from Dar - June  1, 2007

Spring Is The Liver

"Spring is the liver," says our yoga teacher. It's a time to twist and stretch and wring out our organs, and this year we added a big container of de-tox powder to this special season, which meant we'd have to go off dairy, wheat, soy, sugar, and caffeine for three weeks. Oh, and alcohol. We just finished it. It was only a little hellish.
I wasn't sure how I'd deal with gigs. I'm used to a few sips of wine before I go out and sign CDs, for instance, even though it gives me purple teeth in everyone's photos (Sorry. Your teeth look really white, though).

Pre-tox, in April, those halcyon days, I visited Saratoga Springs, a gorgeous small city with dressed-up old houses and a classy, dressed down Main Street of mostly indy businesses, and played at Skidmore for their great Earth Day celebration.

In Bellows Falls, Vermont, I did a fundraiser for the Bellows Falls farmer's market, which is more than just that, as most of them are. I got to see my old manager, Charlie Hunter, and his studio of great paintings. Charlie brought a concert series to Bellows Falls, so it's no surprise to me that the town is doing so well. When music is one of the cornerstones of a small town revival, somehow you get a Main Street with cool restaurants, a good general store, a functional, renovated old theater, and even an independent bookstore. Who doesn't love finding these human-scale, progressive towns with good cappuccino and adequate hardware supplies??

After Bellows Falls I was home for a little while and we had a birthday party for Stephen (three) with four kids and eleven adults. We grilled, we drank, the kids ran wild. It was great.

And THEN, the live DVD. It was like a prom, but, if I remember correctly, I didn't have my own hair and makeup person for my prom, and Shawn Colvin didn't help me find my dress. I knew Shawn was going to be up in New York and she consented to take me on a whirlwind shopping trip. I tried on everything. Shawn was supportive, sympathetic (the low-riding capris were saddening) and inspired. Many thanks to my fashionista sister and her patience!

Woodstock, where we filmed the DVD, was really at its stunning best. There is a creek running behind the Bearsville Theater where you can practically see the dancing wood sprites, and the guys from WDST (particularly Noel) brought the coffee and good vibes from their station next door.

I paid my respects at the Strawberry Fields-like homage to Albert Grossman, who was given the title, "The Baron of Bearsville."
I said to Mark from Allaire Studios, "But he's not really buried there, in the woods behind the theater."
Mark said, "Oh yeah, he's buried there."
And I said, "But isn't that illegal?"
Mark said, "Oh yeah, I think so."
Baron indeed.
Mbr>
I performed with Ben Butler on guitar, Mike Visceglia on bass, and Steve Holley on drums. Woodstock Films filmed. Jeff and Christen provided management and stage flora. And the extra wine.

Many thanks to all!

I did a solo set, then brought the guys up. And we dragged Jules Shear up on stage to sing Echoes (which he co-wrote). The Woodstockians were an amazing crowd. Many of them had, I'm guessing, homesteads, organic farms, and llamas to take care of in the morning, but they stayed through a second encore of Comfortably Numb, which I even started over.

On Sunday, we visited the Woodstock Animal Sanctuary, run by my friend Doug and his lovely wife, Jenny. As Doug says, turkeys look like their heads are inside-out, and when they're not afraid of being slaughtered, they're very friendly, and you can have a really nice X-Files moment with them, caressing their nubbly brain-like heads. Stephen said he'd prefer to go to a store and buy an animal toy, and it felt like he was exposing us somehow.

Still, Michael, Stephen and I drove home with stars in our eyes from such a wonderful weekend.

The next weekend, while de-toxing, I went to Fall River and Lexington, Massachusetts, and they did it for me! They made de-toxing and performing easy. The Narrows in Fall River is a volunteer run coffeehouse and gallery and it's worth a trip. Somehow, confirming Ryan Fitzsimmons as the opener slipped through the cracks. I asked if they could still call him, and he ended up speeding down from Cambridge, peeling into the driveway, and jumping onstage. And then he crushed it, in the words of a rad friend. Genuine, talented, and charismatic.
The Joyful Noise in Lexington was a reunion with Scott Alarik, who spoke and sang beautifully before the show, and who is the Bard of the Boston Globe, ennobling folk music and "deep community," and Marilyn, who was there from WUMB. Great sound, and great space. Thank you David and Gail, and David. And Amy Putnam.

I found two pictures backstage of a woman named Pamela who had bought tickets for the show, but had died before. When I saw that she had requested "After All" at an earlier show, I knew she had committed suicide. I dedicated "After All" to her again, and to her lovely friends, and then mentioned, crassly perhaps, that people who really like that song should probably get some help. Perhaps that put a damper on the song, hm? But I did it for Pamela (not that she avoided getting help. It looks like she tried very hard.). I needed therapy to get me out of my clinical depression when I was twenty-one. A song alone can't do it, I've learned!

I had more gigs after these, but I'll leave it at that for now. I'm off for almost a month, and I'm headed off to the woods (or café, or my favorite museum up the street) to finish writing my next album.

Happy Liver, Everyone,

Dar

PS: I don't believe in nuclear power! I just read an op-ed in the NY Times saying we need nuclear power in our anti-global warming strategy. The National Renewable Energy Lab recently wrote to my friend Harvey Wasserman and confirmed that our energy could be 99% renewable by 2020. There, my de-tox is complete.

March 27, 2007
Note from Dar

you’re a powerful force of action and change

Spring must be here. Stephen and I threw leaves and twigs into the creek for a very long time as we listened to the birds singing their songs of first flowers and "Holy crap, what the hell was that blizzard last week?"

Speaking of blizzards, I had a fabulous time in the Midwest in February, despite all the chuckling I heard in the national weather reports for that weekend. "We just hope you're avoiding Chicago this weekend. Really. Oh MAN, you'd be INSANE to go there!"

In Wisconsin it started coming down just before the Barrymore concert in Madison. Still, the audience showed up. Wisconsin, just know there are many parts of New York that would not have done that. Big hellos to Abby, Ashley, Penny and Diane with thanks for the beautiful poster about how the Barrymore concerts over the years brought them together. They came up on stage for the song Iowa, as they had in 2005, and brought the house down as usual. They were also playing their guitars out in the snow before doors. I offered to get them something at the Blue Plate, across the street (in retrospect, perhaps I should have offered to let them in), where I had dinner with Brianna Lane, who opened the Wisconsin shows SO AWESOMELY. I kept thinking that she'd put in the "real miles," in her career and beautiful songwriting.

After the show I drove in the blizzard and almost got killed. Anyway, The Steppenwolf Theatre, in Chicago was everything I dreamed it would be. Sound and lighting people with college degrees in sound and lighting! I was on the Huckleberry Finn set, spare, bone white, assymetrical ramps. I looked so cool. I said that Comfortably Numb could be a small Beckett script, two characters (coming out of trash cans, perhaps?) emerging out of any number of times in life or history. The audience had that "stop pandering to the subscribers" look, but I sensed that they agreed, and they were undeniably sophisticated. So I stand by the Beckett reference.

And the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee. Ah, Milwaukee. As if trying to quickly rewire the brains us tourists who ever associated Milwaukee with, uh, afforadable beer and Laverne and Shirley, that city is full of beautiful surprises, in its spirit and old and new architecture, at every street corner. I got to go to Alterra Coffee twice while I was there (the one on Lincoln Memorial Drive). As with playing at the Pabst Theater, my trips to Milwaukee just get better and better.

In the middle of March, I was part of a speak-out rally during a war education week at SUNY New Paltz. Ingenuously, I encouraged the students to come up and talk about war in general and how this war made them reflect on this moment in history. As if I had to!!! Many thanks to the students, most of whom had pre-written raps and poems, one of whom wrote one on the spot, and to their nationally ranked Slam team for being such an inspiration. I hope you know that you're a powerful force of action and change.

I took some time off before my next gig, this weekend, in Ossining, down the river from where we live. The show was sponsored by the school foundation, Ossining Matters. High school members of a class called "Gimme the Mic" opened the show and one of them, Olivia, sang her own song, which was great. I guess all I can say was that I was completely impressed with everything. At the end of the night, as I headed for the reception, I emoted, "You even made me cookies! From scratch?" The woman said no, and looked pained. I felt terrible. Well, they had that vibe, and that's the important thing.

I'm excited about the month ahead. I'm going to play at Skidmore, where I played for Earth Day a couple years ago. I went on and on about Earth-related things, but I will briefly mention that a professor started a "Lights out to stay in" program where any money the campus saves on its electricity bill is used for a fund to help students with mid-semester financial crises.

Also, I'm playing as part of a celebration of the 30th Anniversary of the Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard, featuring and honoring Salman Rushdie, Amartya Sen, E.O. Wilson, and many others. It should be quite a thing. I think I'm going to invite my parents, and I'm imagining I'll receive a very nice tote bag.

I'm also doing a fundraiser via my good friend and former manager Charlie Hunter's (the manager and wonderful painter, not the jazz musician) venue in Bellows Falls, Vermont, for their community active farmers market. I finally realized that local food groups and community gardens provide an approachable microcosm of all the global issues I support, so I hope I'll be doing more of this. Also, supporting community gardens means –dude!-- a lot of free food on the road. You can buy tickets by clicking on this link

I heard a great interview on the BBC (I'm probably the only person in the world who alternates between the BBC and E! Entertainment news on satellite radio) with Wangari Maathai about tree planting. She's aiming to get people to plant a billion trees this year (www.greenbeltmovement.com, click on "Plant for the Planet"), so I'm going to try to do something like that for my 40th birthday.

Oh! And I'm doing a live DVD in early May in Woodstock (Woodstock/Bearsville). One of the seventh graders at Ossining asked if I'd been at Woodstock. The answer is yes, for lunch at Bread Alone, a very nice place. And I like to wave my freak flag in the direction of WDST whenever I go, as well.

Thanks for listening,
Dar



February 19, 2007
Note from Dar:
    A big hello from upstate New York!
    I'm writing from my dining room, where I get the best view of the frozen Hudson River.
    I meant to start writing a formal Hello in December.  The holiday season was unusually filled with seasonality.  My son, of course, was doing Santas, menorahs, and Kwanzaa symbolism collages at daycare, but beyond that, there were Christmas songs with Gandalph Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams at a Cold Spring, NY fundraiser at the beginning of December, the jovial, merry laughter of audiences in Bath, Maine and Somerville, MA, as I told them that I'd left my guitar at home (I used Peter Mulvey’s guitar in Somerville. Thanks, buddy.), and, of course, there was the fully decorated tree that almost fell on me in Westfield, NJ.  But best of all, I wanted to thank the audience in Northampton, MA for singing with my son at 11:30 pm on December 31st.  It was so, so nice to hear a thousand voices quietly helping him with the words to Twinkle Little Star.
    We went to California in January, and I had a great time on the sunny boulevards and little stages of Los Angeles clubs, and the Eucalyptus-lined roads and groovy stages of Northern California.  And all three of us enjoyed that California thing where you reach up and pull a piece of fruit off a tree. Keep that, California.
    I'm heading off (alone) for Madison, Milwaukee and Chicago in late February. I'm part of Steppenwolf Theater's month-long Traffic Jam Festival (yes, I'm thrilled about it), and I'll be at the Barrymore in Madison and the Pabst in Milwaukee, two great stages. Each of these cities has a few of my favorite haunts, too.  I'll probably head to Willy St. Coop and the Blue Plate in Madison and Alterra Coffee in Milwaukee.
    On the last weekend of February, Senator Bill Bradley's interview with me will be airing on Sirius Radio. He' s as affable and intelligent as we all hoped he was when he was running for president!
    I don't have a lot of gigs in March, but they’re all connected with things I love, Ossining Matters (a school foundation), Peace Action in Princeton, and John Gorka in Patterson, NJ.
    Speaking of peace, there's also going to be a week of education about the human, diplomatic, and financial costs of war at SUNY New Paltz in mid-March. I'm showing up to be the entertainment at their speak-out on March 14th.
    And I'm also doing a couple of school visits with middle school age kids close to Wayne, NJ and Ossining, NY, with guitar and books.  I love hanging out with 9 to 12 year-olds, even when the 12-year-olds ask me how old I am and how much money I make.
    But that's really it for March, I think.
-Dar

August 16, 2006
Dar has moved to a new management company. Her interests will now be looked after by the folks at Velour Music Group. If you would like to e-mail Dar or any of the team there, the link has been added to the links page.

April 15, 2006
Dar's sequel to Amalee, called Lights, Camera, Amalee, is scheduled for release in July 2006 in hardcover from Scholastic. More details as I get 'em.

February 23, 2006
For Dar and peace fans in the NYC area, here's an interesting event at which Dar will sing and Daniel Berrigan will speak.

StudyWar No More: Religion and the Contemporary Peace Movement
Keynote Speaker: Daniel Berrigan, S. J.Peace activist, poet, playwright, founder of Plowshares Movement
Moderator: The Reverend Patricia Ackerman, Project Director, Garrison Institute; Founder of Over the Rainbow Institute for Living Ethics
Panelists: Ibrahim Ramey, Fellowship of Reconciliation, Muslim Peace Fellowship Rabbi Tsvi Blanchard, National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership G. Simon Harak, S.J, War Resisters League, Voices in the Wilderness
Music provided by Dar Williams and Paula Larke
Thursday, March 2, 2006, 7-9 p.m., The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, 1047 Amsterdam Avenue at 112th Street
Please contact mjrubenstein@stjohndivine.org or call 212 316-7440 for more information.
This event is free and open to the public.

February 15, 2006
Win an electric guitar signed by Dar and other artists on This Bird Has Flown tribute CD.
Enter Razor & Tie's This Bird Has Flown contest to win a Squier Affinity Series Stratocaster electric guitar autographed by Dar Williams, Low, Nellie McKay, The Donnas, and Rhett Miller. What better way to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of The Beatles' "Rubber Soul"?To enter the contest click here!

November 15, 2005
“This Bird Has Flown” Podcast
Join producer Jim Sampas, as he talks about creating the new tribute album "This Bird Has Flown - A 40th Anniversary Tribute to The Beatles' "Rubber Soul."  On the "This Bird Has Flown" Podcast, Jim talks about working with artists like The Donnas, Ted Leo, Sufjan Stevens, Ben  Harper, The Fiery Furnaces, Dar Williams and Mindy Smith, and previewssongs from the new album.  Jim also brings incredible insight into the recording of the original "Rubber Soul," and talks about The Beatles as they enter a new phase of their career.
To subscribe, click http://feeds.feedburner.com/ThisBirdHasFlownPodcast  or copy and past the feed address into iTunes or other rss readersoftware.

Interviews:
Dar Williams: Real, WMA
Ben Harper: Real, WMA
Ted Leo: Real, WMA

August 12, 2005 *updated September 19, 2005
The Echoes Initiative
In conjunction with the album release, her forthcoming tour, and the release of her first single "Echoes", Dar has organized the Echoes Initiative. Dar has selected markets on the tour and has worked with the promoters to identify small but very worthwhile community-based organizations in each of those markets. Through pre-show promotion, providing a presence for these organizations at her shows, and helping to raise money by providing some higher priced special tickets at each event, Dar is hoping to raise awareness and funds for these organizations. The work of these organizations truly echoes all over their communities, and by extension and example, all over the world.Special price tickets will include admission to a meet and greet reception with Dar and members of the chosen organization.
9/22-23 Sanders Theater - Cambridge, MA - Our Bodies Ourselves
* 9/20 Higher Ground - So. Burlington, VT - Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf -- As part of the Echoes Initiative, Conscious Alliance will be in attendance to collect donations and food to benefit a local food shelf, Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf. On the day of show, donations of $15+ or 15+ non perishable food items will also get you a ticket into a post show meet and greet with Dar.
9/24 Strom Auditorium - Rockport, ME - Cultivating Community
9/29 Town Hall Theatre - New York - The Door
9/30 Keswick Theater - Glenside, PA - Bethesda Project
10/1 9:30 Club - Washington, DC - Crisislink
*10/7 The Orange Peel - Asheville, NC - Wild For Life
10/18 Aladdin Theater - Portland, OR - Sistes of the Road Cafe
10/19 Moore Theatre - Seattle, WA - Seattle Youth Garden Works
*10/30 Pabst Theater - Milwaukee, WI - Urban Ecology Center
* 11/6 The Ark - Ann Arbor, MI - Growing Hope

August 2, 2005
Dar will be one of the artists featured on a tribute to The Beatles' Rubber Soul album. The CD will be called This Bird Has Flown and she sings "You Won't See Me." The CD is due out Oct. 25.  Read the Billboard article about it.

June 11, 2005
Dar is helping to sponsor a group of Dartmouth students who are going around the U.S. playing ultimate frisbee and promoting alternative energy by riding around in a school bus, The Big Green Bus,  that is running on salad oil.Their tour starts next week. Check out their website for details and be sure to watch their short movie. It was very entertaining.

June 7, 2005
Dar Williams, Catie Curtis, the Kennedys and others are in the studio recording a tribute album to musician Rachel Bissex, who died in February after a two-year battle with breast cancer. The album, which will feature Bissex’s songs, is being recorded with donated funds for production and publicity, and all funds generated from the album’s sale will go to a scholarship fund for Bissex’s surviving children, Emma and Matt. The CD is scheduled to be released in July. You can pre-order from www.rachelbissex.org.

June 3, 2005
Dar will be one of the celebrity guests at  the Women's Campaign Fund (WCF), the nation's oldest nonpartisan political action committee dedicated to electing pro-choice women, Annual Washington, D.C., Dinner "Parties of Your Choice" on Wednesday, June 15.  Read the press release for more information.

April 29, 2005
To kick of mental health month, mpower & 1-800-SUICIDE will hold an eBay auction to raise awareness of and prevent teen suicide. mpower's eBay auction begins Monday, May 2nd and will continue until the end of May with new auction items for sale each week.  Log on to www.mpoweryouth.org to learn more about the campaign and to get a sneak preview of some of the items that will be featured. A number of autographed Dar CDs will be part of the auction.

April 10, 2005
February 26, 2005
Here is an update on Dar's new CD and plans for the year:


February 12, 2005
Dar is back in the studio recording her next CD.  She's working at Alaire Studios in the Catskills and the band includes Steuart Smith and Ben Butler guitars, Rob Hyman and Julie Wolfe keyboards, and Mike Visceglia on bass. The producers are Stewart Lerman and Rob Hyman. More details to come as I get them.

December 24, 2004
Dar begins work on a new CD in January.
This is what Dar's manager Ron Fierstein has to say about it:
Dar will begin work on a new album in January.  The same basic crew of Stewart Lerman, Rob Hyman and Steuart Smith, who worked with Dar on TGW and BOTR, together with Dar's touring band of Mike Visceglia, Julie Wolf and Steve Holley will be pitching in.  I'm hopeful that the album can be completed by late March which would allow for an early Summer release. The current plan is to do a band tour in the Fall, starting at the end of September in the Northeast (look out for dates at the Sanders Theater in Cambridge to be announced by Ellen Friedman). Dar will also be doing isolated solo shows and festival appearances through the Spring and Summer, including a very exciting and very special show in early March at the new venue at the Time Warner Headquarters in NYC, The Allen Theater. Dar's show is part of the American Songbook series they are presenting. The stage has a picture window as a backdrop with a spectacular view of Central Park and the NY skyline. This will be a very special event.

 September 9, 2004
Here's a U.S.  election  message from Dar:
The Flake-Out Stake Out
or, Are You Sure You're Voting This Year?
So there you are on October 20th, two weeks from Election Day, and suddenly you realize that you are still registered at your old address, three thousand miles away.  You wonder, is it too late to register in your new state, get an absentee ballot, or send in an absentee ballot?  Will you be able to VOTE on November 2, 2004?
Many young voters have disenfranchised themselves by missing one deadline or another. Having moved nine times in fifteen years, I have been one of these voters!
A good place to find answers to all questions is www.activoteamerica.com. Click on "Resources" for a map of The United States that gives state-by-state voting guidelines.
Let's firm up the twenty-and-thirtysomething vote.  Go to the website or call your local county board of elections to make sure you're good to go.
You can space out on a load of laundry in the washer or forget your card in the ATM machine, but don't flake out on THIS!
Best Wishes,
Dar Williams
PS: Your voting site changes when you change counties, so if you've moved from Brooklyn to Fredonia, New York, you, too, could be surprised!

July 27, 2004
You can win  a VIP Weekend at Floyd Fest, in Virginia, Aug 13 to 15  including backstage access, onsite parking, post-festival party, limited stage seating, all meals, and  FloydFest merchandise.  Click here for more information.

May 20, 2004
On June 29, Silverline will release The Green World and The Beauty of the Rain on 5.1 DVD Audio. Each CD will contain a little bonus material. The Green World will feature approx 3-4 minutes video footage of tour rehearsals of Dar and musicians in the studio.  The Beauty of the Rain will feature a Photo Gallery of pictures taken from fans. The rest of Dar's catalogue will also be released on DVD-A at a later date.

April 26, 2004

Great news!  Stephen Gray Robinson was born on the morning of Saturday, April 24, 2004 to parents Dar Williams and Michael Robinson. He weighed 7lbs 3oz, and was 21 inches long!  If you're interested in making a donation in honour of his birth, click on the soother on the left.  Notes and wishes can be sent tojennifer@rfent.com.  To make donations, click here for information.

Win Free Tickets to see Dar on Martha's Vineyard in August
For decades the Black Dog Bakery on Martha's Vineyard has sold far more more hats and tee shirts with that ubiquitous red collared black Labrador retriever than they ever have of the croissants that opening act Joe Keenan baked there in his youth. Send us your favourite  photo of “the” black dog or any black dog (with or with out human) and whichever tickles our fancy most gets a free pair of tix to see Dar On The Vineyard on August 21st. Send images and your contact info to info@daronthevineyard.com. Snail Mail: Dar Contest c/o I.W.F, One Short Street, Northampton, MA 01060. Judges whimsical decision final; no materials returned.

March 18, 2004
Here's a note from Ron Fierstein, Dar's manager:
Here's the scoop:  we are in the process of  remixing all of Dar's albums inthe new 5.1 surround sound DVD-A format.  These CDs will be playable on just about any home theater system with a DVD player and surround sound speakers.It's an exciting new technology.  I've sort of likened the effect to an"exploded view" of the music, a term that may only mean something to those of you who've done mechanical drafting or have otherwise delved into model making, etc.  Essentially, the instruments and voices are arrayed around theroom instead of just the left/right axis of a normal stereo mix.

The first two albums to be mixed are TBOTR and TGW, but neither is finishedyet.  They have each gone through several iterations, as we are doing our best to make sure these mixes are as exciting as they can be.  That might explain the mix-up on the release date, as they had originally intended to release them around now, but on several occasions we had to send them back to the studio to do more work on the mixes.  We expect to be able to approve final mixes of both albums over the next few weeks, and once that happens, a release date for these first two will be announced.

I'm hoping they can be released in May so that we can synergize with the release of Dar's children's book, Amalee, which will start hitting bookstores in late April with an official launch around Memorial Day.

March 12,  2004
The Patty Griffin Site is running a birthday fund drive until Patty's Birthday on March 16 at 5 p.m EST. They PM eastern. Therewere just sent a box of Dar Williams promo CD's from "Beauty fo the Rain" to use as gifts. So for everyone who makes a US$10 donation to the fund drive in co-operation with the Vietnam Veterans Foundation, will get one of the promo CD's. Go to www.vvaf.org  to make a donation and then send a copy of the email confirmation to  pattygriffinbirthdaydrive@yahoo.com  along with a note saying "Dar Williams Special" and you will get a copy of the promo CD.

March 2, 2004
Dar Williams, Bonnie Raitt, Caitlin Cary, David Crosby,  and Graham Nash, Lucy Kaplansky, Anna Egge, Catie Curtis  and many others are among the artists who have contributed songs to a two-disc singer/songwriter compilation that will raise funds to fight Parkinson's Disease. "ParkinSong, Volume One: 38 Songs of Hope," will be released May 11 via Ryko Distribution. It is produced by Lloyd Maines (Dixie Chicks, Jimmie Dale Gilmore) and includes Dar's song The One Who Knows on disc 2.
Some of the songs deal directly with Parkinson's, including Alvin's "The Man in the Bed," written as a tribute to his father. Also included is Tom Russell's "Muhammad Ali." Proceeds will benefit the New Jersey-based ParkinSong Foundation, which uses music to raise awareness and money to research new and innovative therapies for treatment of Parkinson's Disease. The non-profit organization was founded by the three children of New Jersey schoolteacher Selma Litowitz, who has battled the disease for more than a decade.
The ParkinSong Foundation began with a 2001 benefit concert in Lawrenceville, N.J., where Litowitz taught high school English. Comedian/actor Jon Stewart, a former pupil, hosted the first event, while a second was held the following year in nearby Newtown, Pa. The organization intends to stage higher profile concerts on the East and West Coast later this year, and will begin assembling tracks for a second volume of the compilation.


February 24, 2004
iTunes now has six Dar Williams albums for sale for US$9.99 each or 99 cents a song. This is great news for fans who are going CD-free, not to mention cheaper than buying the CDs. Only thing is you don't get the lovely CD packaging with art and lyrics.

December 6, 2003
According to Amazon.com, Dar's book  Amalee will be out in July 2004. You can pre-order if from Amazon but there's no details and no price yet.

December 2, 2003
Dan Zanes, celebrated children’s performer,  is doing a special benefit for Hudson Clearwater at The Chappaqua Library on December 21, at 3pm.  Dar willbe there and may jump up on the stage for a couple songs.  Tickets are $20/adults,$15/children under 12, kids under 2 on laps are free.  Buy or reserve tickets at The Second Story bookstore, 75 N. Greeley Ave., 914 238 4463.

October 26, 2003
Benefit Concert to Save The Bottom Line

As many of you may know The Bottom Line in New York City is in danger of losing its lease - New York University  is the landlord and it wants the space back for classrooms. Many people are pitching in to save The Bottom Line as an important institution.
    Bruce Springsteen writes, "Over the last 20 years, the Bottom Line has made itself a central part of New York City culture. When I think of the most memorable nights in my own career, few match the week of shows we did there in 1975. As a musician, as a citizen, and as one who loves New York City, I truly hope that a solution can be found that allows the Bottom Line and Allan and Stanley to continue their important, valuable work for many years to come.b
    On Friday, December 5 , Suzanne will be appearing with Dar Williams and John Hiatt - the three will be onstage together and trade songs and stories. There will be two shows at 7:30 and 10:30 pm.

September 14, 203
Dar's band for the U.K. mini-tour are:
Ben Bulter on guitar
Steve Holley on drums (though percussion only in Birmingham & Dublin)
Mike Visceglia on bass
September 5, 2003

CONGRATULATIONS TO DAR!! Dar won the award for singer/songwriter album of the year, The Beauty of the Rain, last night at the Boston Music Awards.

August 11, 2003

In a special offer to Dar Williams' fans, Black Wolf Press is offering a special discounted price if you order Scott Alarik's Deep Community: Adventures in the Modern Folk UnderGround through this web site. For the next few weeks, darwilliams.net vistors will pay only US$12, instead of the regular $20, for the book by ordering online from Black Wolf Press. Scott and his publishers are looking to get the word out about the book in a grassroots way and this is their way of saying thanks for buying it.  Deep Community  is a collection of Alarik's inteviews from the Boston Globe that shine a light on the thriving world of folk music at a time when the mainstream music industry is in an historic decline. Interviews include Joan Baez,  Pete Seeger,  Judy Collins and many more. Dar is in a number of places throughout the book. It's a fascinating and entertaing read. Dar calls Alarik "the finest folk writer in the [U.S]"

July 31, 2003
July 13. 2003
Dar has been nominated for a Boston Music Award in the best female vocalist category. Click here to read the Boston Globe article about the nominations.

May 16, 2003

Here's some info on Dar's July 20 show in California.
April 29, 2003
Peter Jones in Charlottesville, VA will be doing a two-hour program of all Dar on Tuesday, May 6, between 9 and 11 pm, as part of the WTJU 91.1 FM public radio Folk fund drive .  If you have any questions or suggestions for the program, you can e-mail him at peter@tellusatale.com.

April 25, 2003
Dar Williams appears on the String Cheese Incident "On The Road" CD from October 25th, 2002.  She opened the show for String Cheese Incident, then joined them onstage for John Lennon's "Imagine", the only time String Cheese Incident has ever played the song.  Dar appears on disc 2, track 6.  Julie Wolfe appears on disc 1 track 3 and disc 2 track 6 as well. The 3-disc set is US$18.00 from SCI's website.

April 2, 2003
For UK fans: This week, until Apr. 9, BBC Scotland is giving away copies of Dar's CD The Beauty of the Rain on the Celtic Roots site.

March 27, 2003
Here's some tour news:
Dar's touring band will include Ben Butler (guitar), Steve Holley (drums), Carol Steele (percussion), Michael Visceglia (bass), and Julie Wolf (keyboards).
Ben Taylor Band will be Dar's special guest on the whole tour, except for April 29, 30 and May 1, when John Eddie joins Dar.


March 16, 2003
MONDAY 17 MARCH:
10.00 - 10.30AM:  LIVE INTERVIEW WITH DAVID WHITE, BBC RADIO CORNWALL
10.30 - 11.00AM:  LIVE INTERVIEW WITH JUDI SPIERS, BBC RADIO DEVON
2.30 - 3.00PM:  LIVE INTERVIEW WITH TOM MORTON, BBC RADIO SCOTLAND
on this day she is also pre-recording interviews with BBC Radio Lancaster, Kent,
Suffolk, and Southern Counties, airings tba.
 
TUESDAY 18 MARCH:
2.00 - 2.30PM:  LIVE INTERVIEW WITH DAVE ANDREWS, BBC RADIO LEICESTER
3.00 - 3.30PM:  LIVE INTERVIEW WITH LISA I'ANSON, BBC RADIO LONDON
7.00 - 7.30PM   LIVE INTERVIEW AND SESSION WITH NEIL O'BRIEN, MEAN COUNTRY 1035
on this day she is also pre-recording interviews with Metro FM Tyneside, South Hams Radio Devon, and speaking with Country Music Round-Up Magazine.

WEDNESDAY 19 MARCH:
1.30PM - 2.00PM:        LIVE INTERVIEW WITH JULIA HANKIN, BBC RADIO NEWCASTLE, STUDIO 1S, BBC BROADASTING HOUSE
on this day she is also pre-recording inteerviews with the Captain America Radio show on Virgin Radio 1, BBC Radio Lincs, and BBC Radio Bradford.


February 5, 2003
The Beauty of the Rain Track Listings
To be released Feb. 18, 2003 with digipak packaging

1.  Mercy Of The Fallen
2.  Farewell To The Old Me - (featuring Stefan Lessard and John Medeski)
3.  I Saw A Bird Fly Away - (featuring John Popper and John Medeski)
4.  Beauty Of The Rain, The - (featuring Chris Botti)
5.  The World's Not Falling Apart - (featuring Stefan Lessard and Michael Kang)
6.  The One Who Knows - (featureing Alison Krauss)
7.  Closer To Me - (featuring Bela Fleck)
8.  Fishing In The Morning - (featuring Bela Fleck and Michael Kang)
9.  Whispering Pines - (featuring Steffan Lessard, Chris Botti, Cliff Eberhardt, and Alison Krauss)
10.  Your Fire Your Soul - (featuring John Medeski)
11.  I Have Lost My Dreams

January 24, 2003

MEDIA ALERT: The World Cafe with David Dye will be broadcasting a session with Dar Williams on Thursday, January 30th.  The World Cafe with David Dye can be heard on more than 150 stations in the U.S. Fans can find their local station by going to the website www.worldcafe.org or they can listen online at 2pm EST or 1am EST.
This is an interview/performance featuring new songs from the forthcoming release, The Beauty Of The Rain, plus one or two of your old favorites. The session was recorded on Jan. 19th at Indre Studios in Philadelphia with Dar, Julie Wolf (keyboards/vocals), Rob Hyman (keyboards) and Cliff Eberhardt (vocals, guitar).


January 17, 2003

Bass player Mike Visceglia, best known for his 15+ years with Suzanne Vega, will be joining Dar on tour!

December 16, 2002

Lisa at AGF reports they have approved the use of a live, in-studio version of Wilder Than Her for a compilation radio station KPIG is putting together. More details when I get them!

October 31, 2002

THE DOWNTOWN MESSIAH
A Modern Interpretation of Handel's Masterpiece
The Bottom Line (Mercer and 4th St. 212-228-6300). The shows are on Friday, Dec. 13th and Saturday, Dec. 14th at 7:30PM and 10:30PM

Featuring: THE ACCIDENTALS, RICHARD BARONE, EVERETT BRADLEY, RANDY BRECKER, MARSHALL CRENSHAW, MARGARET DORN, DAVID JOHANSEN, PETER KIESEWALTER, TOBI KIESEWALTER, ANN MARIE MILAZZO, MULEBONE U.K., TERRE ROCHE, LARRY SALZMAN, JANE SIBERRY, SYD STRAW (on SAT.only), and DAR WILLIAMS (ON FRI. only),
plus two additional guest artists.
With Recitative Read By MEG GRIFFIN
Director: Richard Barone
Choral Director: Margaret Dorn
Musical Arranger: Peter Kiesewalter
Movement Consultant: Stacey Pepper Schwartz
E-mail Reservations are being accepted for this performance
Doors Open 6PM for 7:30 Show/10PM for 10:30 Show
All seats $25

October 16, 2002

Upcoming screenings of Dinner and a Movie:
º 6pm on October 20th at the Crandell Theater in Chatham, NY as part of the  FilmColumbia festival.  Tickets available at  www.filmcolumbia.com
º October 26th, a Saturday,  at 5pm at the Greenwich Film Festival, in Greenwich CT. 
º The weekend of November 8-11 we're screening in  downtown Los Angeles as part of Ladyfest LA - not sure of the screening time, but the event is a fundraiser for a battered women's shelter.
Thanks to Simona Loberant for the info.

October 7, 2002 

 MEDIA ALERT:  Dar will be appearing in the upcoming Vanity Fair annual music issue. She's pictured with Beth Orton, Dan Zanes and
David Johansen in a spread entitled "The New Folkies."

As mentioned before, Dar's new CD is scheduled for release in February. The tentative date has been set at Feb. 18, 2003.

October 1, 2002

Dar agreed to donate a song to the HRC Foundation's "Being Out Rocks" benefit CD to celebrate National Coming Out Day, which is October 11, 2002. The CD will benefit the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.  The song is "Are You Out There."  For an more information, pictures of the artists, and to purchase the CD you can visit HRC's website - the CD will be shipped starting October 8. Other artists on the CD include Janis Ian, Rufus Wainright, Ani DiFranco, Catie Curtis, Harvey Fierstein and SONiA.


September 3, 2002

If you're in the Los Angeles area, there'll be a couple of screenings of Dinner and a Movie,  which includes original music by Dar, at the Silver Lake Film Festival.

August 29, 2002

"Dar Williams talks with Hendrik Hertzberg"
Dar will be interviewed by Hendrick Hertzberg of the New Yorker on September 28 at 9:00pm at Joe's Pub at the Public Theatre (425 Lafayette St.).  Tickets are $20 and can be purchased from Tele-Charge (212-239-6200) or the Public Theatre box office. More info

August 6, 2002

July 9, 2002
June 29, 2002
May 16, 2002
A couple of pieces of news from Dar's manager Ron Fierstein:
May 6, 2002
A short report from Tom Neff about Dar and Michael's wedding over the weekend in Chappaqua, N.Y.:
The ceremony was held in the 250-year-old Quaker Meeting House and was beautifully simple as befit the surroundings.  Dar wore antique white (that description hasn't been cleared with High Command, it's my guess) and a circlet of flowers in her hair.  Michael looked handsome, Dar looked beautiful, and the family and friends in attendance were very happy.  There were unforgettable songs from Cliff Eberhardt ("Your Face") and Nerissa & Katryna Nields ("Easy People").  The reception was a smash.  There's not much else to say, but lest rumors rumble, yes it has happened, now they and we live the rest of our lives!!

April 17, 2002
On this coming Monday, April 22nd, Dar Williams will perform a benefit concert on the UMASS Amherst campus. The benefit is being held in order to provide lighting on what is widely known as "the rape trail." This trail is the most commonly traveled path between the main part of the campus and the living areas. Since the budget cuts took place at UMASS, one of the hardest hit areas has been security, most notably the escort service for the hours after dark which has been canceled.

All of the proceeds from Dar's show will  be donated so the university can install lighting and call boxes on the above mentioned trail, making it safer for those who use it.

The concert starts at 5:30pm, with doors opening at 5:00pm. It will take place in the Campus Center Auditorium. Tickets are $12 forstudents and $20 for everyone else. Tickets are available by visiting Tix Unlimited in room 317 in the Student Union building, or by calling 413-545-0412. There are a limited number of tickets and the show is expected to sell out quite fast.

April 16, 2002
 Dar has said her new CD is going to be called The Beauty of the Rain.

March 4, 2002
For Immediate Release                       March 4, 2002

DAR WILLIAMS ANNOUNCES A SERIES OF BENEFIT SHOWS TO SUPPORT LOCAL NON-PROFIT
ARTS AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN CELEBRATION OF HER BIRTHDAY

Singer-songwriter Dar Williams announced today that she will once again celebrate the week of her April 19th birthday with a series of benefit concerts. Continuing her tradition of performing these events each year around her birthday, this year's group of concerts will benefit non-profit organizations who support arts and education for children and youth.

April 14th - The Birchmere, Arlington, VA. - a benefit for Channel 33 ACT  Storyworks Project
April 15th - The Painted Bride, Philadelphia, PA. - a benefit for The Simple Way Community Center
April 17th - Passim, Cambridge, MA. - a benefit for Club Passim
April 18th - The Bottom Line, New York City - a benefit for The Door

    Award winning Channel 33 ACT (Arlington Community Television) is a not-for-profit community television station located in Arlington, VA. which exists to teach television production skills to a vast and varied community. The Storyworks Project will teach television skills to a diverse, non-traditional, multi-generational group of women and girls and culminate in two hours of programming featuring women and girls telling their own stories. Training will also include writing and creativity workshops.  www.channel33.org.

    The Door is a pioneering youth development agency whose mission is to empower young people ages 12-21 to reach their potential by providing comprehensive youth development services -- health care, counseling, education, career development, legal services, the arts and recreation -- in a diverse and caring environment. Over 6000 of New York City's young people participate in progrmas and services and offered by The Door each year. www.door.org

    Club Passim is a nonprofit music center dedicated to the cultivation and preservation of folk music.  The Club serves as a local and national resource for the teaching, performing, and celebrating of the art and folk music traditions of countries worldwide. Through its diverse programming: a performance venue, school of music, historical archive, and multi-cultural children's programs, Club Passim reaches out to people of all ages, backgrounds, and communities.  For more than 40 years, Club Passim has been a vital cornerstone in the arts community of New England, fostering both
performers and audiences alike.

    The Simple Way is a community group located in Kensington, the poorest district in the state of Pennsylvania. Members of The Simple Way provide food services for the hungry, mentoring for young people and community contributions and improvements. They also run a local thrift store. Their newest project is transforming an abandoned corner of their neighborhood into a community arts space, kids study area, and house of hospitality. www.thesimpleway.org

Previous years' concerts included 2001's "Free Your Radio" tour, for Free Speech Radio News and the stations who ran it; 2000's "The Sun Tour" for Solar on Schools, a outreach project by Solarworks for kids to install and study solar panels on their schools; and 1999’s "Where the River Meets the Land," a co-benefit for the New York Nature Conservancy and The Hudson Clearwater Project.

Dar Williams is currently in the studio recording her as-yet untitled 5th album with producers Stewart Lehrman (The Green World) and Rob Hyman (formerly of The Hooters). It is due to be released in late summer 2002.

February 27, 2002
An update on the new CD: Dar is currently in the studio recording. She says the musicians so far are: Rob Hyman keyboards and co-producer this time), Steve Holley, Steuart Smith, Carol Steele, Paul Socolow (bass), and a bunch of other folks, some of whom are still RSVPing!

Ticket information for some of the upcoming benefit shows:

January 22, 2001
According to an article in the Charlottesville Daily Progress, Dar and her fiance Michael will be getting married in May. The article also says she'll be going into the studio to record her next album in February. She's been doing some song writing as well as writing a book for 11-year-old girls, a story about the history of the Statue of Liberty and some compisitions for other artists.  Read the whole article.

December 10, 2001

November 8, 2001
News from Patty at Bulletproof:
 As we gear up for the Holidays (yes...it is that time of year again) we all start making our lists and checking them twice.  Bulletproofstore has decided to make your shopping a little easier this year.  On December 8th from 12:00pm (Noon) till 3:00pm, our offices will become the Bulletproof Mall!  We will open the doors and let you all in to purchase all the CDs and T-shirts you can carry.  In conjunction with WRSI, Signature Sounds Records and the Bulletproofstore artists we will be coordinating a "Toys for Tots" drive.  Dar Williams, The Nields, and several other artist have donated tapes/CDs and posters that you will receive in exchange for a new unwrapped toy donation.  In addition to all these free stocking stuffers we will have several items on sale.

October 3, 2001
On Oct. 9, Appleseed Recordings will release IF I HAD A SONG: THE SONGS OF PETE SEEGER, VOL. 2, which includes an exclusive recording of Dar Williams and Toshi Reagon performing Oh, Had I a Golden Thread.


Last updated March 5, 2008
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