Quick Q and A with Christopher Williams
 by Kathy S-B  ·  2 December 2008

Christopher Williams has been a favorite at Club Passim in Harvard Square for many years and draws fans from far and near so it’s a real pleasure to have him at the me&thee this season. His music is very personal and reaches people’s hearts and souls. You can get a taste of Christopher’s music by checking out his music on his MySpace page. Also check out his main website where you can also see some of the beautiful photos mentioned below.

For a special treat, watch this video of Christopher doing his fine percussive music here.

First of all, it’s so great to welcome you to the me&thee. I understand that you used to live in this neck of the woods! What brought you here?

I left Seattle after living there for four years and relocated to Boston via Marblehead, where I had a good friend from college who was offering me a wonderful place to live for real cheap and why wouldn’t anybody move to Marblehead? I loved it there and took advantage of swimming late into the fall and throughout the summer! And I moved back to the east coast for music opportunities and connections with songwriters I had crossed paths with and the rich history of the folk scene in Boston and surrounding areas.

And how is life in Tennessee? Are you actively involved with that music scene?

I love TN . . . although it is still strange to say that I live in Nashville?! Different from my move from WA to MA I moved to TN not for the music scene, although it is equally as rich, I moved here for a change of life and community. After living in Boston for eight years I could count the amount of close friends I had on one hand . . . and I felt like that was not right, so thus the move and starting over in Nashville. I love it! Slower pace of life and certainly cheaper than the east coast!

Your style is very eclectic and many reviewers have slotted you into the “pop” category but your style seems to straddle a rhythm-based folk / soul vibe to me. Where do you see / hear yourself?

Always developing? I hope that is the case. The last record, ‘Sweet Redemption,’ definitely carries a bluesy/gospel feel to it which I love. And all of my previous records have been more singer-songwriter folk pop. Unfortunately, we have to be placed in a box and because we play acoustic guitar, we are labeled folk, but most of my friends I would not consider to be folk . . . more singer-songwriter pop.

Do you have any favorite cover tunes that you play?

A lot of the cover tunes that have stayed in my active song list have been directives in guiding me towards the style of ‘Sweet Redemption.’ Dylan’s ‘Gotta Serve Somebody’ is a fave and I’ve wanted to record that song for a long, long time and finally had a chance to on ‘Sweet Redemption.’

In addition to loving your music, I’ve got to tell you. . . . You are one fine photographer and I’ve really enjoyed looking at your photos on your website. You’ve got a real knack for capturing some interesting perspectives from everyday life. Have you ever considered getting into commercial photography as a sideline?

Thank you so much! That means a lot because I love taking photos . . . and always have! A lot of the photos on my website are from my various photo-a-day projects, which have been very time consuming and also very inspiring. But some of my most favorite photos I haven’t even loaded onto the site . . . and I’m not sure why exactly. Most are from my travels to Kenya and Uganda and I think I feel a special sense connection to those photos and what they represent and I want to be careful not to exploit the folks and their images that I came across in my travels. Perhaps in the new year I will load some of them for public viewing . . . but for now, just the craziness of the Photo-a-Day project . . . which I would challenge anyone to try. It is hard, but what an amazing thing to be able to look back at a year’s worth of photos and remember almost every day by them!