Dar Williams: Music was Decided for Me (REISSUE)

(Editor’s Note: Welcome to our Reissue series! For the next several weeks, Basic Folk is digging into the archives and reposting some of our favorite episodes alongside new introductions commenting on what it’s like to listen back. Enjoy!)

This episode featuring Lizzie No interviewing Dar Williams originally posted on October 14, 2021 after Dar released her album I’ll Meet You Here.

Dar Williams, originally from Mount Kisco, New York, grew up in an era and a household where everyone was tearing down the old ways of doing things while learning new ways of expressing themselves. For Williams, this meant participating in theater and learning to play instruments. She attended Wesleyan University where she studied theater and religion. A deep engagement with matters of the heart and spirit continues to permeate her work today.

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After college, Dar found herself in Boston, immersed in the singer-songwriter scene. She wrote and released her album, ‘The Honesty Room,’ which changed everything. That project started her on a path to becoming a venerated performer in the folk space; she was even on the original Lilith Fair lineup, which included too many musical legends to name here. It was a dream come true to talk with Dar about that experience, about what it might take for another Lilith Fair to happen, and about the current climate for women in the music industry.

Dar’s album, ‘I’ll Meet You Here,’ was released on October 1, 2021. It’s a beautiful collection of songs mostly recorded pre-COVID, but hit a number of road bumps on its way to release. It deals with time, acceptance, and places and small towns – topics about which Dar Williams is a master storyteller.