A look back
Songwriter’s ‘1,000 Towns’ book explores changes of past 20 years
Dar Williams has cemented herself as a prolific songwriter in the past 20 years.
During the past year, Williams has been busy writing — just not for a new album.
“Truth is, I’m going through the first edits of a book that I wrote,” he says during a recent phone interview. “It’s going to be called ‘What I Found in 1,000 Towns.’ ”
Williams says the book is inspired by her travels across the country and seeing firsthand how small communities have changed.
“Albuquerque is an example of that,” she says. “The arts scene has flourished. Also, Madrid is one of the towns, too. They’ve tried to maintain the community feel though they’ve grown. The book is basically one long song. It’s the only way it would have worked.”
Williams’ work on the book has helped spark a new fire for her songwriting.
“I’m missing music,” she says. “I have lots of little bits of melody in my head right now.”
Williams became a name in the music industry in the 1990s. She became known for her honest lyrics.
In fact, her current tour, which stops in Albuquerque, is a celebration of the 20th anniversary of her 1996 release, “Mortal City.”
Williams says that in the ’90s, most towns and cities were still reeling from the decline of manufacturing and the rise of shopping malls.
During her original tour for “Mortal City,” she worked with coffeehouse volunteers, local radio stations and promoters who were trying very hard, with limited resources, to bring music, poetry and life back into their downtowns.
She says, “Thanks to people like them, not only have many places reclaimed their former glory; they’ve improved on their histories, embracing their brickwalled, tree-lined Main Streets as they’ve welcomed more worldliness and diversity in the present.”
And 20 years later, Williams sees plenty of similarities.
“It’s a very interesting time to look back at what was going on back 20 years ago,” she says. “A lot of what I wrote about is still relevant. After this election, it’s clear to us how mortal we are. People are feeling the themes of humanity and fragility. We are finding how we live together in the world. It’s a very interesting time that we’re living in right now. I’m curious to see how we all move forward.”