February 2, 2015 Latest News:
Open.VAPE Presents
Keller Williams & The Motet Winter Tour 2015
Singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Keller Williams and progressive funk collective The Motet join forces for a run of shows throughout the west coast this January
Tickets available at www.kellerwilliams.net and www.themotet.net
This winter, singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Keller Williams and progressive funk collective The Motet hit the road together for a run of shows on the west coast presented by O.penVAPE. With stops in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and points in between, stay tuned for information on special O.penVAPE activation opportunities with Keller and The Motet, and their fans. Keller and The Motet recently wrapped up a successful string of shows in the South West, and it’s proved to be a popular musical pairing.
With three shows done in February (Solana Beach, West Hollywood and Las Vegas), the double artist bill has three big one’s to go – Thursday, February 5 at the Arcata Theatre, Arcata, Friday, February 6 at The Fillmore San Francisco, and Saturday, February 7 Crystal Bay Club Casino Crystal Bay NV.
In addition to this run of west coast shows together, both Keller Williams and The Motet are keeping busy with tour dates across the country and a variety of special collaborations.
For Keller, 2015 began with mid-January shows at Irving Plaza in New York City and the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey, and then later in the month, Keller put on some solo sets to Florida, stopping in Clearwater, Orlando, and Ft. Lauderdale January 22-24.
After a handful of shows with The Motet on the mini-O.penVAPE tour, Keller heads further south to Dark Star Orchestra’s Jam in the Sand in Negril, Jamaica February 27 – March 2 for a slew of special shows including Grateful Grass and Keller and His Compadres sets featuring Williams, Vince Herman, Sam Grisman & Allie Kral, Keller solo sets, and more. Finally, in early March, Keller shares the bill with The Infamous Stringdusters for shows in the Pacific Northwest. Visit www.kellerwilliams.net for a complete list of Keller’s currently confirmed tour dates.
The Motet kicked off 2015 in Florida with stops in Miami and St. Petersburg before boarding Jam Cruise for a crazy week at sea. Once the West Coast tour with Keller concludes in early February, the band gears up for a festival-filled spring and summer. Also on the books, a highly anticipated return to Red Rocks Amphitheatre, where The Motet and fellow funk collective co-headline an evening under the Colorado stars. JBO is psyched to have The Motet on the west coast, and even more psyched to see them on February 4 at Moe’s Alley in Santa Cruz. Tickets and information for all shows available at http://www.themotet.net.
About Keller Williams: (photo of Keller Williams by C. Taylor Crothers)
Since he first appeared on the scene in the early ’90s, Keller Williams has defined the term independent artist. And his 16 recordings tell only half the story. Keller built his reputation initially on his engaging live performances, no two of which are ever alike. Williams’ solo live shows—and his ability to improvise to his determinedly quirky tunes despite the absence of an actual band—quickly became the stuff of legend, and his audience grew exponentially when word spread about this exciting, unpredictable performer.
Today, whether performing as a one-man band (a stage show constructed around Keller singing his compositions and choice cover songs while accompanying himself on an acoustic guitar and creating samples on the fly in front of the audience, a technique called live phrase sampling or looping), with a backing band (of which he has many – Keller and The Keels, Williams with Moseley, Droll and Sipe, and most recently Keller Williams with The Travelin’ McCourys and with his new six–piece outfit More Than a Little, among others), or solo acoustic with simply he and his guitar, Keller always reveals himself as an artist of great stylistic breadth and infinite imagination.
He is a singer, songwriter and musician, always on a quest for the new. Keller Williams has never followed the prescribed path laid out by the conventional music business but rather one of his own making. It’s a path that has served him well.
To stay up to date on all news on Keller Williams, please visit www.kellerwilliams.net and Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages.
About The Motet: (photo of The Motet by Brian Spady)
Started ten years ago by seasoned drummer Dave Watts as a rotating cast of musical friends, today progressive funk band The Motet has refined their sound and vision into a dynamic and expressive force. The Motet features an astonishingly talented cast of musicians who enjoy a palpable rapport when put together – Dave Watts (drums, musical director), Garrett Sayers (bass), Joey Porter (keyboards), Ryan Jalbert (guitar), Jans Ingber (vocals) and horn players Gabe Mervine (trumpet) and Matt Pitts (sax).
Today, The Motet is touring nationwide for the first time in the band’s history, and are being hailed as “the best live band right now” (Source Audio). Recent months have found the band’s audiences growing exponentially – with sellout shows from coast to coast including Portland’s Wonderland Ballroom, Denver’s Fillmore Auditorium, and Brooklyn Bowl, and huge festival plays such as Wakarusa, Summer Camp, Oregon County Fair, and Arise Music Festival, among others.
In January 2014 the band released their 7th album – self titled The Motet. The nine tracks on The Motet (released January 2014) seamlessly showcase an evolved, keenly refined musical vision of The Motet; a band committed to pushing the sonic envelope, while remaining dedicated to the musical traditions – funk, afrobeat, disco, jazz, and soul – that have long defined their sound. The Motet are well known in Colorado and beyond for keeping audiences in a dancing frenzy by layering precise and vibrant live instrumentation and electronic rhythms into a style that is uniquely their own. And in this age when EDM reigns over the dance music scene, The Motet is proof that funk is not even close to dead. For this studio recording, each member of the band contributed to the writing and arranging of the album’s nine original songs. Using traditional analog recording methods including tape, tubes and transistors, the music on The Motet offers all the crunch and bite of a classic 70’s funk record and is warm, rich, and organic in tone. But the music is fresh and forward – as much a glimpse into the future of music as it is homage to the past.
To stay up to date on all news on The Motet, please visit www.themotet.net and the official Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Soundcloud pages.
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