It’s been a couple of years since we last featured American roots musician Nicholas Edward Williams, but that all changes today with the release of his new single, a stripped-down Piedmont blues ballad “Railroad Bill” off his forthcoming LP Folk Songs For Old Times’ Sake, releasing November 2 via EarthTone Records.
Williams takes this 19th-century blues ballad and bathes it with a calm, sincere demeanour that induces two minutes and twenty-six seconds of unadulterated reflection. While the rhythmic bounce of the nylon strings intertwines with Williams’ longing and sultry vocals, the lyrics paradoxically tell of a historical outlaw nicknamed “Railroad Bill” who robbed trains in Alabama and western Florida during the 1890s and proved quite hard to catch, even eventually stealing the narrator’s wife in the last verse.
“I came across Etta Baker’s version of “Railroad Bill” after finding out she was a mentor and collaborator with Taj Mahal. I thought the song was an instrumental piece because of that version, until I discovered Ramblin’ Jack Elliott’s take, using her fingerpicking and singing several verses. After that, I found a deep well of recordings by many folk artists throughout the 20th century, with countless verses, so I picked my favorites from the last century of recordings.”
As always, it’s Williams’ gentle laid back soothing vocals that win you over, that smooth timbre is matched by his fingerstyle guitar playing, carrying far less attack to the tune than other versions I’ve heard…it’s a beautiful balance and is good an incentive as any other to pre-order his forthcoming traditional folk and blues LP, Folk Songs For Old Times’ Sake.
Pre-Order on Vinyl https://nicholasedwardwilliamsmusic.bandcamp.com/
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Branching off the tree of musical tradition, Williams has adopted a preservationist mindset over the last several years, aiming to keep the flame burning for American roots music and picking up where pioneers and vital carriers of tradition have left off. His passion for “playing it forward” is something he learned from his late mentor Joan Crane, who passed away in January of 2020.
“Thanks to Joan, I became a student again. I’m absolutely fascinated with tracing American music back to it’s immigrant roots, and how this history has woven the fabric of roots music as we know it today. It’s a bottomless, beautiful sea of stories and styles that need to keep being shared instead of stampeded by new material. This new record is a culmination of what Joan taught me.”
During an age when thousands of new songs are written and distributed every day, Williams takes a different approach by willing the myriad of musical ghosts from the past to inform him as he breathes fresh life into songs that have been sung and played for multiple generations, dating back to the oral tradition before recordings were made.
“People have asked me why I decided to stop writing my own songs for a while. Aside from their historical importance, it’s been a massive weight off my shoulders to have a more selfless goal. Through dedicating so much research and broadening my song catalogue by hosting the music history podcast ‘American Songcatcher’ particularly, I’ve found that this pursuit feels way more fulfilling than writing another love song.”
Alongside peers such as JP Harris, Willie Watson and Dom Flemons, Williams proposes these old songs to present generations, culling hundreds of years of history to showcase their permanence and relevance in this cyclical and turbulent world.
“Railroad Bill” is the first single off the forthcoming traditional folk and blues LP, Folk Songs For Old Times’ Sake, releasing November 2nd on EarthTone Records, available for vinyl pre-order now.
Pre-Order on Vinyl https://nicholasedwardwilliamsmusic.bandcamp.com/
Pre-Save: https://show.co/PuytXZp