Sundilla will welcome a true traveling troubadour to town when Nicholas Edward Williams plays on Friday, July 15. Showtime at Pebble Hill is 7:30 p.m., and advance tickets are available for just $15 at Spicer’s Music, Ross House Coffee, and online at sundillamusic.com. Admission at the door will be $20. Weather permitting, this will be an outdoor show.
Nicholas Edward Williams has his own brand of satire, simple honesty, and vivid imagery that translates into energetic live shows, harnessing rhythmic fingerpicking, soaring vocals, rolling harmonica, heart-thumping stompbox and charismatic whistling. All of which is backed with engaging descriptions and infectious personality between songs. Williams began living a life on the road full-time in 2012 to pursue his music. First in a Honda Element, and later a self-converted Sprinter Van, carrying everything he owned inside a 20 foot vessel with his wife for three years. The simplistic lifestyle of spending ample amounts of time in nature and meeting various characters enabled Williams to focus his writing on the evolving self and observations of his surroundings, as opposed to the over-saturated topic of love and heartbreak that have dominated airwaves for decades. "For me, there is an unrivaled freedom in allowing life to unfold in front of you, rather than trying to grab life by the horns so you can feel like you’re in control. There are hardships of course on the road, but nothing that isn’t already a part of the process if you’re a career musician. You just have to adjust accordingly if you want longevity.”
From 2007 to 2018, Williams performed under the folk-soul moniker "Whetherman." During those years, he independently released eight full-length albums while continuously touring across the US, as well as throughout the UK and Western Europe. Williams was also afforded opportunities to opened for acclaimed acts such as Taj Mahal and The Wood Brothers. In 2019, armed with a fresh thirst for learning fingerpicking techniques, Williams dove in-depth to school himself in the history of American music, from Appalachian folk, country blues, Piedmont Blues, and deep-rooted Mississippi Delta blues from the likes of Doc Watson, Mississippi John Hurt, and Elizabeth Cotten. His affinity for songwriting also grew and matured from an unfeigned love for storytellers like John Prine, Paul Simon, and Jim Croce.