JPR Live Session: Nicholas Edward Williams
The singer/songwriter, who performed and recorded as Whetherman for the better…
JPR Live Sessions · Eric Teel
Audio is streamed directly from the publisher (cpa.ds.npr.org) as published in their RSS feed. Play Podcasts does not host this file. Rights-holders can request removal through the copyright & takedown page.
Show Notes
After eight albums as Whetherman and countless miles on the road, the lifestyle of itinerant musician started to catch up with Nicholas Edward Williams. At a show in Cleveland he hit the wall, walked off stage, and spent the next year taking stock of his life, his interests, and his talents.
A chance opportunity to work in gave him the break he needed, and a chance opportunity to work in Costa Rica provided an environment that allowed Williams to figure out a different and more sustainable way of pursuing music.
What sprung to life with cultivation of a seed that had been planted years earlier - old time folk and other music that Williams felt needed to be more widely known as enjoyed. Leaving the Whetherman moniker behind, Williams started out on a new journey as singer, songwriter, and music preservationist. His performances combined songs and the stories of the songs, equal parts entertainment and education.
The success of the new venture (both internal and external) has led to a couple of traditional records released under his own name including his latest Folk Songs For Old Times' Sake, and a podcast called American Songcatcher.
He joined us from home to share a few songs and stories.