Artist: Mike Williams
(BandCamp)
I first heard of Mike Williams when someone mentioned that
he played bass in John Moreland’s Dust Bowl Souls in the comments section of Nine
Bullets’ review of Everything the Hard
Way, stating that Williams’ EPs were the perfect compliment to Moreland’s
record. I immediately headed over to
Williams’ BandCamp site, downloaded the EPs, and was instantly blown away.
Released in August 2011 the Landlocked EP was Williams’
debut. The three song EP opens with the
heartfelt and extremely catchy “Fall From Grace” and followed by the equally
honest, earnest, and hooked filled “I’ll Get By” and “Long Way Home.” Living a Lie / 12/18/09, released September
2011, continues with this same great vein of catchy Bruce Springsteen meets The
Ducky Boys rock ‘n’ roll with the song “Living a Lie” while “12/18/09” is a
haunting acoustic ballad. The final EP released
in January 2012, includes one song, the title track “Damnation,” another
haunting acoustic number but this one includes a stronger country feel to it. Throughout all three releases are the reoccurring
themes of life, regret, loss, and love that are sincere and intense and speak
straight to the soul. And even though
these songs were released as three separate EPs, when played together they
sound like a cohesive unit.
At the moment Williams is working on a full-length album for
Okie Tone Records. Needless to say, I am
eagerly awaiting its release. For those
who have never heard Mike Williams, I can’t recommend all of these releases
enough, especially if you are a fan of the likes of John Moreland, Bruce
Springsteen, Lucero, Drag the River, The Gaslight Anthem, and The Ducky Boys
(it’s actually kind of scary how much Williams sounds like The Ducky Boys’ Mark
Lind).
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