ArcaMax

Working on an album during a pandemic can be challenging, but singer-songwriter Dar Williams said it all worked out fine. “Luckily, (‘I’ll Meet You Here’) was mostly in the can before the pandemic,” said the New York-based musician. “I did overdubs in an isolated room with people in masks looking at me through the other side of the plexiglass – a little like the boy in the bubble.” Williams is currently on tour supporting her latest album. For the latest updates on her concerts, check out her website (https://darwilliams.com/concerts/).

Q: How has traveling around the world impacted your artistry?

A: Every region offers a different palette and world of metaphors. They have all shown up in my songs. I have songs called “Iowa,” “New York is a Harbor,” “Southern California Wants to Be Western New York” and a new one called “Berkeley.” Also, after all these years on the road, I love prairies, mountain towns, desert parks and coastal cities so much. Sometimes, I think I keep writing songs so that I have an excuse to keep visiting (these places).

Q: You have a daughter who was born in Ethiopia. Has her adoption given you insight into the privilege you have as a white woman?

A: It didn't take having an adopted child to know about the privilege I have as a white woman who travels a lot, or who has benefited from the unacceptable accumulated wealth gap that's out there! It's in the books and it's on the streets. I'm appreciating how cities are working harder to tell their African American, Latin American, Asian American and native peoples’ histories. I could tour (Thomas Jefferson's home) Monticello with my daughter and hear the full history of the enslaved people who built and landscaped the home. That's not what I heard when I was her age. At home, everyone we know in our mostly white town is grappling with how to repair and go forward, and my daughter is a part of that conversation, even though I can tell there are times that she feels apart from it as well. No one has said anything cringe-worthy and we haven't seen any grading or punishment bias at school. That said, there were definitely plenty of specific eye-openers when she was growing up, like how hard it was to find Black dolls.

Q: How have you spent some of your free time when you weren’t able to easily travel?

A: I walked in one park every day and watched it change with the seasons. I'm a big walker but watching one place go through all these changes was very meaningful to me. Also, the wildlife really came out in force. I felt like we were all sharing the world.

Q: What is your favorite vacation destination?

A: I can't wait to get back to Montreal. I love staying near the Old City, getting croissants and coffee at Olive et Gourmando and walking to the Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal or to the Musée d’art contemporain de Montreal – two of my favorite museums in the world. At night, I walk up toward the street where "So Long, Marianne" was written and give a nod to the giant mural of Leonard Cohen on Crescent Street.

Q: What was the first trip you took as a child?

...continued

(c) 2021 DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.