Lakeport >> Kyle Williams isn’t afraid of a little tongue-in-cheek. When it came to listing his major influences, the acoustic pop singer-songwriter referenced melodic singers like James Taylor and Amos Lee. Then he added Metallica to the list.
“Just kidding,” he amended with a laugh, before saying, oh and don’t forget polka music.
His website, ilovekylewilliams.com, is accessible by typing ihatekylewilliams.com into the browser if you’re feeling feisty. Want to shoot him a message by way of his contact form? You’ll have to answer the question, “How do you take your coffee?”
But don’t mistake the bit of levity for a lack of seriousness. Williams is a man who is deeply passionate about his music. He’s drawn to soulful melodies because they allow him to relate deeply to both the chords and the crowd. “If a singer can sing a line or a song and I can feel something, I love that,” he explained. “Music is about connection, me connecting with my feelings and me connecting with other people through that song.”
Music isn’t a hobby, or a part time venture. Williams is all in. He’s written and recorded studio albums, embarked on tours and one day hopes to become a national and international touring musician, in whatever capacity that entails. To pay the bills, he takes a lot of shows which are more “background noise” than anything else. “It’s a tough road,” Williams said. “You gotta love it and you gotta be willing to work really hard and do a bunch of … gigs you maybe don’t want to be doing.”
Casino floors and bar stages, those are the less desirable locations, places where he plays for three to four hours for those mostly paying attention to something else. He strums out a decent amount of covers, everything from Frank Sinatra to Sam Smith. Then there are the performances which he’s dubbed his “real shows.” In those instances, people have come out for his music, and he has the opportunity to play them much of his original work.
Williams will be at O’Meara Bros. Brewing Company in Lakeport tonight beginning at 7 p.m. His set list will encompass both his own music and covers of his favorites.
If you recognize the name, it’s probably because Williams isn’t a newcomer to the Lakeport music scene. Though he hails from Chico, and calls the town his home, for two years he held a regular monthly slot at a Main St. locale now known as Old World Tavern. But over six years ago, it was called Molly Brennans, and it was the pub where Williams had his very first consistent gig.
That opportunity came nearly a decade after Williams first started exploring music. At the age of 16, he sat down behind a drum kit when his church was in search of a percussionist. It was the true beginning of his music career.
Once he moved away from the pews and toward the garage, he gave the guitar a shot, playing with different bands. Realizing he wanted to write and sing music, he traded the drums for the six-stringed instrument, which was far more conducive to songwriting. He still bangs away at the drums on occasion, but he admits that he’s a tad rusty. These days he’s more interested in seeing his young son pick up the sticks.
As surprising as it may be considering Williams’ soft, melodic tone, singing wasn’t something that came naturally. While he performed in church and his elementary school choir as a young boy, he felt his voice could best be described as “high and whiny.” He admits he wasn’t tone-deaf, something that can’t be remedied no matter the degree of voice training, but he never thought his sound was anything more than mediocre.
Honing in on the vocals he has today took effort and dedication. “It’s been a long journey, trying to improve at that,” Williams said. “It wasn’t something I always did well.”
He cited Michael Buble’s smooth tones as a huge help when it came to working on his voice. The Canadian crooner was a “newer version” of Dean Martin and Sinatra, two musicians Williams had always loved. Naturally, Buble is still one of Willaims bigger influences, even if the two singers have slightly different styles.
“If you have any potential it’s something you can develop more like anything else,” Williams said. “It’s something I loved and I was passionate about so it’s something I worked really hard on.”
For Williams, music has always been about soul. His mother introduced him to all her favorites, from Carol King and James Taylor, to the Temptations and the Carpenters. Their music stuck with him, and he’s never had an a strong desire to shake it.
And so he’ll be playing his “soulful acoustic pop” tonight at the popular Irish restaurant. He’s performed at the venue before with a different group, but plans to make the show the first of many. He hopes to travel back to Lakeport once a month or so as he takes a break from touring full-time — he has a four month baby at home and wants to stay close for the time being.
Head out to O’Meara Bros Brewing Company in Lakeport tonight at 7 p.m. to catch Williams’s music.
Jennifer Gruenke can be reached at 900-2019.
