1-man band to become 4-man band at Bluebird

Keller Williams, a musician renowned for his one-man-band sensibility, will join a backing band of high-profile jam band members today at the Bluebird.

Williams, who is well-known in the jam band scene for looping his instruments through a Gibson Echoplex Digital Pro looping unit, will join Keith Moseley, bassist from The String Cheese Incident; Gibb Droll, guitarist for Marc Broussard; and Jeff Sipe from Leftover Salmon on the Bluebird stage in a two-set show.

“This is an all-star lineup of talented musicians who have matured with their instruments,” said Ari Solomon, director of Bluebird promotions, in an e-mail.

Williams, who has released 14 CDs since his self-released first album, “Freek,” in 1994, is largely known for his solo work. Though Williams will be backed up by the other band members, Bluebird owner and manager Dave Kubiak said fans will get more than a taste of Williams’ solo style during the show.

“I’m sure he’ll do some solo stuff since that’s what he’s known for,” Kubiak said. “But with the two long sets, the fans won’t feel left out of any part of Keller’s career.”

The Fredericksburg, Va., native has worked with some of the people he’ll be performing with today. Williams collaborated with The String Cheese Incident on the 1999 album “Breathe.” However, his latest release, “Live,” includes all of the performers.

Williams has always wanted to front a band, and was surprised by how well his live collaborations with the three other jam band members turned out, according to his Web site, kellerwilliams.net.

Kubiak was unsure of how many people he expected to attend the Williams show, though he heard some Bluebird-goers talking excitedly about it.

“It’s hard to tell, but we’re expecting to get a crowd,” he said.

Though Williams is well known among connoisseurs of jam band tunes, Solomon said, he hasn’t yet become a household name.

Freshman Alex Carmen admitted she’d never heard of Williams, though she thought his methods of looping recordings was interesting.

Ramsey Davis, freshman, said he was disappointed he couldn’t get into the Bluebird to see the show.

“If I was 21, it’s definitely something I would check out,” he said.