Alex Williams at the Raccoon Motel -- January 24.
Friday, January 24, 7 p.m.
Raccoon Motel, 315 East Second Street, Davenport IA
Described by PopMatters as “a winning songwriter who manages to mix humor with traditional country sentiment without falling into hokey pastiche,” Nashville's Alex Williams performs a headlining engagement at Davenport's Raccoon Motel on January 24, his 2022 album Waging Peace lauded by Saving Country Music as "a seasoned and sensational specimen of Outlaw-style country music rendered in the modern context."
A native of Pendleton, Indiana, Williams grew up listening to '80s metal, but gravitated toward classic country in his late teens after his grandparents introduced him to albums such as Waylon Jennings' Dreaming My Dreams and Willie Nelson's Red Headed Stranger. He enrolled in Nashville's Belmont University after graduating from high school, but soon dropped out and began gigging in Tennessee, Texas, and his home state of Indiana. After fronting his own band Williams & Company, Big Machine Records producer Julian Raymond signed Williams separately from his band, eventually taking him into the studio with a star-studded backing ensemble (J.T. Corenflos, Matt Rollings, Victor Indrizzo) to record his debut album. The resulting Better Than Myself was released in August of 2017, with Williams continuing the neo-traditionalist country tradition that surfaced in the wake of Jamey Johnson's success at the start of the decade.
For his debut recording, the artist received no end of raves. Saving Country Music said of Williams, “He’s established himself as the real deal, crawled inside the belly of the beast while holding onto his own identity and style.” Country Exclusive extolled, “Alex Williams definitely has a great, throwback country sound and style that also adds more contemporary elements. He’s got a great voice to match, and you’ll truly find country all over this record.” Meanwhile, the superlative notices have continued for Waging Peace. Holler Country Music deemed the recording "smartly arranged, intricate, and inventive," while No Depression stated that Williams' Better Than Myself follow-up after five years found the artist "older and wiser, but his music packs the same thrilling kick, with his country sound often delivered with an even harder-rocking edge."
Alex Williams performs his Davenport engagement on January 24 with an additional set by Logan Springer & the Wonderfully Wild, admission to the 7 p.m. concert is $19.84, and tickets are available by visiting TheRaccoonMotel.com.
