Keller Williams: I would watch other people's fingers and then watch my fingers in the mirror.  I found it was less strain on my neck to look straight ahead in the mirror rather than my neck bending down.  My early goals were always to play music for a living and never have a day job.  In the beginning it was all covers that I performed, but I never tried to make my originals sound like covers.

The Stone Pony: It seems unusual that someone who is self-taught should have such a stellar reputation as a guitar virtuoso. Has the lack of a formal musical education or instruction made it easier for you to experiment, and tackle so many different aspects of the instrument, unencumbered by the standard rules most players follow?

KW: Am I really considered a virtuoso?  I could only think that a formal education of music would be nothing but good for me.  I often think about taking lessons, but I don't think my mind could ever comprehend reading music.  Experimenting is just another form of amusing myself and it adds to my adrenaline when I experiment on stage in front of an audience.

The Stone Pony: One of the most notable aspects of your playing is that you incorporate rhythm, bass line and melody into your guitar playing, and can also integrate percussion, by using the body of the guitar. How did your playing style evolve to include all of these styles in your performance?

KW: I feel like the bass line is the glue that holds together the rhythm and it's the rhythm that makes people dance, and seeing people dance really makes me happy.  So, since I play solo, I am consistently trying to play around a bass line while at the same time attempting to create a danceable rhythm line.

The Stone Pony: Do you feel you’ve mastered all of the aspects of the instrument, or is there still a learning process taking place at this point in your career?

KW: I have definitely not mastered all the aspects of my instrument.  I feel like I haven't even scratched the surface.

The Stone Pony: Being so recognized for your picking, countless musicians must listen to your sounds for ideas on expanding their own sound. Have you ever taught guitar to others? Is there advice that you would give to players who are inspired to increase their skill with the guitar, but are seeking to be more experimental in their style?

KW: No, I have not taught anyone else to play the guitar.  I don't think I have the necessary vocabulary to translate my playing to someone else.  As for advice, I say take chances, be not afraid and feel the force around you.

The Stone Pony: You’ve said that you’re “baffled” as to where your lyrics come from, and fans often rave about how enjoyable and invigorating they are to listen to. While the inspiration is free-flowing and innovative, how freely are the songs composed? Do your lyrics start out as improvisational jams that evolve into the “finished” product, or do you have a structured songwriting process that you’re able to make feel spontaneous while you’re performing?

KW: I wish my fans were also my critics, because my lyrics are the one aspect that the reviewers seem to thrash.  Anyway, my lyrics normally come from life experiences, travel time and the things that make me laugh.  Although at this present time, I am in an instrumental phase and sometime I feel nothing hurts a song worse than words.

And to answer your questions about how I write songs, it's a combination of spontaneous babble and a formulated song structure, one of which I cannot reveal to you, for reasons I cannot say.

The Stone Pony: Your new album, “Laugh”, proudly ventures into territory few other acts are willing to tread into: having fun and being genuinely funny while making brilliant music. Does being so highly-respected and admired for your musical talent and your chops, liberate you to be funnier, more creative and just different, without having to worry about not being taken seriously as a musician?

KW: The fact that people buy tickets and stand in front of me while I play is in itself liberating.  I am always trying to have fun and keep myself entertained.

The Stone Pony: Even the cover art for “Laugh” has a creative and whimsical quality to it; a close-up portrait of yourself smiling, comprised of hundreds of smaller photographs of family, friends and other scenes. You’ve said that the title of the album came about only towards the end of the production process. How did the inspiration for the cover art evolve? Who put the photographs together, and what was involved in creating the artwork?

KW: I have an artist friend named Ken Crampton, who has done a few of these mosaic type pieces, and I have always admired them, so that is where the idea came from.  I gathered all the individual photos and gave them to Kan and vwahlah!

The Stone Pony: You’ve become increasingly skilled and comfortable with electronic effects on your records; from various loops and sounds, to recording tracks of your own voice and singing harmonies with yourself. Do you have a studio at home, or a favorite haunt, where you can just sit for hours and experiment with such ideas to see if they work, or do you get an idea in your head that you strive to replicate when you begin the production process?

KW: I do not yet have my own recording studio.  Each hour I sit in one costs money, therefore I prepare myself thoroughly before I go into a pay-by-the-hour situation.  I do spend hours in a dedicated music room in my house, which holds my stage set-up and a portable D.A.T. machine to capture and create ideas, and that's as free as my attic (which is where the room is ...) is hot.

The Stone Pony: On stage, you’re often surrounding by a selection of instruments. Your bio mentions, by name, eight guitars which usually accompany you. How do you select which instrument to use for a particular song? Are they tuned differently, and are specific guitars always used for certain songs? Are you a guitar collector who’s always on the look out for new instruments, or does your collection remain pretty static?

KW: There are different songs that go with certain instruments and if I ever get bored of that song, I can play it on a different instrument.  On stage, I keep two guitars that are tuned the same, in order to keep one for back-up purposes.  The rest are usually tuned differently.

Yes, I am definitely a guitar collector.

The Stone Pony: You’ve worked as a solo artist for most of your career before forming a mutual-admiration society with the String Cheese Incident for your 1999 album “Beathe”. “Laugh” is also a group effort, including bass from Tye North, formerly of Leftover Salmon, and Motet’s Dave Watts on drums. How did you come to select the musicians for this album, and how do you feel about working with others in a collaborative setting, as opposed to solo? What will the format be for your “Evening with Keller Williams” at The Stone Pony and who, if anyone, will be sharing the stage with you?

KW: I chose Tye and Dave because of how each of them are in their field and how they have played together in different conglomerations and work well together as a rhythm section.  I have a long wish list of other people I would like to record with.  As far as performing, at the Stone Pony, I will be solo.