Beginning to See the Light

Photo by FensePost

Good news from the inbox:

“White Williams is playing a free show at Urban Outfitters (11 JF Kennedy St.) in Boston on Wednesday, May 21st at 8 PM to benefit WERS as part of the Toyota/Urban Outfitters Free Yr Radio campaign. Although each show is free, concert-goers must present an invite upon entry which can be printed at www.FreeYrRadio.com prior to each concert.”

I’m not so surprised that White Williams would be playing the Urban Outfitters gig - Free Yr Radio tends to snag either Blog Buzzed Bands (which White Williams has been over the past few months) or cult favorites, a la Dinosaur Jr. last year. Still, even faux-vintage clothing haters have to admit it’s a pretty sweet deal to catch a free outdoor well, nearly outdoor show (it’s at least not your usual dark, steamy concert venue), especially once Boston decides to throw us a bone with non-crappy weather after months of cold and slush. And who better to drag us all out of our grumpy winter stupor than White Williams, aka Joe Williams, the Cleveland-based dance pop purveyor, whose “New Violence” single (which has a backbeat that sounds vaguely like “I Wanna Be Sedated”) has been firmly lodged in my brain since, oh, November or so? The Stranger recently described him as “a Cure & The Bunnymen kind of dance-rock,” and I like that, but don’t slot him with the Killers, the Bravery etc. Williams eschews all that drama - he just wants to dance!

MySpace: White Williams
Live: White Williams on PRI’s Fair Game
Free tix to the show: Free Yr Radio