Denver's DJ Williams Is a Musical Tour de Force

When a virtuoso guitarist whose sound is rooted in rock, soul, jazz and funk releases a cover of Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box” and cites the orchestral influence of the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson in the arrangement, it’s time for music fans to sit and take a listen.

Denver musician DJ Williams is a musical tour de force, and with his summer tour and a new EP, he’s bringing the noise and the funk to growing legions of fans with numerous stops around Colorado, including a show on Thursday, June 13, at the Velvet Elk Lounge in Boulder, before kicking off an East Coast run in New York City on June 19.

Williams says his latest album, By Way of the RVA, is a "love letter to the town of Richmond, Virginia,” the same place where he discovered his passion for music. The recording has a little bit of something for everyone, and that’s a testament to all the influences that coalesce in Williams’s cohesive sound. His style is a treasure chest of musical history as the sounds of ’60s Motown merge with ’70s soul, filtered through ’90s grunge and hip-hop and a healthy dose of jazz to create a velvety smooth blend of melody and rhythm.

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