NISSWA-Wild Ponies will play the final spring show for Grassroots Concerts at 7:30 p.m. April 28 at the Live Well Nightclub and Coffee Bar in the Journey Church at Nisswa.
The husband-and-wife duo-Doug and Telisha Williams- are Wild Ponies, a name they selected to better suit the evolution of their musical sensibilities. They have changed since their concert series debut in Nisswa as "Doug and Telisha Williams" in 2012.
Telisha Williams said they still just like to make good music, which means they bend the rules; they've become a little more electric.
The matured collaboration is built on a deeply compelling, magnetic chemistry.
"They play off each other's strengths, both are dynamic vocalists and smart songwriters," stated reviewer Maeri Ferguson in Journal of Roots Music about their 2016 release, "Radiant."
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They co-wrote the title track with 12-year-old Mariah Moore, whom the Williamses met through volunteering with the Country Music Hall of Fame's Words and Music program.
The tie that binds them all together is the thread of moments and memories-of cycles and seasons-that make up a life well-lived.
For Doug Williams, it's about "trying to look at the world around us and how we relate to it, trying to find some empathy."
For Telisha Williams, though, it's also about simply stepping outside of her own skin.
"When I listen to ('Things That Used to Shine,' their 2013 album), I hear the struggle. I hear the transition of a victim pushing, pulling, letting go, standing up and shouting. It's intense for me, and it's been intense for some of our fans," she stated.
"This record sounds more stable and secure in some ways, and fresh and exploratory in others. I don't think I could've gone to these same places if I remained in 'child victim and survivor land.' There's an acceptance and love for myself that I didn't have before and that allows me to reach deeper within myself, and to reach out and connect to my community in ways that I wasn't able to in the past."
The April 28 show in Nisswa precedes a new album this summer and the scheduled fall tour in Europe.
Admission for general seating at all concerts is $10 at the door for adults and $5 for children under 12 with listening attention, when accompanied by an adult. At all shows, seating is first-come, first-served. Showtime is 7:30 p.m., with doors opening at 6:30 p.m.
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The Journey Church is located next to the Nisswa Elementary School.
Grassroots Concerts will resume in the fall. For information go to www.grassrootsconcerts.org or visit Grassroots Concerts on Facebook or call 218-829-4092.
Performances are made possible in part by a grant from the Five Wings Arts Council with funding through the Minnesota State Legislature. The series is a nonprofit organization under the Internal Revenue Code.
At each concert your nonperishable food or cash donation to a local food shelf is welcomed by volunteers who will deliver each gift.
