Axeman Lefty Williams and Band Returning to Hog’s Breath

By Chris Manson August 7, 2008 Issue

Don’t worry, Lefty Williams is cool with his nickname. The singer, songwriter and guitarist says he picked it up when he was a kid.

“It just kind of stuck,” says Williams, who also answers to the name Jason. He created his first prosthetic pick for his missing right hand at age 6, according to his official bio at www.lefty-music.com and has recently played with a “sock-like leather wrap.”

“The device is constantly changing,” he tells The Beat from the road, prior to his return to Destin’s Hog’s Breath the weekend of Aug. 13. “If I see something that’s gonna work better, I give it a shot. The next incarnation, I’m thinking of using hot glue. There’s a kid in Tallahassee who has a hand like mine, and he hot glued his pick on. The last time we played here, he and his whole family came to Destin for a vacation, and we sat on the porch and picked and had a good time.”

Williams and his band appeared at Hog’s Breath earlier this summer. In September, they will return to Bud & Alley’s where they wowed crowds in June. “Florida tends to be a very good state for the blues,” says Williams, whose new album Snake Oil was released last month. “There are lots of blues and southern rock fans here. And it’s always nice to go to the beach!”

Before he reached his teens, Williams already knew how to transcribe songs by classic rock artists like Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, and the Allman Brothers. Prior to Williams’ birth, his dad would put headphones on his mom’s tummy and play Yes’ Fragile album. “I never really listened to a lot of blues—just blues rock—but the older style crept in subconsciously,” says Williams, who purchased his very first Muddy Waters album from iTunes a few days ago.

“The guitar players I like, I just listen to a whole bunch, and it seeps into my subconscious. I’ve been compared to Widespread Panic’s Jimmy Herring, but I never once sat down to figure out one of his solos or licks. I think it’s interesting that I’ve incorporated his style without trying.”

Williams also teaches guitar in his hometown, of Norcross, Georgia. His students range from age 7 to late teens, and Guitar Hero has heavily influenced most of them. “A lot of kids want to learn ‘Iron Man’ and ‘Smoke on the Water.’ The thing about teaching is you have to understand the concept to teach it. It makes me dig into concepts that I haven’t thought about in a long time. It’s a big learning process for me. I took a break from transcribing songs, but now I’m doing it everyday.”

The Lefty Williams Band consists of Williams’ spellbinding guitarisms and tough-blues vocals, drummer Steve Saunders, and bassist Daniel Broome. Those attending the Hog’s Breath shows can expect to hear songs from the new disc and 2006’s excellent Big Plans, which I downloaded from the Amazon MP3 store and thoroughly enjoyed.

“We play a wide range of covers,” adds Williams. “Songs like Miles Davis’ ‘All Blues,’ but we do it kind of funky. We try to do things people will recognize but in a way they haven’t heard them before. People can expect to have a lot of fun. That’s why I do this—to have as much fun as possible. The rowdier the crowd, the happier I get.”

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