Dar Williams, Shawn Mullins, The Nields all play Calvin Theatre this Saturday at 8PM

One of the most acclaimed singer-songwriters of her generation, Dar Williams has been engaging audiences with her musical artistry since the early 1990s when she rose from the Northeast coffeehouse circuit to the national spotlight. A native of New York’s Hudson Valley, where she still resides, Williams maintains in her life and music a strong system of values, idealism and community involvement. Throughout her career, Williams has toured with artists such as Joan Baez, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Ani DiFranco, Shawn Colvin, etc. Few performers create a bond from the stage with an audience like Williams does. Williams' devotion to activism remains strong as ever from environmental protection to social action; she has helped spearhead grassroots organizations around the country alongside her legions of fans. Dar has also branched off into the publishing realm as an author of two novels for young readers, Amalee and Lights, Camera, Amalee, both published by Scholastic Press. A new Dar Williams album is due out later this year.

Shawn Mullins new Vanguard Records CD honeydew came out a few weeks ago, teeming with humanity: railroad workers, traveling salesman, homeless troubadours, and several generations of family members, living and dead. It is a richly interwoven work, the most panoramic album of Mullins’ career as well as the most intensely personal. “These songs are character sketches of people I've come across and places I've traveled through,” he says. Mullins is best known for his Top 10 hit “Lullaby” from the platinum album Soul’s Core. Exposed to music at an early age by his grandfather, who was a big band player, Mullins began writing songs and producing cassettes in grammar school. After attending North Georgia College and a stint in the military he launched his own label in 1991 and hit the singer-songwriter circuit, building a strong following in the Southeast. Seven independent albums later, he released Soul's Core on Sony Music in 1998. He signed with Vanguard Records in 2004 and shortly thereafter released 9th Ward Pickin' Parlour. honeydew is his sophomore release for the label. Get Tickets Here.