Keller Williams quartet goes 'Live'

One-man jam band Keller Williams is living out his dream of fronting a group as he tours across the US with bassist Keith Moseley, guitarist Gibb Droll and drummer Jeff Sipe to support their forthcoming album, "Live."

Following a few dates this weekend with Yonder Mountain String Band, Williams will launch into a fall outing that mixes a handful of his solo shows with band performances. The coast-to-coast jaunt stretches from late August to mid-November, and Williams is already looking to next year, when he'll take part in the January 4-9 Jam Cruise 7. His itinerary is listed below.

Last year, Williams recruited friends Moseley (The String Cheese Incident), Droll (Marc Broussard, Brandi Carlile) and Sipe (Aquarium Rescue Unit, Leftover Salmon) for a few summer shows, including Manchester, TN's Bonnaroo festival.

"It was too good to be true," Williams said in his bio. "I'd been friends with and fans of these guys for so long. This was my dream band."

The excitement behind the summer shows led to a winter '08 tour that is captured on the double album/DVD set "Live," which is due Sept. 16. The collection puts a new spin on 17 tracks that span Williams' career.

"With group improvisation, you can go so much farther than you can solo," the musician explained. "There's this camaraderie that allows everyone to play more freely."

Williams' latest studio effort, last year's "Dream," features another dream-team of performers including Bela Fleck, John Scofield, Charlie Hunter, Victor Wooten, the String Cheese Incident and Steve Kimock, to name a few. The normally one-man performer, who's been called a "solo cult-hero," also recently released his twelfth album, "12," a compilation that looks back at his 20 years of making music.

Though he's having a blast fronting a band, Williams still looks forward to his one-man shows and has already started recording his next solo record, according to his bio. He's also planning a children's album, a remix record and a followup to 2006's "Grass," the critically lauded bluegrass project he recorded with The Keels.