On July 29th from 11am to 8pm, Soulsational Festival will be celebrating music and wellness for its 7th year at Veterans Park in Bayville, NJ. This free community event will feature "live music, local health and wellness businesses and practitioners, giveaways, a silent auction, and lots of opportunities to give back and unite the Jersey Shore community." One of the event's live music performers is singer-songwriter MATT (BILLY) WILLIAMS, also known as THE WILLIAMSBOY. Enjoy this interview with him below:
What's your name, where are you from, where are you based now, and what do you do?
My name is Matt Williams, but I go by "Billy." Some friends growing up nicknamed me that, so I prefer to be called Billy. I'm from all over NJ -- Brick, Lakehurst, Silverton, Absecon, Ocean City -- but reside now in Burlington County, a mile off the Delaware River in a town called Riverside. I spend my mornings working for a non-profit for the state, and at night I am a traveling singer-songwriter, performing for private parties, bars, wineries, boats, backyards etc... all while trying to save up some money to finish an album I'm currently working on.
What's your background? What would you like people to know about you & your work?
I taught myself how to play the guitar by listening to the radio, and I have been doing music for over 20 years traveling all over the US. At one point I was signed to a record label and decided that raising my two boys was more important than making it big in music. I decided that being a father was more important. So I get to still make music, and I'm present in my kids' lives. I'm a normal guy who plays and sings guitar. My collective works are really just songs that are stories about life. They aren't popular but they are real and honest, and the people who tend to enjoy my music can relate.
How did you hear about Soulsational? What can we expect to see/hear at the festival, and what are you personally most looking forward to?
I met Gina Marie out gigging, and we have kept in contact since. She thought that Soulsational would be a great place for me to play and I was fortunate enough to be accepted to play last year and again this year. I spent years in the Bayville area as my pops used to have a boat down at Good Luck Point Marina, so I spent summers there. I love it there! I guess what you can expect from me is good old fashioned acoustic music. I will be performing some songs and hanging out all day to take in the amazing artists, vendors, food, and the cool community vibe Soulsational has!
How can people connect with you online? Do you have a website? Are you on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Bandcamp, Soundcloud, etc.?
I'm accessible via my website at http://www.williamsboy.com. People can sign up for my mailing list to get a FREE 17 track album of all original music, and they can click the links on the website to follow all my social media goings on.