Dar Williams with Ruth Theodore

Schedule

Fri, 17 Apr, 2026 at 06:00 pm

UTC-06:00

Location

Armory FoCo | Fort Collins, CO

Advertisement
Dar Williams with Ruth Theodore

Since 2013, Williams has been leading songwriting workshops where she teaches students to let songs find their own trajectories. While writing the breezy bossa nova “Tu Sais Le Printemps,” (single release 7/29/25) Williams questioned why she was writing a light, flirty song amidst many gloomy news stories. “I was having coffee with some of my fellow retreat leaders and Beth Nielsen Chapman, telling them about my ‘frilly’ song, and Beth said, ‘That's just what I want to hear right now!’ It was a nice moment to follow my own advice and let the song find its way.”

With help from Williams’ collaborators, the other songs found their paths as well. Mainly produced by Ken Rich at Brooklyn’s Grand Street recording (with two tracks produced by Dave Chalfant in Western Massachusetts), the Hummingbird Highway sessions were a microcosm of the interdependence that provided inspiration from inception to full production. These songs are ecosystems that thrive on co-creation. Daisy Mayhem brings roots-rock energy to the bluegrassy “Put the Coins on His Eyes,” while long time touring-mate and collaborator Bryn Roberts creates both the hooks and immersive sonic landscapes of every musical genre. Simpatico “studio magic” can be heard in the happy rowdiness of the Richard Thompson cover, “I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight,” as well as in the contemplative “Sacred Mountain” where Williams wraps a halting melody around the narrator, a Buddhist who struggles to reconcile inward contemplation and political action. Through gray skies, snow pigeons, and petitions to stem industrial pollution, the character moves through shifting mindsets to work towards “what we see; what we breathe in time.”

As hummingbirds and folk singers fly, they gain perspective and not just distance. She finds that wise perch on “Olive Tree,” a single out on August 26. With production of stirring percussion and twinkling keys, she considers everything that’s led up to our current moment. Williams observes “all of these strangers and friends” talking about world events at parties and dinner gatherings and thinks back to all the iterations of those conversations from Aristotle on. In a moving verse, she conjures a time in 1913 when California Berkeley scientists planted an olive grove in the United States and imagined the generations who would meet in the olive trees’ shade for “over one thousand years.” When Williams promises “I’ll meet you here under an olive tree,” we all know that both she and we will, wherever and whenever we continue to foster olive trees and a human-scale, deeply-rooted democratic society.

Longtime listeners know that Williams and her music are always up for those kinds of conversations that glimpse the brightest colors, woven into the larger context of time. “As I've gotten older, I feel more comfortable holding a lot of different threads in my hand to create more complicated patterns. Time has given me a better ability to hold a bunch of colors and temperaments and see what happens, where they become interesting new stories and also where I need to stop and untangle the themes and characters. It's daunting, and I've learned that, you know, daunting is fine, just keep going.”
Advertisement

Where is it happening?

Armory FoCo, 314 E Mountain Ave,Fort Collins, Colorado, United States

Event Location & Nearby Stays:

Icon
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
Armory FoCo

Host or Publisher Armory FoCo

Ask AI if this event suits you:

Discover More Events in Fort Collins

Parking Black Violin
Tue, 21 Apr at 01:30 am Parking Black Violin

The Lincoln Center - Fort Collins

MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
Rocky Mountain District (EFCA) Annual Spring Conference
Wed, 22 Apr at 10:00 am Rocky Mountain District (EFCA) Annual Spring Conference

Fort Collins

BUSINESS CONFERENCES
Chicago - The Musical
Thu, 23 Apr at 05:00 pm Chicago - The Musical

Lincoln Center Performance Hall

LIVE-MUSIC
Chicago at Fort Collins Colorado Lincoln Center
Fri, 24 Apr at 07:30 pm Chicago at Fort Collins Colorado Lincoln Center

Fort Collins Colorado Lincoln Center

TRIPS-ADVENTURES CONTESTS
Bring Your Own Vinyl Night
Wed, 29 Jan at 04:00 pm Bring Your Own Vinyl Night

Odell Brewing Company

ENTERTAINMENT MUSIC
A Date Night Adventure! - It's A Small World
Sat, 19 Jul at 08:00 am A Date Night Adventure! - It's A Small World

13 Old Town Square

TRIPS-ADVENTURES ENTERTAINMENT
Powerful Voices Open Mic Show - Live Music, Comedy, Poetry+ More!
Thu, 02 Oct at 06:00 pm Powerful Voices Open Mic Show - Live Music, Comedy, Poetry+ More!

Fort Collins

ART MUSIC
Wed, 22 Oct at 08:00 pm Wednesday in Fort Collins

Aggie Theatre

ART THEATRE
Free Lunch & Learn
Thu, 23 Oct at 11:30 am Free Lunch & Learn

Better Business Bureau, 8020 South County Road 5, Fort Collins, CO

MUSIC ART
Thu, 23 Oct at 06:30 pm The Dangerous Summer in Fort Collins

Surfside 7

CONCERTS MUSIC
Smokey Brights
Thu, 23 Oct at 07:00 pm Smokey Brights

120 1/2 W Laurel, Fort Collins, CO, United States, Colorado 80524

MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
Block Party @Van Cafe
Fri, 24 Oct at 03:00 pm Block Party @Van Cafe

1230 Blue Spruce Dr

MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
The Martin Sexton Abbey Road Show
Fri, 24 Oct at 05:00 pm The Martin Sexton Abbey Road Show

Washington's - Fort Collins

TRIPS-ADVENTURES
Johnny & The Mongrels - Horsetooth Tavern
Fri, 24 Oct at 06:00 pm Johnny & The Mongrels - Horsetooth Tavern

Horsetooth Tavern

FESTIVALS
Luke Hahn-Zollo & Friends Duo at funkwerks
Fri, 24 Oct at 06:00 pm Luke Hahn-Zollo & Friends Duo at funkwerks

Funkwerks

MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
Fool House - The Ultimate 90's Party : Millennium Tour
Fri, 24 Oct at 07:00 pm Fool House - The Ultimate 90's Party : Millennium Tour

Washington's FoCo

PARTIES ENTERTAINMENT
Aubrey Dale @ The Aggie - Supporting Double Wide
Fri, 24 Oct at 07:00 pm Aubrey Dale @ The Aggie - Supporting Double Wide

Aggie Theatre

MUSIC LIVE-MUSIC

What's Happening Next in Fort Collins?

Discover Fort Collins Events