Rob Williams Shares Inspiration Behind “A Hard Time”

Richmond, VA-based Americana singer-songwriter Rob Williams will be releasing his promising debut album, Weathering The Storm Vol. 1, on August 28th.

Certainly, the title of the new LP is apropos to these truly turbulent times here in the United States. But across this upcoming set, Williams has counterbalanced the collective ball of fear, anger, anxiety and worry so many of us are feeling in 2020 with a song cycle that takes its time. The music itself stems from a homemade blend of classic country twang and vintage college rock that buoys the root themes of Weathering The Storm, Vol. 1, which focus on Williams’ battle with depression. Yet when you listen to a track like “A Hard Time,” one can clearly recognize the consideration both the singer and producer John Morand gave to this distinctive and familiar sound the Virginian delivers here.

American Songwriter is proud to premiere “A Hard Time” today alongside an exclusive interview with Mr. Williams about the song’s genesis and evolution. 

What inspired you to write this song?  Is there a specific impetus or story behind it that you can share? 

I wrote this song following a prolonged and difficult experience with depression. I’m fortunate to have the support that I do and to have found treatment that works for me.

You write very evocative lyrics and your music and lyrics seem so perfectly intertwined; you’re a real storyteller.  Was this a music-first or a lyrics-first song for you?  Which way do you tend to write in general, music or lyrics first? Talk us through the writing process for this song in particular, as well as the recording process for the song.

LYRICS: When I sat down to write a song about my experience with depression, I decided to take the angle of a fictitious meet-up with an old friend. People tend to exchange pleasantries when they greet one another, especially if it’s been a while. My thought is that this song is what I would like to have said when asked, “How have you been?” instead of the typical, “Fine” or “Pretty Good” or whatever we typically say when asked. It’s such a personal song for me that I was able to write it pretty quickly. I just imagined myself talking with an old friend about what I’d been going through. And unlike most of my songs, it didn’t require much editing after the first draft.

MUSIC: This one is a combination of new lyrics with older chord arrangements. I often record short chord patterns and hum made up melodies on my phone when I can’t make them work at the time. Later on when working on a new idea, I can scroll through the phone and see if there’s anything there that seems like a good fit for the lyrics I’m writing or the story I’m trying to tell. It doesn’t always work, but it works enough. That’s how it went for this song, but it’s not how I write all of my songs.

RECORDING: We recorded this record over a yearlong period of mini-sessions. I didn’t introduce the songs for each session to the whole band until the previous session was over. Sometimes I didn’t even write the songs until the previous session was over! For this song, I made a poor quality home demo and shared it with the band. We rehearsed it a few times to get the arrangement down before heading to the studio, and then worked out the finer details once we were there. Like many other songs on this record, I didn’t have a clear idea of how this one would sound before going to record it. 

How does this song fit into the overall vibe and themes on your forthcoming record?

Most of the songs on this record were written after I started treatment for depression. The title of the album, Weathering the Storm Vol. 1, refers to my personal struggle. This song addresses that struggle more directly than any other on the record. Not that it’s a sad or self-loathing kind of record. On the contrary, I think there’s an element of hope implicit in all the songs. 

There are some different flavors in your music among the songs on the album, but there is a cohesion to your sound that is so organic and natural.  What and who do you consider to be your biggest influences – both musical genres and individual artists – and why?

The biggest influences on my writing these days are people like Josh Ritter and Craig Finn. Both have a gift for working with words and telling stories. As far as genre goes, I grew up a rock fan — Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Who, that kind of thing. I’ve expanded my musical taste a good bit over time, but fundamentally, I’m still a fan of guitar-based songs, and that works in a lot of genres.

Photo credit:  Peter Beliaev