MadWhiskeyGrin concert goers shouldn’t expect a big band production or a crowded stage at any of their shows.

MadWhiskeyGrin is actually just one man – Frank Williams of Atlanta.

The name came from one of his early songs.

“I wanted to be a blues singer/songwriter,” Williams said. “I wanted to have a blues band, and then that didn’t work and it just ended up being me.”

Williams said his sound still retains his original blues sound, with an experimental twist.

His only instrument is a 12-string guitar, which he sometimes plays using part of a 12-gauge shotgun barrel as a slide.

“My music is drawn from old blues and from Celtic sounds,” he said. “I would describe it as kind of a prelingual exploration. I’m trying to map out things that don’t have words.”

For Williams, creating music can be surreal.

“I’m often half asleep while I’m playing, and I’m just letting my fingers go without knowing what I’m doing,” he said. “I happen to be meditating with a guitar in my lap.”

Tonight, William’s will play for the first time at Flicker Theatre and Bar. He has recently been featured on WUOG’s Live In The Lobby and at last year’s AthFest.

Although Williams has songs with lyrics he said he doesn’t sing or talk much during performances.

“I’m not going to get up and run around,” he said.

Even without the singing, Williams really exerts himself during each MadWhiskeyGrin show.

“When I play a show I end up being stiff for a few days because I’m putting so much into it,” he said. “I’m going to sit down and I’m going to play guitar until my fingers bleed.”

- Rachel Webster

When: 9:30 tonight
Where: Flicker Theatre and Bar
Price: $TBA