Keller Williams brings a love of music to stage

Have you ever gone to a concert and an episode of “Animal Planet” broke out unexpectedly? For Keller Williams, the answer is yes.

Saturday night, Williams brings his flavorful blend of folk, funk and rock to Vinyl Music Hall, 2 Palafox Place.

When I asked the Virginia-born musician for the craziest thing he’s ever seen at a concert, Williams recalled his set at the Wanee Festival that featured a surprise guest.

“Lots of Spanish moss and old trees were hanging over the amphitheater where I played.” Williams said. “A branch fell from the tree while I was playing, and on the branch was a huge snake that had half of a squirrel in its mouth. People got in a circle around it, and no one was scared because there was half a squirrel coming out of its mouth. The game warden came, picked up the snake with the squirrel and put it in the sack while the music was playing.”

Minus the circle of life demonstration, you can expect Williams to deliver a show shaped by his wide-ranging love of music.

Growing up in a household filled with everything from Barry Manilow to KISS and Waylon Jennings, Williams developed an ear for exploration.

“As a kid, I remember going to little festivals and there would be bluegrass bands,” he said. “I also remember all of these cars riding around and this incredible go-go music coming out of them.”

Williams became fascinated by the funky, percussive sound created in the late ’70s Washington, D.C., music scene.

“Go-go involves a lot of one chord, throwing beats that go on forever with a lot of cowbells and bongos,” Williams said. “When I figured out what it was, I started listening to it, studying it, loving it.”

As Williams’ taste and talent grew, he sought out music wherever possible. His hard work eventually led to his greatest concert moment.

“I went to a lot of Grateful Dead shows,” Williams said. “I was always in the back, in the hallways or behind the stage — somewhere where I wasn’t really looking at the band. I know what they look like. I was there for the music and the songs.”

After absorbing the music, Williams honed his craft by playing bars and open mic nights. Eventually, he found himself on tour as opening act for Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir’s band, Ratdog.

“I got to play for half an hour, right before the band,” he said. “I’d been hinting to Bobby about sitting in with me, and he said ‘OK.’ ”

Williams and Weir played together for the first time at the historic Red Rocks Amphitheatre near Denver.

“We played three songs for 18 minutes,” Williams said. “I would consider that one of the greatest moments in my career — just how full circle it had all gone and incredibly surreal it was. We went on to do that every time I opened for him. He would come out and play with me. That first night was what I remember as being the most blown away.”

This an all-ages concert and doors open at 7 p.m. For more details, visit www.vinylmusichall.com.