On April 18th, DJ Williams, the guitarist for Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe and leader of his own project Shots Fired, flew to the Middle East. In a series of unfortunate events while visiting family abroad, the guitarist was detained for cannabis-related charges—a particularly frightening charge considering the frequently dire repercussions of marijuana use outside U.S. borders. Over the past month or so, Williams has been held abroad as the case was settled, with his presence being missed at numerous events including Jazz Fest this year. However, outpour and support for Williams during this unsure time was huge, with a GoFundMe set up by his sister dubbed the DJ Williams Appreciation Fund raising over $25,000 during that time.
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Luckily, after a period of uncertainty, the guitarist will be returning home to the United States. In a statement, Williams wrote, ““I’ve been released from the prison and headed back to the states right now with my mother. I’m not ready to speak to anyone but family right now but please know that my heart is overflowing with love and my eyes are filled with tears of gratitude for the amount of support you’ve all shown me. Thank you. This has been the hardest challenge I’ve ever faced and I am physically and emotionally exhausted but I plan to return a stronger, better man taking nothing for granted. Much love.”
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We’re certainly glad to have DJ Williams back stateside. You can watch video of his performance with his solo group DJ Williams & Shots Fired below, where the group puts on an awesome rendition of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” at The Mint in Los Angeles along with Sam Barsh.