Ours is an increasingly anticipatory culture where the future can't get here fast enough. This is why I was carving my Jack-o'-Lantern by the light of 4th of July fireworks and why we took our Christmas tree down last Sunday in preparation for St. Patty's Day.

In that context, the very fine folk-pop songwriter Dar Williams isn't quite as bad. But if you think seeing her in concert would make for a great New Year's Eve, you'll have to think ahead. Williams performs Sunday — New Year's Eve Eve — at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center.

Though it's been a few years since Williams' last album, the yearning "Emerald" (and wonderful tracks like "Something to Get Through" and "FM Radio"), she's been busy in a variety of activist causes — all of which contribute to her commitment as an artist and a citizen of the world.

Dar Williams, 7 p.m. Sunday, Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, 300 Main St., Old Saybrook; $42; (860) 510-0453.