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Widespread Panic
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Widespread Panic is an American band from Athens, Georgia. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Todd Nance, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJo" Hermann, and guitarist Jimmy Herring. Michael Houser and George McConnell have also played lead guitar for the band.
Since their inception in Athens, GA in 1986, Widespread Panic has risen to elite status among American jambands. Following in the steps of other southern rock jam bands such as The Allman Brothers, they have influences from the southern rock, blues-rock, progressive rock and hard rock genres.
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Encyclopedia
Widespread Panic is an American band from Athens, Georgia. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Todd Nance, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJo" Hermann, and guitarist Jimmy Herring. Michael Houser and George McConnell have also played lead guitar for the band.
Since their inception in Athens, GA in 1986, Widespread Panic has risen to elite status among American jambands. Following in the steps of other southern rock jam bands such as The Allman Brothers, they have influences from the southern rock, blues-rock, progressive rock and hard rock genres. They are frequently compared to other jam band "road warriors" such as the Grateful Dead and Phish. Widely renowned for their live performances, as of 2008, they hold the record number of sold out performances at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, CO at 32 and Philips Arena in Atlanta, GA at 17. Dedicated fans are referred to as "Spreadheads" or "Spreadnecks" if from the south.
Band history
1981-1995: Early years and rise to national attention
John Bell and Michael Houser met in 1981 in their dorm at the University of Georgia. Bell had been playing guitar as a solo act, and invited his new friend Houser, also a guitarist, to join him. They began living together and collaborating on music in that year, writing still-popular songs such as "Driving Song" and "Chilly Water" together. Bassist Dave Schools joined the group in 1983. On February 6, 1986, Houser called childhood friend and drummer Todd Nance to sit in with Houser, Bell, and Schools for a charity event in Athens; it was their first show as "Widespread Panic". The band was named for Houser's once-frequent panic attacks. Texan percussionist Domingo S. Ortiz ("Sonny") joined the band later that year.
The band began touring bars and fraternities on a regular basis. Panic signed with Landslide Records in 1987. In September of the same year, they recorded their first album, Space Wrangler, at John Keane's studio in Athens. Col. Bruce Hampton is rumored to have delivered the first pressing to the band. Songs on the album included “Chilly Water,” “Travelin' Light,” “Space Wrangler,” “Coconut,” “The Take Out,” “Porch Song,” “Stop-Go” and “Driving Song.” After Space Wrangler, touring expanded to included additional northeastern dates, but also expanded into the Texas, Colorado, the west coast and their first international show held in Vancouver in August. They played their first show in Colorado in March 1990, opening for Jerry Joseph's band Little Women.
Widespread Panic signed with Capricorn Records in January 1991. Later that year, they released their major label debut, Widespread Panic (aka Mom's Kitchen). . That same year Billy Bob Thornton directed the movie Widespread Panic: Live from the Georgia Theatre which was recorded over two nights in Athens, Georgia.
As the band began to tour more, John Hermann ("JoJo") joined the band as a keyboardist in March 1992 replacing Dixie Dregs keyboardist T. Lavitz who joined the band a year earlier. The band continued to tour throughout the entire US in 1992 joining the famous HORDE tour with Blues Traveler, Phish, and the Aquarium Rescue Unit, among others. They released "Everyday" in March 1993 and "Ain't Life Grand" in September 1996. Panic marked their rise by playing on network television for the first time in November 1994.
The Golden Years: 1996-2001
On April 18 1998, to celebrate the release of their first live album, Light Fuse, Get Away, Widespread Panic offered a free "CD release party" concert in Athens Georgia. An estimated 80,000-100,000 fans descended on the town, transforming it into one of the largest CD release parties in history.
In 2002, the band received gold certification for their concert DVD Live at Oak Mountain. It also headlined two nights of the first annual Bonnaroo Music Festival which drew a crowd upwards of 70,000 people.
Panic’s 7th annual New Year’s shows on December 30 and 31st, 2007 marked their 15th and 16th sellout performance at Philips Arena.
Death of Houser
In early 2002, guitarist Michael Houser was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Houser continued to perform with the band into the middle of that year, but following a performance on July 2, 2002 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa he left the tour due to his declining health. Guitarist George McConnell, a former bandmate of JoJo Hermann's in Beanland, took over as lead guitarist for the remainder of the band's scheduled dates. Michael Houser died on August 10, 2002.
McConnell era
In 2003, the band released Ball, the first studio album with McConnell as the guitarist. The album was unique among the band's offerings in that none of the songs included had been performed live by the band prior to the recording. All of the material included was written specifically for the album with the exception of "Time Waits," a song which John Bell had performed in solo appearances, and "Don't Wanna Lose You," a song John Hermann had performed with his side-project Smiling Assassins. Late in 2003, the band announced that they would be taking a hiatus from both recording and performing in 2004. However, 2004 did see the release of three live albums: Night of Joy and Über Cobra--both of which were recorded during a November 2003 three-night run of shows at the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach, SC--as well as Jackassolantern, a compilation of cover songs performed during the band's Halloween shows. A third live album taken from the Myrtle Beach shows, Live at Myrtle Beach was released in early 2005.
In January 2006, the band recorded their 9th studio album, Earth to America, in Nassau, Bahamas at Compass Point Studios, with Terry Manning producing. It was released June 13, 2006. Their May 9 show at Atlanta's Fox Theatre was simulcast in LIVE HD, via satellite, in select movie theatres nationwide. Over 60,000 fans across the country watched it live in the theatres. This show was also released in DVD format on November 14, 2006, entitled 'Earth to Atlanta'.
On August 2, 2006, in the middle of that years' summer tour, the band announced that George McConnell had left the band. Producer John Keane and former Houser guitar technician Sam Holt filled in on guitar for the remaining two weeks of the tour.
2006-Present
In late 2006, Fayetteville, NC native Jimmy Herring took over the reins of the lead guitarist in the band kicking off their fall tour with three nights at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York.
The band released their 10th album, Free Somehow, on February 12, 2008. It, too, was recorded with legendary producer Terry Manning at Compass Point Studios.
On September 20, 2008, Widespread Panic was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.
Live shows
Known for never playing the same show twice, the band has a show-to-show ritual of choosing the night's setlist. At the beginning of each tour Garrie Vereen, a member of the band's road crew, makes a master list of all the songs the band performs and laminates it. Each night before the show he marks the last 3 nights' set lists in different colors. The band can see what has been played recently and then decide what songs to play during the first set. They return back to the list during setbreak to pick songs for the second set, and likewise, return after the second set for any additional sets if playing more than two, or the encore. This process is explained by Vereen in the DVD The Earth Will Swallow You.
Tapers
Widespread Panic has the rare policy (similar to that of the Grateful Dead) of allowing any of their fans to tape, trade, and distribute their shows. Fans have been taping and trading shows since before they gained national prominence, allowing them to gain their strong national following.
Discography
The band has sold more than three million albums, and released a total of 20 CDs and six DVDs.
Studio albums
- Space Wrangler - 1988
- Widespread Panic - 1991
- Everyday - 1993
- Ain't Life Grand - 1994
- Bombs & Butterflies - 1997
- 'Til the Medicine Takes - 1999
- Don't Tell the Band - 2001
- Ball - 2003
- Earth to America - 2006
- Free Somehow - 2008
Compilations
- Choice Cuts: The Capricorn Years 1991-1999 - 2007
Live albums
- Light Fuse, Get Away - 1998
- Another Joyous Occasion - 2000
- Live in the Classic City - 2002
- Night of Joy - 2004
- Über Cobra - 2004
- Jackassolantern - 2004
- Live at Myrtle Beach - 2005
Live archive releases
- Carbondale 2000 - 2008
- Valdosta 1989 - 2009
Videography
- Live at Oak Mountain (2001)
- Panic in the Streets (2002)
- The Earth Will Swallow You (2002)
- Live From The Backyard (2003)
- Earth to Atlanta (2006)
- Live from Austin Texas (2008)
Side Projects
- The band recorded two albums with guitarist Vic Chesnutt as brute., in 1996 and 2002.
- Todd Nance has recorded and toured as part of the band Barbara Cue releasing three albums.
- Dave Schools has recorded and toured as part of the band Stockholm Syndrome.
Charity/Benefit Work
- Contributed a cover version of Van Morrison's And It Stoned Me to the Capricorn compilation album Hempilation, a benefit CD for NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws), 1995.
- Contributed a live performance version of Blue Indian to Live in the X Lounge II, an album benefiting United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Birmingham, a Birmingham, Alabama charity, 1999.
- Contributed a live June 2000 performance version of Give to Carved in Stone, Vol.1, an album benefiting the Preserve the Rocks Fund, a donation-driven reserve dedicated to the rehabilitation and preservation of the historic Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 2003.
- Recorded a cover of the NRBQ song Ain't No Horse for the CD "The Q People - A Tribute to NRBQ", 2004
- Contributed covers of The Doors' medley Peace Frog/Blue Sunday to the album Too Many Years to benefit Clear Path International's work with landmine survivors, 2005.
- Recorded a cover of The Band's song Chest Fever for the CD "Endless Highway - Tribute to The Band", 2006.
- Recorded a cover of John Lennon's Crippled Inside as a bonus track for the compilation album Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur, 2007.
- Performed a concert on November 19, 2008 to benefit the Bill Graham Memorial Foundation at the Fillmore at Irving Plaza in New York, NY.
In 2008 the band began holding food drives at shows on tour benefiting local food banks. This in an effort to "pick up the torch" the fan-run organization Panic Fans For Food handed over.
External links
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