by rick grant rickgrant01@comcast.net
What: Widespread Panic
When: November 4th
Where: Times-Union Center, Moran Theater
Widespread Panic is a band that is not happy unless it’s moving forward–literally and philosophically. Whatever day it is on the calendar, the WP road dogs from hell are out rolling to a gig somewhere in the USA, catering to a large countrywide fan base. The band members are a close-knit creative powerhouse that, as a group, is continually writing new songs and communicating new ideas to one another. The band makes its living on its sold-out shows across the country and overseas. Widespread Panic has logged twenty-five years of rock excellence. The group’s albums have sold well, but Widespread Panic’s recordings are secondary and act as a creative promotion for the band’s endless touring. Individually and collectively the WP musicians are living their dream and love the gypsy lifestyle. Rarely, does a group of musicians gel so well together over such a long period of time and remain close friends.
Listening to Widespread Panic’s latest album, Choice Cuts, (from Rhapsody) I was struck by hearing the homogenized influences that have been so well assimilated that one can not put the band into a narrow interval of sound. The mighty six piece band features John Bell on guitars and vocals, John “Jojo” Hermann on keyboards, Jimmy Herring on guitars, Todd Nance on drums, and Domingo Ortiz on percussion and vocals. This band produces a big bold sound with songs that run the gamut of blues, rock, fusion, and R&B.
Widespread Panic’s live shows are legendary events which people talk about for months afterwards. One hears the WP signature sound as improvised structures that allow the players room to solo, but hold the motif together in the listener’s mind. For me, it’s hard to put my finger on just what that trademark sound is. Sometimes WP sounds like the Doobie Brothers or the long defunct early 70s San Francisco band Quicksilver Messenger Service or a dozen other classic ( I prefer the term “real”) rock bands. And, whatever you do, don’t call this groove machine a jam band, which doesn’t begin to cover the scope of WP–an iconoclastic legend.
To find out what the Widespread Panic lads were doing now, I called Dominigo Ortiz in his Salt Lake City, Utah hotel room to get an update. He’s a charming and funny man who loves the road and jokes about the life of a gypsy road dog. Ortiz said he’s been with WP for twenty-five glorious years and loved every minute of it. It’s his dream band and his dream lifestyle.
“Yeah, I’m here in Salt Lake City, Utah-- a beautiful city and the weather is mild and sunny. We’re set to play a gig in Ogden, Utah tonight… We are road dogs from hell, but we love it. When I was in my teens I dreamed of doing this and here I am. I’m living my dream.”
“In 1980, I started playing in duos and eventually graduated to WP. I was accepted into the band without an audition. Man, I found a home and I’ve been happy ever since. As you know, our sound is difficult to describe. We are a product of our influences which are diverse–from Miles Davis to Frank Zappa to dozens of other bands and genres of music. It just gelled together and came out the other end as WP music. We let our fans describe it.”
“We all write songs on the road and consult with one another every day, even off the road, which is rare. We introduce new songs into our repertoire and gauge the audiences’ reaction. But our main asset is our large body of loyal fans who show up at our shows. Many of our fans will travel with us for two or three gigs on the road. Of course, we cater to our fans and that’s the impetus to going into the studio to record. Although we sell a fair number of albums every year, it doesn’t amount to enough money to live on. We make our living by touring, playing live gigs all across the country and overseas.”
Yes, the dude spoke the truth. Having large numbers of loyal fans drives this WP train to glory. The WP force will land in Jacksonville at the Moran Theater November 4th. Tickets are still available through TicketMaster (ticketmaster.com/artist/736451), but not for long. The band sells-out most of its gigs.
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