Widespread Panic Bestows Ultimate Trust in New Orleans November 8, 2019 14:44

Words by Jordan Kirkland: Live & Listen

Photos by Craig Baird: Home Team Photography

Now that I’ve had several days to regroup, it seems fitting to sit down and revisit last weekend’s Halloween festivities with Widespread Panic. After 18 years of seeing this band, I finally had the opportunity to make this special tradition a priority. Halloween is always amongst the biggest annual events for any major touring act, and Widespread Panic never fails to deliver to its fervent fan base. 

Speculation was rampant, as expected, leading into Thursday night’s show. Upon entering UNO Arena, fans were introduced to an elaborate stage setup, which included Christmas decorations, a taxi cab, a wrestling wring, and what appeared to be the back drop of a comedy club. We began wondering if these props could somehow be tied to Andy Kaufman, and this would prove to be the case later in the night. The band took the stage, and immediately invited NOLA’s own George Porter Jr. to join them on stage. Bassist Dave Schools let George take the lead on bass, while he focused his efforts on the rubber chicken, and the band appropriately kicked into The Meters’ “Chicken Strut.” They proceeded to get the entire room singing along for “Hey Pocky Way,” another Meters’ classic. 

The first set continued with The Talking Heads’ “Papa Legba,” and originals such as “One Arm Steve,” “Love Tractor,” “Hatfield,” “All Time Low,” and “Pilgrims” would follow. It had been two and a half years since the last cover of James Taylor’s “Knockin’ Round the Zoo” (JazzFest 2017), which made this set closer that much more raucous. The second set began with the theme to Mighty Mouse playing over the PA, before the band dropped into Bloodkin’s “Henry Parsons Died.” This was followed by a powerful “Surprise Valley” > “Arleen” > “Surprise Valley.” We stomped around the “Old Neighborhood” just before a rockin’ take on “Holden Oversoul.” The next bust out came in the form of Howlin’ Wolf’s “Spoonful” (LTP 10/08/14 Montgomery, AL), and “Tallboy” had the whole place going wild. 

The Halloween antics really began taking shape from here. John Bell welcomed REM’s Mike Mills to the stage, and the debut of Lou Reef’s “Perfect Day” was a beautiful surprise. At some point, a man posted up at a small table on stage left, where he proceeded to eat a meal and drink wine. Two more debuts then surfaced in the form of David Bowie’s “Starman” and REM’s “Man on the Moon” both with the help of Mills on guitar/bass and Paul Agostino on keys. “Porch Song” was an absolutely perfect way to close out this set.

The encore was without a doubt one of the more interesting live music experiences of my life. The band returned to the stage with Mills and Agostino, while drummer Duane Trucks was on bass and Dave Schools front and center. I had absolutely no idea what was going on at the time, but Schools proceeded to inform us all that “I Trusted You” for the better part of five minutes (see video below). Two more highly obscure Andy Kaufman nods followed with “This Friendly World” and “Volare,” before tour manager Steve Lopez took the stage to ask the audience to please stop smoking in the building.  This is when things got really bizarre.

John Bell invited the infamous Tony Clifton to the stage. I will go ahead and admit that I didn’t realize this was keyboardist JoJo Hermann until the following day. He began singing about “Tacos” being cheap, before a “heckler” started screaming obscenities at him. Clifton appeared to be fed up with said heckler, told her to suck one, and she jumped on stage to throw multiple drinks at the band. At this point, the band exited the stage, security escorted the woman off stage, the lights came on, and we all wondered, “what the fuck just happened?” The band would immediately offer an emphatic apology to the fans via social media, which proved to be all part of an extensive Andy Kaufman inspired Halloween gag.  Like I said, it was an interesting night, but it was also pure genius, in my humble opinion.

Watch Widespread Panic perform "I Trusted You" here:

The Panic faithful had plenty to discuss leading into Friday night’s show. Was this the last of the shenanigans, or would this be a common theme throughout the weekend?  We wouldn’t see any gags on night two, but Jesus Christ, did we get a hot show. The first set was one big “Bowlegged” > “Chilly Sandwich,” with tunes such as “”Little Lilly,” “Visiting Day,” “Walkin’ (For Your Love),” and “You Got Yours” thrown in the middle. JB had a slight technical malfunction during “Christmas Katie,” which left the frontman singing without his guitar for the first half of the song. The highlight of the set had to be the first “Entering a Black Hole Backwards” since 2014 dropping back into “Chilly Water,” which would then segue back into “Bowlegged.” That is Widespread Panic at its finest. 

 Everyone’s got their own opinion, but for me, the perfect Panic set begins with “Disco" > "Diner.” This smokin' set continued with “Blackout Blues,” “The Last Straw, and “Mercy,” before we got our first “Drums” of the weekend. They came back out guns blazing with “Chainsaw City” and “Four Cornered Room,” then “Jack” led straight into a “Red Hot Mama” from Louisiana that nearly brought the house down. The band revisited the 2017 Halloween show with The Dillards’ “There is a Time,” which was originally performed on the Andy Griffith Show, and Tom Petty’s “You Wreck Me” would put the finishing touches on a damn near flawless show.

I think we were all convinced that it was Sunday at this point, but fortunately, this run began on a Thursday night. What was left in the tank for Saturday? We were in for a treat…that’s for sure. We started with a flashback to Pulp Fiction when guitarist Jimmy Herring ripped into “Rumble,” an instrumental by Link Wray & His Ray Men. The set continued with Tom Waits’ “Goin’ Out West” and “Greta,” and “Climb to Safety” would follow. Being that this song has become somewhat of a Panic anthem (even though it’s Jerry Joseph’s song), it’s reputation is somewhat controversial. I, for one, will never get tired of hearing it. On this night, I experienced one of the more euphoric body highs of my life during the first chorus. Every hair of my body was standing on edge, and it felt really fucking good.

“Junior” and “Makes Sense to Me” were next on the list, just before one of the weekend’s most exciting moments. Dumpstaphunk’s Ivan Neville joined the band for an amazing sequence of “Sleepy Monkey” > “I Walk on Guilded Splinters” (Dr. John) > “Cream Puff War" (Grateful Dead). Does it get any hotter than that?  The second set was equally as impressive. We were off to the races with “Radio Child” and “Thought Sausage.” Another bust out surfaced with John Lennon & Yoko Ono’s “The Ballad of John & Yoko.” “Honkey Red” set a super heavy, serious tone, before an absolutely perfect “Driving Song” was played. “Breathing Slow” led into another rager, “Impossible,” and Vampire Blues came next. “Pigeons” is always a treat, especially when “Papa’s Home” is looming in the distance. Trucks and percussionist Sonny Ortiz led us through another impressive “Drums,” which landed back into “Papa’s” just in time for a set closing “Action Man.” 

While I’ve seen several nods to the late Col. Bruce Hampton, it had been about eight years (02/14/11) since I had seen Panic play “Basically Frightened.” This would begin the encore and lead perfectly into “Blue Indian.” It then appeared that “Postcard” would close out the weekend. Per usual, the entire building was ready to shout, “This town is nuts. My kind of place. I don’t ever wanna leave.” Not so fast, y’all.  We were treated to a reprise of “I Trusted You,” and I’m not sure I’ve ever laughed so hard. Are you kidding me?

There were high expectations for my first Halloween with Panic, and this band never lets me down. What almost seemed like a page out of the Phish playbook made this weekend as unique as any I’ve experienced. These musical journeys always seem to leave us feeling recharged and grateful for this fortunate life we live. There is nothing I’d rather do than embark on a weekend of mayhem with some of the best friends you could ever ask for, along with one of the greatest bands to ever take the stage.

10 Reasons Not to Miss SweetWater 420 Festival April 18, 2019 01:33

10. There's some serious after shows to choose from. Killer late night sets across the city.

• Not quite ready to call it a night after the headliner? No problem. The afterparties surrounding this year's festival are as strong as you'll find anywhere. Terminal West will host Ghost Light on Friday night and Billy Strings on Saturday. Aisle 5 will host Voodoo Visionary on Thursday, Higher Learning on Friday, SunSquabi on Saturday, and Knower + Nate Wood Four on Sunday. Additional afters shows we're keeping an eye on include Bird Dog Jubilee & Schema at Cotton Club (downstairs at the Tabernacle) on Friday and Runaway Gin "Make Phish Evil Again" at The Loft on Friday.

Here's a quick video recap from the 2018 festival:

Check out the full weekend schedule and map out your weekend below!

JoJo Hermann Discusses James Booker, New Orleans Piano Influences March 19, 2019 15:13

"Feelin' I'm Free": Ringing In 2019 With Widespread Panic January 5, 2019 14:56

Words by Erika Rasmussen

Photos by Craig Baird: Home Team Photography

People all over the world have their own New Year’s traditions. A little ritual to mark the end of one year and, hopefully, usher in the next with joy and love. Some people greet every New Year in a bar with their friends. Or in Times Square. Or at home, eating black eyed peas for prosperity with family. For my “framily”, we follow Widespread Panic on December 31st.

This year, as often happens, that was a three-night run at the Fabulous Fox Theatre in Atlanta. For me, and thousands of others, this pilgrimage reunites me with those I love on tour, introduces me to the new and amazing people that somehow still always seem to appear, and reminds me why I love this damn band so much after decades of doing this. Night One kicked it all off with an opener we’ve never seen before: “Vacation”. So, yeah. Let’s just begin with something we’ve never done before, shall we? We’re all glancing over at each already. “Did they just…?” “Have we opened with this before?” “What’s Curtis saying?” The first set saw many of our beloved classics, including “Papa’s Home”, which went well with the commemorative Papa print we all loved of Valentine’s this weekend. Second set favorites for me were the Low Spark > Jam > Low Spark. The whole weekend was very “jammy”.

Recently, I’ve noticed myself becoming defensive about the “jam band” description for Panic. “No, no, no,” I’ll say. “You don’t understand. It’s more than that. It’s blues and southern rock and so much more.” But why should I be defensive about a jam band title? When done well, like it was this weekend, a jam band’s work is transcendent. It’s magical. It jams you away from a song you know and love and takes you to another place and then brings you back to a song you forgot you left. That’s mystical.

On Night Two, they decided to reeeeeally impress us. They not only opened with a slow “Porch Song” (swoon), but they closed the night with “Porch Song”. They’ve never played both versions in one show and this was dubbed on the setlist as “Front Porch/Back Porch”. Heh. How witty is that? Another front/back feature of the weekend was the double-sided Matt Leuning minis, printed at Ruby Sue Graphics. It means so much to me, and to all of us, that this band and this community has placed a high value of promoting visual artists and letting their creativity run wild.

Matt also created commemorative coins this weekend, of which I was gifted one by my friend, Zeke. The slow “Porch” opener was followed by Billy Joe Shaver’s “Chunk of Coal”, last played two years ago on the NYE run. The second set included a “Ball of Confusion” jam out of “Rebirtha”. Thanks for the tease, boys. Of course, the show closer of that second, “fast” Porch knocked everyone’s socks off. Great way to end the night.

Night Three began with a beautiful “For What It’s Worth” that would set the tone for an emotional evening. Acoustic JB was a nice touch for the first set, as were his red pants. The second set featured a heavy focus on jams and I danced myself weary, especially during “Good People”. This is a topic I’ve been preaching on this year. It was good to see people behaving themselves (relatively speaking) at this show. I saw people treating each other respectfully, working hard to get tickets for their friends, miracling total strangers on Peachtree Street, gifting stickers and koozies and whatnot, and a kind gentleman bought drinks for my friend and I when our cards wouldn’t scan.

Of course, I heard stories of some guys not treating the ladies so respectfully, sadly. But each of those stories seems to end with “…and then So-And-So came up and told him off in no uncertain terms.” We stand up for each other. We ARE the good people. Remember that going into this year. Apparently, our good behavior was rewarded.

After the midnight countdown, the band went into “The Waker”. Lemme repeat myself for those in the back. They went into “THE WAKER”. Whaaaaat?!? Years ago, our dearly missed Mikey Houser wrote this song, titled after his son. The song hasn’t been touched by the band since Mikey’s passing in ’02. We never thought they would touch it again. It’s like Grandma’s china that you put away and don’t ever break out in live action anymore. You just appreciate for the beauty and the care that went into the creation of the thing. And then one day, you’re eating ribs (and whiskey) off that china and you love it even more. You realize that it’s a thing that’s meant to be taken out into the daylight. And when Panic brought this song back out into the light, oh my.

It took a few moments for the first few notes of “The Waker” to really sink in. We all look at each other. We do that “cover your mouth in shock” thing with our hands. “Are they really playing it?” “Is this a tease?” Damn. They played it. The whole thing. And we were in awe. And in tears. And in love. And in hugs with our friends. It was an amazing thing to behold. Talk about an emotional release to start your new year. Thankfully, we danced the tears away by going straight into “Arleen”. And that always gets you shakin’, doesn’t it?

I’m especially happy that the Fox run included a nod to Col. Bruce Hampton (Retired) in the form of a JB/Schools Zambi rap into “I’m So Glad”. We miss you, Col., and we were certainly thinking of you in that venue of all places. The third set also included the second ever “Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress” that was face melting. Our encore consisted of dear songs like “End of the Show” and the first ever “Bastards in Bubbles” from the brute. project with Vic Chestnutt.

I can’t thank the band and staff and fans enough for 23 years of “therapy” at these shows. This was one of my very favorite runs, for so many reasons. I’m going into the new year looking forward to discovering more amazing surprises and reconnecting with more long-loved treasures. Skäl, everyone. Cheers to your friends so near.

The Musicians' Musicians: An Interview With Todd Nance & Friends August 15, 2018 10:33

Interview by Erika Rasmussen

Photos by Christan Newman

In every industry, there are the consummate professionals that others seek out. In the world of tunes, these are the musicians’ musicians. The people that highly talented and creative artists listen to and with whom they want to collaborate. The people who write the music that us nerds can all bliss out to. Folks like Col. Bruce Hampton (Retired), Big Star, Leon Russell, and the luminary like. 

I had the rare and fortunate opportunity to sit down with six of these examples in the modern era. These gentlemen share a body of work that has interwoven over the years in such acts as Bloodkin, Widespread Panic, Drive-By Truckers, Barbara Cue, Blueground Undergrass, Aquarium Rescue Unit, brute., and a number of others. And that’s quite a formidable résumé. When the group of friends and peers were all in Asheville recently to perform under the moniker of “Todd Nance and Friends”, I got to sit down with them and geek out about all things music. Here’s how that all went down. 

Ok, so I do I want to warn you guys that I was quite the talented drummer in sixth grade when we all had to choose chorus or band so I don't want the legend of my “Wipeout” performance to intimidate any of you going into this. You just have to forget about the reputation I built up at Bragtown sixth grade. 

(laughter)

So, when you guys come here to Asheville is there anywhere that you like to go? I know during the day you gotta rest, but is there anything that you hit here with all the fatty food and heady breweries and hipster hangouts? 

MOSIER: We went to Sierra Nevada today. It was cool. 

We couldn't get in; it was, like an hour and a half wait. 

MARTINEZ: We went kinda early and there was still a decent line.

You’re troopers. We gave up and went to the seedy BBQ joint instead and it was pretty good.

NANCE: Luella's. That's good.

That’s my favorite. Imma steal that mirror ball disco pig one day. It’s going home with me. 

MARTINEZ: I like Sunny Point. I don't make it there too often, though.

Yeah, you have to go up there early too.

MARTINEZ: I passed it.

So, if you guys are on the road and you stop at a gas station, what kind of junk food do you get?

NANCE: I get pistachios.

Shelled or lazy?

NANCE: Shelled. Salty shelled.

So it gives you something to do and...

NANCE: No, I just like pistachios (laughs). You can pick 'em out too quick if they're already shelled. You gotta pace yourself.

So what do you guys eat on the road? Like, not what you tell your wife you eat, but what you really eat when you stop at QuikTrip in Burlington.

MARTINEZ: My wife knows exactly what I eat. She watched me look at, and she tells the story all the time, we were at a kiosk of cinnamon buns and she said to Tori (Pater), "I wish he looked at me that way..." (laughter all around) I was like "damn, look at that!" 

“Look at the curves on that thing…” Have you ever heard the Louis C.K. skit about people in line at Cinnabon? There's no one happy in line at Cinnabon?

JN: Yeah yeah yeah (laughs) he stopped at one when he was leaving the airport.

Yeah. Even better. If you have to get your fix on your way out, that's a whole new level of Cinnabon hell. (laughter) Speaking of on the road, when you get to go somewhere very "hallowed", like Muscle Shoals, or when you worked with Terry Manning and there was some guitar that was supposedly Robert Johnson’s, do you ever feel that, like, magic around those places and those instruments or is it "this is all hype that we've all built up in the urban legend folk persona?"

NANCE: In some places, it's actually documented, you know, the Robert Johnson guitar will, it's not officially documented but they're pretty damn sure 

It stays in tune, right? You don't tune it?

NANCE: You don't tune it. If it stays in tune with itself, you just, well, that's what we did

And the sound at Muscle Shoals is hard to reproduce

NANCE: The whole vibe there, too, is just...

I just don't know if I get into that whole fan girl thing like this is magic and I watched the documentary which is so amazing and- 

NANCE: I love that stuff

Yeah. Now. I have a theory that the guy who's the drummer in the band is the guy who "gets things done" and is the toughest and strongest in personality. This may be another stereotype, but think about Jon Bonham, right? Bill Kreutzmann used to be the guy that would punch people out if they didn't pay the band. Charlie Watts punched out Mick Jagger for saying, "where's my drummer?"

NANCE: I love that story!

MARTINEZ: In his suit! Got dressed in his suit.

Yeah! Got dressed in his Savile Row suit first.

NANCE: Are we talking about punching people out as gettin' shit done? (laughter)

Hahaha. Or just being tough mentally.

NANCE: Gettin' shit done! (laughter)

I mean, even Animal in the Muppets, they modeled him after that stereotype. He's the toughest in the band. If no one paid the Muppets, they'd definitely send in Animal. (laughter). Do you see that in drummers or that could be anyone and they just get that...?

NANCE: That could be anyone. 

Do you see that in you?

NANCE: I just wanna play my drums and take it easy. I'm not looking for trouble. (smiles)

MOSIER: He's one of the most mild mannered drummers I’ve ever seen.

I was gonna bring that up. You don't tear through your kit like Bonham and other drummers...

NANCE: No...

And he never thought they were precious. Do you keep your kits?

NANCE: Oh yeah.

Do you collect other kits?

NANCE: (laughs) I’ve got enough of my own.

That's true. You collect guitars, right?

NANCE: Yeah, I do have a guitar collection, it's not a huge collection, but-

MARTINEZ: He's got some badass guitars.

I know I’ve heard you talk about a hollow body Gibson?

NANCE: Yeah, I’ve got an ES-330 

That's interesting! I'm listening to Clapton's autobiography now-

NANCE: There ya go! (laughs) But it belongs to my brother, it's on permanent loan.

Ahhhhh. I see. In your storage facility, yeah. So I am actually listening now to Clapton's autobiography talk about how he had the generic mock-off of the 335 was the k-something? And when he knew I’ve really made it was when he could buy an es-335. He was "holy shit, I’m a professional". 

NANCE: (laughs)

And I don't know a lot about guitars so I don't even know that was such a big deal til recently. Any other really notable in your collection? Or, to you, they're all notable. They're in your collection....

NANCE: Yeah, John Neff gave me a lap steel, which I’m kind of fond of.

Oh really? Do you get to play that often? 

NANCE: At home, but I’ve been so lazy lately that I haven't really touched my guitars very much.

Yeah. It seems like, even for a guitar player, the lap steel is such a different instrument. I can't imagine knowing all the layers of that. Do you guys collect your own instruments? Different instruments other than what you play?

JN: Yeah

What is your weird and freaky “Ripley’s Believe It Or Not” instrument?

JN: I don't know...I have an electric sitar.

Really?!?

JN: Mmmm-hmmmmm.

I don't think I even knew that was a thing. Is that like Beatles psychedelia Indian electric sitar?

JN: It's not as exotic as a real sitar. But it sounds buzzy it has a bridge, it's strung tuned just like an electric guitar but the bridge is a buzz bridge and it gives it that buzzy sound.

I could see that. Do you guys have any interesting instruments in your collection, collecting dust at home?

HUTCHENS: I don't think of it as a collection, I have a number of guitars at home, but I play 'em-

That's true. If you play it, it's not a "collection".

HUTCHENS: They don't hang on the wall. Although there are a few that hang on the wall....

JN: I hang 'em on the wall but I play 'em (laughter all around)

HUTCHENS: Mine have just been hangin' on the wall recently...But you know, it's not like a museum piece, and I beat the hell out of 'em and they get dirty and sweaty and scratched up.

MOSIER: It's a weapon of mass construction. (laughter)

I like that. That'll be my next t-shirt I make (referencing our earlier discussion about the stuff I’d made and worn that weekend). 

MOSIER: Yeah! That's what it is.

Don't let me hear anything witty I’m just like "I want that on a t-shirt!" (laughter) Do y'all collect anything else? Does anybody have any quirky-

MOSIER: I don't have to collect banjos. I'm really blessed to the extent that I leave my window cracked on my car and I leave a banjo in there and always somebody in the public will come by and leave another banjo (laughter) with my banjo, so I’ve got like 150 thousand banjos that I’ve collected over 30 years of parking lots all over the country (laughter). 

NANCE: Mosier Depository. (laughs)

MOSIER: It's just they all…they usually just put a little note on there, "Good luck".

NANCE: "I hope you give it more life than I did!" (laughs)

MOSIER: Yeah. "Take this outta my life..." (laughter)

"Take this pain!" I just keep imagining these little banjos just popping up all over the country... (laughter)

MOSIER: It's marvelous.

I love it. Does anybody have any quirky collections? Or when you're on the road is there any random thing you collect? 

NANCE: I had a friend and she always wanted a refrigerator magnet from whatever state I was in or city, so I would go out on a little quest at these truck stops.

MOSIER: (laughs) I did that for my kids.

NANCE: Did you? 

It's nice to have a thing to look for. It gives you a reason to get out and look and interact. You're like "Man, I gotta find another magnet. I have five skylines of cities, gimme something new."

NANCE: Yeah. I don't have to do it anymore because I think she got all of the states I go to, she got one from there already.

Nice. When I was a kid and we had the pens that you tilt and they'd slide and the picture'd be revealed? Like of a lady’s boobs? That was my thing.... (laughter)

So, I find the drum-guitar crossover interesting. I always hear blues guitarists talking about "bending the note" with their string and I’ve wondered before, is that something you can or want to or tried to bring to percussion? Like with a flick of the wrist or inner-to-outer edge?

NANCE: You can do it with timpani, the foot pedal.

Oh, right.

NANCE: And there are other-

MOSIER: What's the talking drum?

NANCE: The talking drum is where there are cords that hold the heads together and then they're on the same cord and you squeeze it and tightens the tension on it and you got this little curl stick that looks like a walking cane. Actually, I’ve seen one that was a floor tom and you would, it had like a kick pedal or a high hat pedal you would step on and it would change the pitch. I can't remember where I saw it. But I have seen one of those.

Have you found other guitar or other instrument tricks that you've found you could translate over? I think that's fascinating all the subtleties that everyone in the audience isn't even aware of. Or have you now fine-tuned your set-up? What defines your sound? Do you have one with what you've refined over the years as your set-up, do you think?

NANCE: Yeah, I think all of us could answer and say 'yes' to that. It's like these guys, it's easier for me to play a rental kit, it's not as hard as if you've got a certain amplifier or certain outboard gear you use and stuff like that. So, yeah, everybody tries to keep their general sound about them and have that available now.

Yeah, cause I’m in my Clapton phase now and he was talking about how his sound was modeled after Freddie King and that high thin sound, but because he brought his amplifier closer and had more distortion, it became the Clapton sound. So, have you ever, maybe when you were starting out, modeled your sound after someone do you think? Even consciously or subconsciously?

NANCE: No, not, no...

MARTINEZ: I’ve been trying to copy Eric Carter since day one. (laughter)

HUTCHENS: Can't be done. 

MARTINEZ: I’ve been trying.

MOSIER: I’ve tried to sound like Bela Fleck and after five attempted suicides, I quit trying. (laughter) He's just the master. Amazing. He's just great. I’ve met him and he's a great guy, too. But he helped the banjo more than, in this kinda world, I could even say. 

I’ve just started learning more about banjo. I know a luthier outside of Raleigh who's taught me more about banjo and strings, James Griggs.

MOSIER: I know who you're talking about. I’ve heard the name.

I figured. He's taught me more of the ways because he realized how poor my education was in the banjo arts. So have you guys learned any tricks that translated over from another instrument or have you invented anything like 'Oh, this is the Hutchens English Flick of the Wrist'?

HUTCHENS: No, I don't think so. I think you just, or to me, find what you're comfortable with. Not looking for a trick. And I think with a lot of us it's just a kind of second nature, like you know what works for you. 

Like, what doesn't give you carpal tunnel syndrome? (murmured agreement)

HUTCHENS: All the experimentation, I could know pretty quickly when I play a certain guitar if it suits me.

And now you guys have better guitars and they're not strung as high and you're not having to kill yourself hopefully...

HUTCHENS: I’ve definitely had worse guitars. 

I honestly didn't even realize til a few years ago the difference that that made and I think it's so hard to play a good guitar-

HUTCHENS: Yeah.

I just don't have the hands to fit it, so I can't imagine having to really grab up there. 

HUTCHENS: I play heavy strings, anyway. 

Oh really?

HUTCHENS: I’m used to playing rhythm, and like, a solid chord, so-

So they don't snap as often but it's gonna be harder to play?

HUTCHENS: Yeah, there's a difference, but you know. It's all relevant to what you do. 

I'm such a nerd about that stuff. (To Todd) I noticed how low your drum kit is and Ashley was saying that's a jazz kit and Chris was saying it's also adjusted for your back to not hurt to be-

NANCE: Well, also it's low, too, cause it's just a 20" kick drum and my big ass behind it makes it look small.

Like Bonham aping it up behind the drum!

MOSIER: You really are bigger than it seems. When we were in the car, I was like, "How tall are you?!?" (laughter)

Yeah. We always see you sitting! You know we have these big dogs in the hotel this weekend that are way over 25 pounds? The joke is that if we get busted, we're standing them beside Big Jimmy for scale so they seem tiny. (laughter, as the dogs have been the running entertainment of the weekend) 

So another thing I find interesting is the technology interface that's kind of coming about. You've come a long way from having the phone receiver tied to your head with a bathroom belt (for phone rehearsals) to Bluetooth headsets and ears and all that. Does that make it easier for you guys? Do you miss the simplicity of not having so much?

NANCE: Saved my hearing. 

Good! Okay.

NANCE: If I hadn't started wearing "in-ears" 20 years ago, I’d be deaf as a post.

Right. What about the social media?

NANCE: I don't...I haven't looked at it.

It's not your thing. And, full disclosure, I work in technology and my company works in making concerts more interactive and that's something I may get into, but the thing is how interactive does...? Because the audience wants interactivity, the venue wants interactivity because that feeds sales, but is the band like "Jesus, another point of interactivity? Can we not have the green room sacred space?” Or, is it interesting to see the interactivity during that? I think that's such a controversial issue. Some bands are "Gimme all the data you can" and-

NANCE: But that's not the music.

Right. Even when I’m writing a show up, I don't take my phone out, I don't take notes, I think it's very distracting. And I get paid a whole buncha money to push technology, but in the show, I think that's sacred. I dim my watch (laughter at my Apple watch), I put my phone away, so that's what I worry about. Are we pushing it too far? Is it one more burden when you have so much going on already in your headspace?

MOSIER: There's no replacing being there.

Right.

MOSIER: You get the most pixels when you're there. We're the highest definition. So, that's what it's for. It's a medicine we made for ourselves and we purvey these things called songs and package this wonderful material of polyrhythms, lyrics, melodies, and hopefully help the people feel better than they did when they got here. If they had a gun in their mouth, they'll pull it out. They'll just feel more hopeful. Now more than ever, even with all the technology, it's the need for just standing in the shower of sound coming off that stage is something that I need, we need it, and the people out there need it. It's just an amazing powerfully magical life-changing substance, and that's music. It's just incredible and there's no technology, there's nothing that could come up that could jazz up the jazz.

Yeah! That's a good way to put it.

MOSIER: You can't jazz up the jazz. And music is truly…it doesn't need to be jazzed up.

I think that's a good point that it's so unifying and there's very few places that you can go to today like that. You can go to a sports arena and even a fan of the same team may argue with you about a referee's call. If you go to church, there's controversy about who made the pound cake. This is one of the few places that we can just come together and just openly, freakily love each other. (laughter). So, what do you see on the horizon for y'all? Each of you or together?

NANCE: We're just gonna see how this goes and if it keeps rolling down the hill then we'll just keep riding it. If the wheels don’t come off. We've all got to a place now where we've got time to get together and do this and before we were all a little too busy, you know? 

Right.

NANCE: To do just a couple single shows here or there or wherever....

Right...half-assedly? Not that y'all would do anything half-assedly...

Mills: Yeah.

NANCE: What were you gonna say?

Mills: I was just agreeing about the half-assed part. (laughter)

Mosier: I’m just hired; I’m not on the board of directors.

A contractor. 

Mosier: I’m a hired gun.

Martinez: He's our gunslinger. "Banjo...Banjo..." (sung in a western tv show style)

(laughter)

What kind of recordings have you not released? Isn't there a kids recording?

HUTCHENS: Yes. A bunch. A bunch.

Mills: We had a whole record that we never did anything with.

Which one? Do I know of it?

Mills: No, because nobody's heard of it.

Nance: The Romper Stompers?

Mills: Yeah.

No, I know that. I’ve heard of that.

Mills: Yeah, that was me and him and Danny and Neff. 

Yeah. And I have two children so we're your target demographic.

Hutchens: There's a number of things. That's always on the-

You just wanna finish post processing or are you still recording or...?

HUTCHENS: It's just, things get backed up. I want them out. You know, you have to find the right way to do it. You have to find financing, and then the Bloodkin world, Romper Stompers, recordings with Interstellar Boys. There's a bunch of stuff, it's just not released and it's, you know, it's always something coming in the pipeline. 

Where do you like to play? Music halls like this? Do you see yourself outdoors? Do you see yourself doing some sweaty festival? I'm getting ready to go to Lockn and avoid heat stroke as hard as I can.

Nance: We talked about trying to get on some festivals.

I didn't know if you enjoyed that anymore.

Nance: You get a huge crowd, you get paid, you get exposure, you're on a big ass stage, and they accommodate everything you need. 

Mosier: Great way to see music, too. You get to see your friends. Kind of like the watercooler for musicians. Otherwise, we don't get to see each other. So, there's a lot of magic that happens with sit-ins and collaborations and workshops. It's just more heady and sweet and nice and it's very lucrative. And you get word of mouth, like Todd said. It's a very human way to present music. It's very communal.

I like that about Jam Cruise. I got to do that once, and just all the random impromptu set-ups. You know, they're sitting on the deck, the guys from Love Canon. 

Mosier: They're great.

Imma let you guys relax before the show, I really appreciate your time. I hope they weren't questions you've been asked a million times.

Nance: Those were better questions than most.

Oh, good.

Nance: "What's your favorite color? How'd you name your band?" (laughter)

I listen to music audiobooks all day long and interviews. And I get bored of that. First of all, if you're a fan, you'd know the basic facts and second of all, that doesn't really speak to YOU. Like "tell me your favorite color", unless it was the blue of your grandmother's eyes. 

Mosier: The great Col Bruce Hampton, one of the things that he taught us on some level, it IS all the same. If you're playing Danny Boy in a nursing home, or if you're in Madison Square Garden, the gigs are the same. The tenets of music. It requires the exact same attention no matter what the crowd. It's easy to look at the crowd and the budget and the hype and the delusion and all that, but, that's why I'm here because I know why they're here and how they play and we're on the same page that way.

It's a thoughtful interaction, like what he had. He (Col Bruce) was on that Jam Cruise of course. He was on all of 'em. And my last conversation with him was about this framed artwork where they took all the Jam Cruise luggage tags and put 'em together for all the years he'd been there and he wanted me to bring that back with me. He's like "Shug, how am I gonna get this back?" And I go "How am I gonna get this back?!? What are you talkin' about? Col, they'll ship that for you." He goes "That's right...they will..." and we leave Jam Cruise and I go party on a sailboat for a night and I just remember thinking "Thank God I don't have Col Bruce's framed artwork on this boat right now." (laughter)

Mosier: That's right!

And I had very many wonderful interactions with that man which I'm very grateful for. I'm a lucky, lucky soul. Thank you gentlemen. I'm gonna wrap this up. 

Listen to Todd Nance & Friends' show at Isis Music Hall (08.10.18) here:

Listen to Todd Nance & Friends' show at Isis Music Hall (08.11.18) here:

Widespread Panic Announces Multiple Three-Night Runs May 14, 2018 15:11

Win Tickets to See JoJo Hermann's 'Slim Wednesday' in Birmingham April 3, 2018 11:26

Widespread Panic Announces Two-Night Run at Mud Island Amphitheater April 2, 2018 14:29

An Intimate Weekend of Classics in the Capital with Widespread Panic March 20, 2018 17:25

Widespead Panic In The Magic City: Trouble Set Me Free February 20, 2018 11:26

Words by Erika Rasmussen

Photos by Clay Carroll: Carroll Production

This past weekend at the BJCC in Birmingham, AL, was a time of reflection and a time of healing. Widespread Panic’s songs and face-melting jams provided some much needed therapy. This is a time of violence and culture clashes. We've seen it in the form of mass shootings nationally and the nitrous mafia scene right on Shakedown. But tour time also includes the greatest examples of people helping each other out. I watched the kindest vendor take time to sit and talk with a guy who’d had a little too much, too fast. He kept this tall fella from falling to his feet and from wandering into trouble. I saw my friends rallying to find those last minute tickets for everyone seeking a night of solace. I stopped by Avondale Common House, owned by fans and packed by other happy fans. I got to take part in a big carpool since my poor engine is struggling and we all threw in on a hotel room together. Again. It’s this family spirit that keeps us coming back to the shows. It’s the therapy of listening to JB pour his heart and soul out into the mic. It’s the chance of getting to see the people that you love from all over the country, even if just for a quick hug in the hallway. (Lookin’ at you, Sweet Melissa…)

Night 1, Set 1 opened with “Pleas > Makes Sense to Me” followed by “Little Kin”. And then, did we get to catch a breath? Nope. Straight into “Action Man”. I don’t think anyone had a breather until JoJo slowed it down with “Street Dogs”. And THEN, we got a “Red Beans Cookin’”. And I mean, COOKIN’. We haven’t sampled that tasty dish since 9/24/16. Yum. “Red Beans” went into “All Time Low” and I asked a friend if they, too, always sing the Dottie Peoples part during this song. They agreed that they did, pretty much every time.

Set 2 was full of currently relevant references. “Greta’s got a gun, this ain’t no flower child…”. My personal favorite political commentary of the night came during “Flicker”. “Talking it to death, Just because you mean it, Doesn’t mean we’ve seen it…”. That’s a beautiful way to sum up the feelings of the country right now and our frustration with inaction. But, “I’m Not Alone” says, “And then I turn a little bit scared, Well I feel a little bit easier, Knowing that you’re all here…”. Don’t you always feel better when you’re surrounded by a crowd full of your friends and people like you? And bonus points to me for having carried my custom “This clearly isn’t me” clear vinyl bag to follow the new BJCC bag policy. Which they later retracted. Sigh.

The three-song encore kicked off with “Gimme”, not heard since 5/4/17. Everything seems like a news commentary to me right now, so “Throw myself at the ground, Look away before I hit…” feels especially timely. We closed the night with the staples of “Red Hot Mama” and “Chilly Water” (and where in hell did y’all find water at the end of the night, people?!?).

Night 2, Set 1 started with a “Ribs & Whiskey” opener, which will never get old to me. Of course, I was wearing a Jack Daniels tank top at the time, so I may be a wee bit biased. We got to revel in “B of D” and if you can’t get down to that, man, lemme refer you to a dance therapist. My favorite delight of the set was the “Lawyers, Guns, & Money”. Not only is this the theme song of our badass friend, Rayner, but it’s also one we haven’t heard since 8/12/17. And hasn’t the shit hit the proverbial fan? Hmm?

The second set jumped right off with a “Let’s Get This Show on the Road”, which I like for the final night’s final set. According to Panic Stream and Everyday Companion, we haven’t gotten this show on the road since 10/26/16? What?!? About time. After a tear-jerker of a “Mercy”, we had a hot “Stop-Go” that hasn’t been around in almost six months. And did anyone else hear a “Fire on the Mountain” tease in there?

The final encore began with “Trouble”. Whew. Let me sing you the song of my people, I tell ya. Next up was a beautiful “Honey Bee” that’s only the third ever. This began as a touching tribute to Tom Petty at Halloween ‘17 and again at NYE.

The boys wrapped it all up with a “Rockin’ in the Free World”. Panic has only covered this Neil Young classic four times before, the last of which was 10/25/15. The entire crowd was screaming along to “There’s one more kid that will never go to school, Never get to fall in love, Never get to be cool”. But isn’t that all you can do now? Keep on rockin’ and bein’ the good people? The ones your mama warned you about?

Setlist: Widespread Panic - The BJCC - Friday, February 16th 2018



Setlist: Widespread Panic - The BJCC - Saturday, February 17th 2018

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Watch a clip of "Rockin' In The Free World" here:

Watch a clip of "Big Wooly Mammoth" here"

JoJo's Slim Wednesday Is Hitting The Road In April January 16, 2018 12:09

Photo by Craig Baird: Home Team Photography

Widespread Panic's JoJo Hermann has announced a handful of spring tour dates with his latest side project, JoJo's Slim Wednesday. This run of shows kicks off on April 4th at The Basement East in Nashville, and continues with stops Oxford, MS (4/5), Birmingham, AL (4/6), New Orleans, LA (4/7-4/8), Atlanta, GA (4/10), Charlotte, NC (4/11),  Raleigh, NC (4/12), Charleston, SC (4/13-4/14), and Asheville, NC (4/15). This New Orleans style jazz funk group features the cast of JoJo Herman (keys), Greg Bryant (bass), Kevin Mabin (drums), Jonathan Jackson (saxophone), Ben Clark (trumpet), and Bill Elder (guitar/vocals).  

JoJo's Slim Wednesday creates a sound that keeps listeners dancing all night. The band focuses on the sound of New Orleans that was pioneered by artists like Professor Longhair, Dr. John, and The Funky Meters, all of which were a huge part of JoJo's musical background. John “JoJo” Hermann is known for his lead vocals on many New Orleans style jazz and blues covers and originals along with gospel-style organ playing. In capturing the quintessential sound of New Orleans, The Slim Wednesday Band will be sure to provide a night of dancing, partying, and great entertainment.

We had a chance to catch up with JoJo prior to last year's show at Zydeco. Click here to read the full interview!

The Ghost of Mr. Johnny Cash Dumped Out My Cocaine: The Story Behind the Song January 8, 2018 15:34

Erika Rasmussen: Danny and I share many mutual friends and came to know each other as an Athens certainty. We’ve gone back and forth for a while on ways to combine our love of writing in a collaborative project. We cooked up the idea of a series of writings, each featuring a different song and a different musician. When I got a chance to work on this project, of all the songs in Danny's amazing library, this was the first song I jumped on. And I’m so glad to know the backstory and appreciate the song even more now. No story of the South is complete without some of our seniors appearing as old growth trees in this ever-changing landscape. And getting the input of my beloved Dave Schools about this amazing song? Well, that’s the ice cube in my drink.

Sometimes the opening line to a song makes you do a double take and take stock of the band all over again. Try this one on for size: “The ghost of Mr. Johnny Cash dumped out my cocaine, At least my Mama told me he did…” I was enjoying another raucous night in the Classic City, watching Bloodkin do what they do best. This was at their annual “Bloodkin & Friends” show, this year burning down the house at The 40 Watt Club. I thought I knew Bloodkin's songs and their style by this point. I wasn't the only one who did a double take at the opening line of this song, either. It’s an attention-grabber. This song has a different twang to me that is irresistible. It doesn’t hurt that Danny sprinkled some of my musical heroes throughout the song’s lyrics. “Waylon Jennings says I’ll go to hell, if I don’t change my evil ways…Waylon Jennings ought to know mighty well.” I may lean towards this song because “American Country Ghosts” has the driving heartbreak sound of some of my favorite bittersweet ballads. Danny's poetic imagery and authentic Southern angst are reminiscent of a Patterson Hood rant or a Sarah Shook tale of woe. This is the kind of song that you find yourself walking around singing and, more importantly, contemplating, for days afterward.

So pull up a chair. Pour a finger (or two) of whiskey. And sit back for the story behind the song.

Click here to stream/purchase Daniel Hutchens' album, The Beautiful Vicious Cycle of Life. Catch Bloodkin in Birmingham at The Nick after both nights of Widespread Panic at the BJCC in February!

Daniel Hutchens: Toward the end of her life, my mother, Frankie Irene, developed dementia and was no longer able to live on her own. In previous years she seemed to anticipate what was coming, and was fearful about the idea of being placed in a “nursing home.” (Modern and politically correct terminology is “assisted living”, “senior living”, etc., but Mom called these places “nursing homes.”) Mom and I had a deep bond, always emotionally close, though we disagreed about plenty and could certainly do our share of bickering. I think I inherited some of her pure Appalachian stubborn. But anyway, some years back, she and I came to an agreement: she told me, “Danny, when the time comes, I want to live with you. Keep me out of those places as long as you can.”

So I did. Mom moved down from West Virginia to live with me in Athens, Georgia in 2011, and stayed with me for 3 ½ years. Until finally my siblings and a small army of doctors convinced me her condition had deteriorated to the point where I couldn’t provide the kind of 24 hour care she needed. That was a judgment call I just couldn’t bring myself to make, and Mom fiercely protested the idea too, when I’d try to.

Mom developed “sundowning” (a condition where moods are extreme and strongly influenced by changing light), and some days she would alternate between bleak depression and fits of rage. And her overall condition intensified; eventually she had zero short term memory, would eat a meal then stand up from the table and ask when we were going to eat, etc. She was also delusional and often asked when we were going to be leaving on some imagined journey, or insistently tried to find a person who had been dead many years. She sometimes woke me by leaning over my bed and asking where one of her long-dead husbands had wandered off to, saying, “I was just talking to him a few minutes ago.” It was a chilling jolt, waking up that way.

But during that sorrowful chaos of Mom’s last year in my house, I really didn’t get much sleep anyway. I stayed up with her all hours, trying to calm her fears. She was often worried and downright scared of something nameless, and wouldn’t drift off to sleep til sunrise. So I sat there in her room and talked with her through many a long night.

Songwriting has always been, among many other things, my form of therapy. And some pretty dark songs worked their way out of me during those distressing days, watching Mom’s decline. One day she walked into the living room in tears and told me, “Danny, I can’t find myself!” That phrase shook me, and I wound up writing a song with Todd Nance called “Can’t Find Myself” (still unreleased).

Another time, I was asleep and dreamt a cinematic version of what later became “American Country Ghosts.” I saw the story in that dream first, and it played out like I was watching a spooky old movie: a dream version of Mom’s old house in West Virginia, and I was living there with her again, but she was still lost in her dementia and slowly dying. And she was relaying messages to me which she said she’d received from the ghosts of great Country Music stars passed: Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, and Waylon Jennings. It was a rotten, sad dream emotionally, but the imagery was so strong I had to write it down as soon as I woke up. 

At the same time Mom was struggling, my marriage was fraying, finally leading to a divorce. These events plus the deaths of some dear friends took their toll on me, and I think contributed to some physical ailments. I finally had a minor stroke in 2016, but a few years before that I wound up in an emergency room in San Francisco due to extreme high blood pressure, which ended a Bloodkin acoustic tour of the West Coast. I flew back to Athens to recuperate, and that’s when Dave Schools came to town.

Dave was camped out in John Keane’s studio, mixing the first Hard Working Americans album, and he had invited me to drop by. So one afternoon I meandered over to say hello, and sat with Dave and John awhile and listened to a few mixes. Which were sounding great, and prompted my offhand remark, “Man, this makes me want to make another record.” To which Dave replied, “Well…let’s make one.”

It was that simple. That’s what started the ball rolling for what became my third solo album, The Beautiful Vicious Cycle of Life. I already had a good crop of songs ready to go, which were my stories and confessions about the rough patch I was living through. A few of the songs directly referenced the situation with Mom, including the title song, and most specifically, “American Country Ghosts”.

It was a country song, probably alt-country would be the working category, and I already heard it pretty full-formed in my mind before we began recording over at David Barbe’s Chase Park Transduction studios. Dave Schools produced, Barbe engineered, and we found some great musicians to bring it all to life:

Duane Trucks brought a great sense of vitality and fun to the sessions, and his drumming was rock solid. (This was right before he got the call to step in as Widespread Panic’s drummer; to my knowledge, “Wings and A Walking Cane” is the only recorded track both Duane and Todd Nance play on.) Schools had told me, “Duane’s 24, but don’t worry. He doesn’t play like he’s 24.” Schools himself, as always, brought raw power and creativity with his bass playing. Then we were lucky enough to get finishing touches from brilliant players like Jesse Aycock (a Tulsa native turned Nashville multi-instrumentalist who has played with the likes of Hard Working Americans and Elizabeth Cook), Frank MacDonnell (guitarist for the iconic Athens band The Glands), Coley Duane Dennis (guitarist for the extraordinary instrumental band Maserati), William Tonks (Mike Mills Rock Concerto, Barbara Cue and many others), and Eric Carter (my longtime partner in Bloodkin). Plus Thayer Sarrano layered her keyboards, pedal steel and beautifully ethereal vocals (besides her solo work, she has collaborated with Hope For Agoldensummer, of Montreal, T. Hardy Morris, Cracker and many others).

We wanted to catch a whiff of that original dream essence on the take for “American Country Ghosts”, and I think we did. Jesse’s pedal steel and Thayer’s keyboards provided some of that elusive midnight mood, while Dave and Duane laid down a groove that left me wide open to drop my vocal in the pocket.

These are the people who made Beautiful Vicious happen. (Along with some dear friends at Havin’ A Ball Productions out in Houston, who came through with the financing.) When it comes to songwriting, after all the life experiences and philosophical meandering and dreams, none of it matters if you don’t bring the blueprints to the studio or stage and finally turn on the juice. And these folks cranked it up. Their talents blended into the soulfully haunted “Southern Gothic” rock that Schools and I were looking for. It’s a record I’m particularly proud of, but it was shortchanged in terms of its release and promotion, and I’m currently looking to add bonus digital tracks and rerelease the whole project in the future. Hey, that’s the music business.

“American Country Ghosts” has become one of the most-requested songs I’ve ever written. People always ask for it at live shows, and I get a lot of questions about it on social media. I’m glad it’s turned into such a positive; it came from such a dark place, but that’s the alchemy of music. Just like the Blues. Hearing songs about bad luck and depression can become powerfully uplifting, because you think to yourself, “Hey…someone else out there felt the way I’m feeling. I’m not the only one.”

I like to think of the song as a kind of collaboration with my Mom. A last little gift she was able to give me despite the obstacle of her dementia, her pain and terror and confusion. Like a cool radio station breaking through the static. She was a grand example of unconditional love and put-your- money-where-your-mouth-is country Christianity; she really did think about the welfare of others, always. She’d tell you in no uncertain terms when she thought you were sinning or acting the fool. But then she’d take you in and feed you and help you along your path, any way she could.

“American Country Ghosts” is her song, alright. Same with “Can’t Find Myself”. The sad stories of her last days. But then I also think of a song I wrote back in 2008 that wound up on the Bloodkin record “Baby, They Told Us We Would Rise Again”. That song is called “Rhododendron”, and Patterson Hood honored me by writing, “As a lover of fine Southern literature I can put the [lines of the song] alongside the finest writing I’ve ever seen.”

“Rhododendron” is more a celebration of Frankie Irene’s life overall, and that’s probably what Mom would have preferred. Focusing on the positive. Which I’ve certainly been trying to do this last year, and I happily report that I’m on the mend, and receive encouraging reports from my doctor. Maybe I learned a couple lessons while I was down there in the trenches. Again, the credit goes to Mom.

“God’s own little wildflower. My wild Rhododendron.”

Dave Schools: It was quite an honor when Daniel Hutchens tapped me to produce a solo album for him. I was well aware of the power of his writing as Widespread Panic has recorded many of his tunes and I have witnessed the palpable responses of audiences far and wide when we perform Danny’s music. The impact of his songwriting is undeniable.

One of the bullet points that Danny and I discussed before recording was the idea of creating a core backing band that was of Athens yet unlike anything that listeners had ever heard before complementing his songs. As producer I wanted to be able to sonically represent the emotional impact of these highly personal and often biographical songs and I felt that the disparate backgrounds of the players would help us achieve the goal.

It was a stylistic roll of the dice but it paid off immediately because all of the players understood and adhered to my favorite studio mantra: SERVE THE SONG. And what songs we had to serve.

“American Country Ghosts” was one of the lynchpin tracks in a stack of excellent songs that Danny and I had selected to record and I was further excited by the fact that we had assembled a crackerjack band to back him up: David Barbe (who was also engineering the recording at Chase Park), Duane Trucks, Thayer Sarrano, and myself. Featured on this track is also Tulsa native Jesse Aycock on pedal steel. Danny himself was the constant rock solid foundation of all the tracks as he patiently held the rudder while the band learned the arrangements on the fly. His steady rhythm playing on acoustic perfectly matched the sometimes snarling and always spot on vocal performances. More often than not Danny’s performances are one take masterstrokes.

Having known Danny personally for decades and knowing the struggles he has weathered I felt it was important to insure that the music the group created was an emotional compliment to these highly personal lyrics and that it would in no way cloud the impact of the story told. In this respect the band soared, waiting for the right moments to unleash their personal best on the tracks.

“American Country Ghosts” was also one of the first tunes we cut and was the first time I heard Thayer Sarrano perform. Watching her leave her body while consumed by the gravitas of the song during her piano outro remains one of my favorite studio moments. The restraint of the band until the emotional build at the end of the track is a great example of how we served the contemplative nature of the lyrical content. 

More importantly, “American Country Ghosts” is a unique slice of personal songwriting in the canon of Americana music. Written from the perspective of a man who is dealing with the impending mortality of his mother and the onset of her dementia, he questions the choices he has made in his life as his mother is visited by spirits of country music greats, like Johnny Cash who dumps out his bag of cocaine, and Patsy Cline who reminds him that his mother is a saint. A perspective that seems more and more rare in today’s world of phony sentimentality and self-aggrandizing music.

Here is a songwriter who isn’t simply willing to let his own blood for the listener. Here is a songwriter that has no choice but to pour his inner demons as well as his personal victories out through his art for all to hear and feel. This is something we could use a lot more of in this crazy world.

-Dave Schools: January 6, 2018

Click here to stream/purchase Daniel Hutchens' album, The Beautiful Vicious Cycle of Life

"AMERICAN COUNTRY GHOSTS"

The ghost of Mr. Johnny Cash dumped out my cocaine

At least my Mama told me he did

She’s 90 years old, she’s seeing ghosts again

I shouldn’t have brought that shit in her house but I was hurting so bad

Watching Mama coming to an end

(Chorus)

American Country Ghosts

I can’t see ‘em but my Mama can she tells me what they say about me and how I wrecked my life again

Hey, tell me something I don’t already know American Country Ghosts

Now if you can

Patsy Cline says my Mama’s a saint and I should show her more respect

Like apple pie and the 4th of July

Them shiny medals I could never quite hang around my neck Hank Williams says my wife and kids they miss me

But then he drinks my whiskey and he rips up my alimony check

(Chorus)

(Bridge)

Mama says they wanna talk to me I’d rather hear their sad old songs Mama says they’re pissed off at me

They say I’ve been the outlaw all along

Waylon Jennings says I’ll go to hell if I don’t change my evil ways

Waylon Jennings ought to know mighty well I hear he had his share of evil days

I don’t know why these ghosts give a damn anyway but I’m staying here til Mama leaves

So I’ll listen to what they say

(Chorus)

American Country Ghosts

I can’t see ‘em but my Mama can...

Written by Daniel Hutchens

From the record The Beautiful Vicious Cycle of Life

Released April 2016

"CAN’T FIND MYSELF"

I can’t find myself

Who was I supposed to be

I don’t know who you’re talking to I don’t know if you know me there’s frost on my window glass I think this is July

And I can’t find myself there’s something in my eye my friend

And I can’t find myself tell me what to do

Should I just sit here or wash some clothes this house is turning blue

There’s something I was gonna ask there’s something on my mind but I just can’t turn it over

It’s leaving me behind my friend

(Chorus)

Did you see me just the other day I was laughing and I felt okay

I saw a bluebird in the backyard

Then he flew off and I took it pretty hard my friend

I can’t find myself

I’m not sure if I’m there

There’s a full moon in my mirror there’s an echo everywhere

I guess I could take a little walk

And find out where I go

I’ll start down by the bluegill pond i’ll start off nice and slow

My friend

(Chorus)

(Bridge)

All you’ve done for spite I ain’t gonna tell on you

All the times you wanna fight I’ll stand toe to toe with you I’ll be true I’ll see it through my friend

I can’t find myself where do you think I am

I used to live up in New Mystic then I moved back to West Virginia so smile when you think of me happy times we used to know I don’t know who you’re talking to I don’t know if you know me now my friend

(Chorus)

Written by Daniel Hutchens and Todd Nance Unreleased

"RHODODENDRON"

Life's a mystery

But it's fragrant as an apple tree swelling her blossoms in July

In the Ohio River valley

The sky's distorting with the heat a kiln-slicked glaze of baby blue

And there's always hard work to be done in the Ohio River valley

She grew up in Silverton drew well water for her family

Laid silverware by the breakfast plates and reckoned she was happy

On a little farm not far from here where the hillsides and the valley

Were tangled thick with summer's blazing fireworks bouquets

(Chorus)

Of wild rhododendron wild rhododendron

Wild rhododendron

wildflower wild rhododendron

Wild rhododendron Wild rhododendron wild

And her daddy was a bus driver and her mama was a teacher

And they worked backbreaking hard to raise their children

With a touch of Old Testament iron and a whiff of wild rhododendron

Life's a mystery

But it's tempting as an apple pie cooling a November windowsill in the Ohio River valley

The skies are low and concrete grey the countryside's bare and brambly

But there's always hard work to be done in the Ohio River valley

She grew up in Silverton drew well water for her family

Laid silverware by the breakfast plates and reckoned she was happy

On a little farm not far from here where the hillsides and the valley will soon be drifted deep with snow while seeds wait down below

To bring springtime's rhododendron

(Chorus)

Life's a mystery

But it's beautiful as she is god's own little wildflower my wild rhododendron

Written by Daniel Hutchens

From the record Baby, They Told Us We Would Rise Again

Released February, 2009

All songs © Wet Trombone Music BMI

Wanee Festival Releases Stacked 2018 Lineup November 13, 2017 10:43

Widespread Panic Confirms Webcasts For Vegas Halloween Run October 27, 2017 14:25

Photo by Jordan Kirkland: Live & Listen

Fresh off of a big weekend run in Milwaukee, Widespread Panic is ready for more excitement in Las Vegas this weekend. Slated for a three-night Halloween run, the festivities kick off tonight at Park Theatre and wrap up with what is sure to be a special night on Sunday. Many have been anxiously awaiting confirmation of a weekend webcast option, and luckily, that news was confirmed by the band earlier today.  All three shows in Vegas will be streamed in full SD/HD, and you can tune in by heading over to nugs.tv. Stay tuned for coverage and updates throughout the weekend. For all of the latest Panic happenings, make sure to follow the band on Facebook and Instagram.

Watch Widespread Panic perform Nirvana's "Lithium" on 10.31.16 here:

The Interstellar Series: An Interview With Jerry Joseph October 11, 2017 14:13

Photo by Ryan Lewis Photography

Interview by Jordan Kirkland: Live & Listen

Earlier this year, the world learned of a new super group out of Athens, Georgia known as the Interstellar Boys. Led by former Widespread Panic drummer Todd Nance, this band would feature the likes of Jerry Joseph, Daniel Hutchens (Bloodkin), Sam Holt, John Neff, and Jon Mills. The band has now completed a full tour and is preparing for a weekend run through the southeast. Over the next week, we will be rolling out a three-piece interview series with Jerry, Danny, and Todd in an effort to learn more about this new and exciting project. We're kicking this series off with our recent interview with singer/songwriter Jerry Joseph, which can be read in full below. You can catch the band in at Soul Kitchen in Mobile (AL) on October 12th, Martin's in Jackson (MS) on October 13th, and Tipitina's in New Orleans (LA) on October 14th.

The roots clearly run deep with this group. What were your initial thoughts as the Interstellar Boys came to life? Tell me about those early conversations about starting a new band.

Jerry: Well…I’m trying to be careful with my words here. I think that originally, we had played two shows. There was a Todd & Friends show back in the summer before last in Denver. You know what? I guess it’s fucking common knowledge. So, it was a lot about Todd getting sober…and I’m sober. And at one point, I was probably more famous for being a heroin addict than I was for anything else I did. So, it was kind of about supporting Todd. Get back in the game. It was really cool. Danny was there. Sam Holt was there. Most of those guys were all there. I don’t think I had ever met Jon Mills before. And then there was another show around last Christmas. It was the traditional Bloodkin jam thing. That sort of turned into the ‘Danny had a stroke’ show. I think the reason they got me involved was to try to get them all to do fucking yoga. I think a lot of it was about that.

A lot of it was about creating a vehicle, primarily for Todd, to jump back in the game. Several of these guys have been pretty good friends of mine. I’ve known Sam for a long time. He was actually my crew guy for forever. I’ve known Todd since ’86, and me and Danny were both kind of slated to be big rock stars for Capricorn, and instead, at the eleventh hour, they didn’t sign me or Danny. They signed Panic and Col. Bruce (laughs). I think that was part of it, and as the conversations continued, I think it became clear that it was a pretty cool Athens thing. If it only was drawing on Todd songs, Danny songs, Sam songs….and then mutual friends like Vic Chesnut or Mike Houser, it was probably going to be the one band that could actually do some of that material.

I was very clear that I didn’t want to be in a Mikey Houser tribute band. Mike was my friend, but I’ve got a lot of dead friends. I think as it started rolling along, that’s what was really cool about it. I’ve always had this connection to Athens because of Panic, but it’s sort of deeper than that. I think that’s what it started to morph into.

Gotcha. Well you touched on this a little, but how would you say that the song selection / overall catalog has played out thus far? What can fans expect with the setlists on the upcoming tour?

Jerry: I think it’s a pretty good cross section of all of the principal writers. I consider Danny Hutchens to be…and I stand on the quote where Steve Earle is talking about Justin Townes Earle and Townes Van Zandt. You know, that quote where he says, “Townes Van Zandt is one of the greatest songwriters that ever lived, and I’d stand on fuckin’ Bob Dylans fuckin’ coffee table and tell him so." I kind of feel the same way about Danny Hutchens. I think he is one of the finest American songwriters that there is. Period. Fuckin’ period.

So, for me, I feel like there is some attempt to try to make sure we’re presenting the facts that whatever the various singer has. I know with these kind of things, because I was in that band Stockholm Syndrome, where we really has to resist doing the hits. Peter Jackson would hate it that I said that. We have no interest in going out and playing fucking Panic tunes. Even though we wrote them. So, it’s like, we want it to be cool first, and if the stuff fits…awesome. I think, speaking for myself as a fan, there is so much talent there. Todd has some really cool songs. As does Sam. I love doing that stuff. Some of the Mikey stuff that we’re doing is really great, like this song “Bull Run.” I’m sure we could sit out there for a long time and cover him and Vic Chesnut, but we are songwriters. I know we’re going into the studio on Monday. We’re gonna try to start working on some of these new songs.

Photo by Ryan Lewis Photography

I’m glad you said that, because the next thing I was going to ask is how much focus on writing new material? How has the balance in songwriting played out between you guys?

Jerry: Well, it just got started. So, we met for these shows, and had maybe one rehearsal. All these fuckin’ southern guys man. They’re so god damn slow. They talk slow. They play slow. I’m giving ‘em shit, you know? You know how the eskimos have fuckin’ fifty words for snow? It’s like Interstellar Boys have fifty words for slow. I think with with Panic, it’s what they do too. I sit on stage at a Panic show and the count starts, and you’re like, “What the fuck?” I would go, “1,2,3,4!” Those guys are more like, “1…2…go get a cup of coffee…3…4.” But it works, because it’s a big buffalo of a fuckin’ machine.

This is kind of like that. John Ness is amazing. It’s kind of the same thing. I’m from Portland, Oregon. It’s a little hard for me to get used to. It’s a different mentality. I know that the south has its fair share of punk bands, but at the same time, there is that thing with the sludge everybody drinks down there. I think it’s the thing that makes it so authentically American sounding and charming at the same time. I’ve gotta say…I’m decidedly the outsider in this whole thing. 

Are the rest of the guys originally from the southeast?

Jerry: I don’t know. I think Danny is from West Virginia. Todd is from Chattanooga. Sam is from who the fuck knows. I couldn’t speak for Jon Mills. They’re all pretty deep, southern players though. I think they just have me in this band so there is a clear target to shoot at from the fuckin’ Trumpers down there. I’m there to take the fuckin’ bullet (laughs).

Photo by Jordan Kirkland: Live & Listen

While there is so much history between each of you, you're all quite accomplished within your own endeavors. What's your personal goal for The Interstellar Boys? What do you feel that the future holds for the band?

Jerry: I’d like to see everybody survive it. That would be great. I’d like to see them all get into Bikram yoga…start eating salads (laughs). I don’t know, man. You know that band Magpie Salute? I went to that show the other night. It’s fuckin' Marc Ford…wicked players. I’m a pretty big Black Crowes fan. Even though, I would again stand on that same theoretical coffee table and tell you Bloodkin was doing it before the Crowes were. They were doing it more authentically. I remember being at Johnny Sandlin’s right when that first Crowes single came out. We were like, “What the fuck is this?” Bloodkin was killing that shit. It was the real deal.

Bloodkin was the real fuckin’ deal, but I grew to be a big Black Crowes fan. At first, I don’t know if I was sold. But by Amorica, I was like, “This is one of the greatest rock bands in America.” So I’m watching this Magpie Salute thing and trying to figure out how it’s doing it’s thing, right? Rich [Robinson] wrote all of those songs. They have all of these players, and it’s been pretty thought out. I think this band should be striving to…if I had my way, we would just be in Europe. Pushing this idea of what I think is a natural authenticity of this Athens music. I hate the term ‘southern rock’, but it’s decidedly southern. It has the elements of that stuff that I like. I’ve always thought Dan should be this massive star. I don’t know if Interstellar Boys is the vehicle for that, but when it hits it’s whatever that is…it’s a pretty new band...I don’t know what that is. When it’s working, I think you can tell.

It’s a weird thing, you know? You can’t practice fucking your girlfriend. You just know when you’re nailing it. It’s the same thing. Cooking is the same thing. You try to make those enchiladas that you had fifty times before, and you never really get it. Then it happens and it’s like “Boom! How did they do that?” Some people would say that’s God. So, I don’t know what that thing is, but when it hits, it’s cool. I guess, the answer to your question is that I would like to see that be presented to as many people as possible. 

Watch Interstellar Boys perform "Raise The Roof" > "Down" in Colorado here:

Very cool. So, the music industry has evolved tremendously since the early stages of your career. What would you say are the challenges and also the advantages associated with forming a new band in 2017?  

Jerry: I’ve said this before. I was at some awards thing. I forget why in the world they would ever give me an award. Oh yeah…it was the Oregon Music Hall of Fame. I had to do this speech. What I said, and what I say a lot…I do this thing where I have been taking guitars to war zones. I’ve been to Afghanistan, and I just got back a few months ago from Iraq. I took guitars to Syrian refugee camps on the Iraqi/Syrian border. I try to teach these kids that there is a way out of the tent…or the cinder block thing that they’re in. I say this to them, and I say this any time I’m actually talking about music in front of a group of people. I think that it’s a pretty weird time to be a musician and be in your 50s. You know?  It’s damn near impossible to figure out. Like, what the fuck, man? Nobody buys a record. Nobody wants a CD.

My BMI checks used to be huge. They’d probably cover my mortgage, and now they’re nothing. Spotify plays are like no money. So, you bemoan that and worry that…and all of my record store owner friends…the promoters are still making money, but they always have. The musicians don’t. That said, I think that in the history of humanity…making art. I think since the first cave dwellers figured out that you could put blueberry juice, blood, and charcoal on the walls and make a picture of a fuckin’ water buffalo (laughs), since that moment in humanity where they figured out how to make that art. This is the most exciting time to make art in the history of the world…if you’re twenty. I think for a twenty-year-old, right now, never in history has there been a more exciting time to make art. Any art. There are no fuckin’ rules. You can create your own paradigm.

Between figuring out social media and being interconnected with so many people. I’m with some kid in Cabo or Afghanistan writing a song, and the next thing you know, he’s got a kid in New Zealand or Edinborough listening to it. The intersourcing of ideas, the ability for the first time ever to be like…fuck the industry. You know? Fuck these promoters. I think these young people can actually break through. I’m not sure how, and I don’t know if that will happen for me ever, but it’s a world where…being in a rock band is a weird thing. We were talking about it the other day. In 1986, we got paid $150 to open for somebody. That was the opening band price. And it’s still the same fucking price. You’re playing a show and say “We’ll have these guys open.” They ask, “What’s the budget?” And you’re like “It’s $150.” That hasn’t changed in 30 years? I can assure you that the cocktail at the bar…it’s price has gone up.

Take a bunch of 50 year olds, put them in a van…I don’t know man. But for young people…I have a four year old and a seven year old. If they want to make art, it’s a super exciting time to do that. The future is unwritten. I think it’s super cool. Being able to connect globally. Being able to use all forms of all colors in the pallet. It’s all available. It’s like…watching EDM go “BOOM!” It’s a super exciting, cool time to be making art. For us, all bets are off. I think we have really great songs, and it’s a really cool band. It would be great if people came and saw it. I don’t totally know how you market that though. I don’t mean to sound skeptical. It’s hard, though. I mean…one answer to your question is, “Who the fuck knows? It’s really hard.” If you had a twenty-year-old Danny Hutchens and half of a brain right now, you could have some massive global start. It’s an exciting time, for sure. I think its also a time where the message is really important. What’s the band saying….I know for me, I’ve got zero interest in artists who aren’t saying something.

I would hope that this band can move through a lot of that. I don’t think me and Danny are really from that as much. You know…that jam band mentality of, “We’re not gonna risk anything politically. We’re just gonna sing about hula hoops and whiskey.” I’m hoping that those days are over. With The Interstellar Boys, I think they keep a big roll of duct tape back stage, so when I start spouting my mouth off, they can get it around my lips (laughs). But it’s a cool band, man. I think we can make a really good record. I think there are a lot of people in different parts of the world that could really love it. It goes beyond the southern thing, which is great. I think it holds up with whatever its being compared to.

Photo by Jordan Kirkland: Live & Listen

When did you say you’re hitting the studio again?

Jerry: The first try is on Monday with Dave Barbee. It should be cool.

So one more question just to wrap things up. This is kind of an extension on the topic of the new era of music. I know one result is that there is no shortage of music to choose from. Who's been on your personal playlist this year? Who is Jerry Joseph listening to in 2017?

Jerry: I haven’t heard a lot of records this year that are just fuckin’ killing me. Like last year, the first three records on my list were really sad. They were Leonard Cohen’s goodbye record, Bowie’s goodbye record, and Nick Cave’s Skeleton Tree, which is about his fifteen-year-old song dying. It was kind of this trifecta of sadness. The other one at the top of my list was the new Truckers record, because it was fuckin’ brilliant. I can’t say that I’ve loved a whole lot of new records. I like this guy John Moreland. In the middle of all of this americana, this guy’s voice and the shit he sings about is so brutal and beautiful that I could listen to that record a lot. Who else have I been listening to? Sometimes I find that it’s a lot of the same stuff. I like this band from Scotland called Frightened Rabbit. My friends have a band called Cronin, and they’re working with a guy from Memphis named John Murray. He put out a record a few years ago called The Grace of Age, which was a really fine record. He’s got a great new album out. I haven’t heard that band, for me, that’s rewriting the book.

Every so often, music seems to go into this thing. It’s all the same thing. “Oh look, it’s another beautiful song-writer from Nashville…singing’ about their girlfriend.” I like a lot of the international stuff. Everywhere I go, there is some cool local band. And I’ve been a lot of places this year. I don’t know…the problem with Spotify, even though they have that Discover Weekly thing, is you tend to play the same shit over and over. Then there are enough rock stars dying that I’ve probably spend an inordinate amount of time listening to dead guys. Guy Clark died. Gregg Allman died. Tom Petty died. You spend all your time listening to your favorite records by the guy who just died. I’ve done that a lot. I think being sad, listening to your dead heroes, and anticipating the next fuckin’ gun massacre…I think that’s what we’re doing for the next years. What happens next week? I think its the new American past time. 

You definitely make a fair point. Thanks so much for taking the time to sit down and share your story with me. I'm really looking forward to watching this band and seeing how things unfold in the future.

Widespread Panic Will Play This Weekend's Shows In St. Augustine September 12, 2017 14:14

Photo by Jordan Kirkland: Live & Listen

Due the uncertainty and anxiety surrounding Hurricane Irma, many sporting events and concerts in Florida and surrounding coastal areas have been forced to reschedule and/or cancel. With a much lighter 2017 touring schedule, Widespread Panic fans have been on edge waiting for a verdict on this weekend's sold out, three-night run in St. Augustine. Fortunately, a positive verdict is in.

St. Augustine and Widespread Panic are excited to announce the shows September 15, 16, & 17th WILL go on as scheduled! St. Augustine shows its resilience and welcomes Panic fans this weekend. Headed to the shows? Bring donations for Feeding Northeast Florida, who will be on-site accepting non-perishable food and monetary donations. Not headed to the show? Give online: feedingnefl.org

Tedeschi Trucks Band Shares Backstage Footage With John Bell August 31, 2017 15:46

Tedeschi Trucks Band brought the 'Wheels of Soul Tour' to the famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre on July 30th, and this was certainly a night to remember. The band was joined by Widespread Panic frontman John Bell for three songs, and footage from backstage rehearsals has now been shared. Bell joined TTB for covers of Leon Russell’s “Delta Lady,” James Carr’s “Dark End Of The Street” and Bob Dylan’s “Down Along The Cove.”

While footage of the "Down Along The Cove" rehearsal was previously released, today's video revealed some amazing footage of the group working on "Dark End Of The Street." See below for the official footage, and head over to TTB's Facebook page for all of their latest updates.

Watch footage of the "Dark End Of The Street" rehearsal here:

Watch footage of the "Down Along The Cove" rehearsal here:

Widespread Panic Donates $176K In Instruments To Tennessee Schools August 17, 2017 09:48

Photo by Craig Baird: Home Team Photography

Two Shelby Country (TN) band programs are now fully equipped to play music thanks to a generous donation from Widespread Panic. The band’s 'Tunes For Tots Foundation' donated $176,898 in brand new instruments to both Cummings School and Raleigh-Egypt Middle and High School. Each year's 'Tunes For Tots' show is held the night before Panic's New Year's run, typically at a much more intimate venue with a premium ticket price (i.e. Ryman Auditorium, The Fillmore Charlotte). Stay tuned for further info on the band's New Year's + Tunes For Tots plans this year!

The official Tunes For Tot's Facebook page describes its mission as the following: "Widespread Panic believes that art education, and in particular music education, is integral to the overall education and advancement of children. Art allows for personal expression, appreciation of ideas, celebration of cultural awareness, sharing emotions, and gives purpose to life. Widespread Panic agrees with research findings that art education supports more traditional academic subjects as well as being a worthy pursuit in its own right." 

Watch the video shared by Shelby County Schools here:



Panic En La Playa Returns To Riviera Maya On January 26th-30th (2018) June 20, 2017 15:33

Widespread Panic Announces Three-Night Run In St. Augustine May 8, 2017 09:59

Photo by Craig Baird: Home Team Photography

Southern jam veterans Widespread Panic have added a three-night run at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre in St. Augustine, FL  to their consistently growing tour schedule. These three shows are scheduled for September 15th - 17th. For what was thought to be a "lighter" year, the band now has well over 20 scheduled dates for 2017, and it's dedicated fan base will have yet another opportunity to catch multiple shows. Tickets are scheduled on go on sale this Friday, May 12th at 10:00 PM EST.  For further details and all of the latest Panic updates, head over to the band's official website.

Watch Widespread Panic perform "Postcard" in St. Augustine (2016) here:

SweetWater 420 Fest Will Offer Free Webcast Via UphoricTV April 20, 2017 14:37

A portion of this weekend's SweetWater 420 Fest in Atlanta will be webcast for free via UphoricTV. The confirmed schedule for the stream includes four sets from festival headliners Widespread Panic, two sets of Trey Anastasio Band and a set from Slightly Stoopid, with more artists to be announced. Additional artists on this year's lineup include moe., Ween, Lettuce, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Dark Star Orchestra, Anders Osborne, Dopapod, The Werks, Twiddle, BIG Something, and many more. Stay tuned and follow to UphoricTV for additional webcast updates.

UphoricTV will also be filming live interviews and behind the scenes footage, part of which will be aired on their Facebook and Instagram pages, along with footage for their Artist Access series, which will be available after the festival. 

Watch the official promo for 420 Fest here"

Catching Up With JoJo Hermann Of Widespread Panic April 12, 2017 11:16

Interview by Jordan Kirkland: Live & Listen 

Photos by Craig Baird: Home Team Photography

Just last weekend, we had the opportunity to sit down with one of our longtime musical heroes, John "JoJo" Hermann of Widespread Panic.  Shortly after JoJo and his band, JoJo's Slim Wednesday, arrived at Zydeco in Birmingham (AL), we had the pleasure of hanging out backstage and getting the latest scoop on a different but certainly exciting year for the famed musician. JoJo's Slim Wednesday was preparing for the second of a seven-night run, which kicked off in Oxford (MS) and concludes this Thursday night in Augusta (GA).  

Widespread Panic Announces Three-Night Halloween Run In Vegas April 7, 2017 10:59

LOCKN' Festival Adds Jim James, Releases Official Daily Schedule March 31, 2017 14:42

Photo by Keith Griner: Phierce Photo

Earlier today, LOCKN' Festival completed a week of epic festival announcements by revealing its daily lineup and announcing performances by: Phil Lesh w/ special guest Bob Weir & The Terrapin Family Band perform Terrapin Station, John Fogerty, The Disco Biscuits, Jim James, Antibalas, Blackberry Smoke, Hiss Golden Messenger, The Record Company & more. These artists join a stacked LOCKN' lineup that includes The Avett Brothers, Widespread Panic, The String Cheese Incident, Umphrey's McGee, Gov't Mule, Joe Russo's Almost Dead, The Revivalists and many more.  

Today's daily lineup reveals some exciting surprises, with four rotating sets of Umphrey's McGee and String Cheese Incident on Thursday night, the addition of Jim James on Friday afternoon, confirmed late night sets from The Disco Biscuits and Joe Russo's Almost Dead, and a special "phil.moe." set on Sunday which will consist of Phil Lesh and members of moe.

See below for details on the official LOCKN' daily schedule.  For all of the latest updates and further details on LOCKN' Festival, head over to the festival's official website and Facebook page.

Watch the official highlight reel from LOCKN' 2016 here: