Widespread Panic: Never the same way twice

This year marks Widespread Panic’s 30-year anniversary bringing its jam band sound to the masses. The group is notorious for never playing the same song the same way twice, and Spread Heads – as Panic fans are often called – tout the band’s performances as something best experienced live.

Columbians will have two chances to do just that when Widespread Panic plays at The Township on Saturday, Feb. 13 and Sunday, Feb. 14.

“I think that’s where the real music happens, live and in front of an audience,” guitarist Jimmy Herring said by phone from his home in Atlanta. (He didn’t answer the first two calls because he was jamming in his basement and couldn’t hear above his own loud music-making. “I’m glad I took a break for a minute!” he said genially.)

Widespread Panic was formed in Athens, Ga., in 1986 by John Bell and the late Michael Houser. The current lineup is Herring, guitarist/singer Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Duane Trucks, percussionist Domingo “Sunny” Ortiz and keyboardist John “JoJo” Hermann.

The band celebrated big for its 25th anniversary, so there won’t be too much “hubbub” in 2016 for its 30th, Herring said. But there is excitement about “Street Dogs,” Panic’s first studio release in five years.

“Street Dogs” is Widespread Panic’s 55th album (of which 11 were recorded in the studio, one was a compilation, and 43 were done live).

The album captures the loose, live sound of the band with some extra polish, Herring said.

“That record is pretty honest. We were playing live in the studio and went back and fixed things a small amount, but not very much,” he said. “If you hear the record and then hear us live, the sound should be similar.”

On stage, when he’s gearing up for an improvisational solo, Herring said the best thing to do is get out of his own way.

“You prep by learning the song and thinking about different approaches to the song before you get on stage, and then you have be open to whatever comes your way. You want to clear your head and let it to be an out-of-body thing,” he said. “When you hear yourself play something later that you didn’t practice, you know you were open and it came through you.”

Asked his favorite song to play, Herring is less expressive.

“I never think in those terms. It’s different every night,” he said.

Sometimes the band will play a cover he likes and never do it again. “We did (a cover of) ‘Jessica’ by The Allman Brothers on New Year’s that I really loved,” he said. “And we may never do it again.

“Maybe we will.”

But you can bet it won’t be the same way.

This story was originally published February 9, 2016 at 5:31 PM with the headline "Widespread Panic: Never the same way twice."