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South
Regional Report
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Edited by Mike Jones and
Chip Schramm
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Widespread
Panic By Chip Schramm Widespread Panic continued their tradition of celebrating the Halloween holiday in New Orleans, Louisiana for the fourth straight year in 2000. Nevermind that the band didn't actually perform in New Orleans on Halloween or that they played an unannounced gig for the Austin City Limits TV show on the 31st. They announced that the three-night stand at UNO would be their Halloween celebration, so the fans could plan accordingly. The weekend's festivities had everything one would expect from a Halloween run: fans in costume not just Sunday night, but every night, a Panic Fans For Food Drive set up in front of the venue, plenty of vendors, and of course, a raucous lot scene.
The first night would be a real treat. In hindsight, it surpassed
the expectations of nearly everyone who was present. It featured
new songs broken out for the first time, old songs played only on
special occasions, and even common songs played with newer arrangements,
made to sound completely different from usual. Compared with the
handful of shows at the beginning of Fall Tour, this show and the
two that followed saw the band raise their intensity to a whole
other level. As usual, there were club gigs and musical events all
over the city throughout the weekend, but Widespread Panic put on
the SHOWS. Words can't do them justice in many cases, but
an attempt follows.
When the band opened the Friday night show with Black Sabbath's
Sweet Leaf, it was obvious they were sending a message: "better
buckle your seat belt, this is gonna to be a wild ride." It was
also amply clear that this wasn't your daddy's mellow groove band.
On this weekend they were the heavy-metal king of jambands. Those
that weren't prepared were crushed in the wake. The opener would
segue into the typically evil-sounding One Arm Steve which
would then flow fairly smoothly into Makes Sense To Me. If
any one band member stood out on this weekend, it was Mike Houser.
Maybe it was the new and improved sound crew or maybe he was making
more liberal use of his effect pedals. Maybe it was both. Any way
you slice it, he sounded good. He sang vocals on This Part of
Town to get warmed up for the evening.
T-POT as it is known by some fans, was followed by the very pleasant
yet unexpected intro to Driving Song. The Driving was cool and crisp,
booming through the arena yet fully under control. By the time they
hit the split in the segment, just about everyone was thinking:
What kind of sandwich am I hungry for? The answer pouring in from
the snack bar was an order for sausage. Thought Sausage.
The first Drivin'-Toussage-Drivin' combo was
gnarly and greasy, sounding as hot as ever before. By the "Come
and Get It" line, JB had was rapping and snarling about "daddy"
loose in the kitchen. The segue back into Driving ended neither
the segment nor the set. Barely had the band (or the crowd) had
a chance to catch its breath when they rolled the momentum back
over again and fired up the grill in the Diner.
Diner was a late first set treat. The highlight of many
a show, it did not disappoint, leaving many fans shaking their heads
wondering how much better things could get from there. As if by
obligation, Ain't Life Grand closed the first set. As friends
from across the country had a quick halftime to meet and greet each
other in celebratory reunion, one couldn't help but wonder what
was up next. Many fans on Summer Tour had noticed a trend of the
first set being stronger than the second. Could they keep up the
level intensity for another 90+ minutes of music? We would have
to wait and see.
As the band walked back onstage, Dave Schools flipped his bass
over in what seemed to be some sort of gesture to the crowd. I was
sitting to the extreme left of the stage about 20 rows up, so I
didn't have a very good angle on what I saw, but it looked awfully
similar to a "steal your face" sticker, symbolic of the Grateful
Dead on the back of his bass. A distant rumbling would emanate through
the building as the band opened the second set with Cream Puff
War. The crowd was equally divided between those fans who were
in a dancing frenzy, those who were simply in shock, and those who
were a combination of the two.
From there, Jojo Hermann would sing a bluesy rendition of Dyin'
Man, followed by a very soulful and unexpected version of Mercy.
I'm not nearly as big a Mercy fan as lots of folks out there,
but this one slapped me in the face and got my attention. John Bell's
vocals were on time and the sound was appealing. He sounded as clear
and fresh as he has in years. As the last few high notes faded from
his vocals, Todd Nance began to thump the bass drum pedal in the
familiar rhythmic prelude to Pigeons. As the final jam flew
threw the rafters, is deepened and widened to make room for the
saxophone play of Joe Rodriguez who had just walked out onto the
stage.
Rodriguez is one of the horn players in Groove Collective, the
opening band for Friday evening. After using the end jam of Pigeons
to find his groove, he explored the slow, methodical opening bars
of Low Spark Of High-Heeled Boys and found his time to shine.
Low Spark would lead into (and come out of) drums. Just like
North Charleston and other shows where Groove Collective has opened,
drums was especially intense. While there have been plenty of nights
where Sunny Ortiz has been joined by 3 or 4 total percussionists
from separate bands, this night was one of the few where there were
that many drummers from the same 2 bands.
As the post-drums re-entry to Low Spark came to its dramatic
conclusion, Bell pulled out his slide and wove a familiar sounding
tune out of his Washburn guitar. While many die-hard Panic fans
were screaming for the Ribs and Whiskey they had heard a
tease of in Florida the preceding week, what the band delivered
was their first performance of the Rolling Stones tune Stop Breakin'
Down Blues. Though I had never heard the song before in my life,
I immediately saw how appropriate it was for Widespread Panic. It
sounded good and like most of their cover tunes, showed what side
of the fields their roots run through. Previous Halloween runs had
featured songs by The Who and Led Zeppelin, so it was no surprise
that the British Panic invasion was back in town.
From there, things stayed in the hill country vein with the rare
instrumental West Virginia followed by The Waker and
Love Tractor to close the set. All three showcased Mike Houser
at his very best. His guitar sounded crisp and clear. I heard effects
throughout the course of the weekend that I swore I had never heard
before. Again, the cause of this is up for speculation, but the
new sound crew deserves plenty of credit. It's not easy to mix 6+
musicians at the same time, so Andy, the former sound man from Metallica,
had his work cut out for him. In just a few short weeks of work,
he has figured out when and why to turn the knobs and push the buttons
of the board, so hats off to him.
The encore would be yet one more signpost of an epic run. Any
night the band feels confident and energetic enough to play an Arleen
encore, you know you are seeing them at their best. The encore would
be finished up with a well-played Climb To Safety to put
the final stamp on a very full evening of music. Overall I can speak
for many of those in attendance by saying that I was not prepared
for the high-speed smackdown I received on this evening. I figured
by the second set on Saturday and definitely on Sunday the band
would be in full stride, but they proved once again that they are
willing and able to lay down incredible music whenever they see
fit. As the house lights came back on, I squinted my eyes to regain
my vision and stumbled back outside into the parking lot.
Widespread Panic by Hunter Pope
Debauchery. This word takes on a prophetic nature when one ventures
to New Orleans. A leisurely crawl down Slurr-bon St. emancipates
all desires for sober derailment. Sin is on display and window shoppers
are not allowed (Caution: I heard cops hand out tickets to non-drinkers).
The only time this town can magnify its sin is when Panic grips
the city.
Lets see, three nights of Widespread Panic in a city already blanketed
by Mephistopheles shadow. Evil, evil, evil. Damn, if only I had
only remembered to bring a forked tail for the occasion Since my
wallet was low in girth, self-debacle could only be achieved for
an evening or two. My girlfriend, Kirstie and I landed in New Orleans
Saturday to prepare for the next evening. We did what all tourists
do in New Orleans, drink twice as much as you eat. We opened our
gullets and allowed a grand entrance of fried products, sausage
gumbo (without the thought), and grain-fueled drinks. The grease
made me bold and I proposed to Kirstie in a courtyard in the back
of a voodoo bar. There's nothing like the spirit of Halloween to
make you want to go and get engaged. Evil, evil, evil.
Folks, if any of you ever stay at the Hotel Saint Pierre, prepare
to become one with the Quarter. All of our friends (about thirty-hectares
in size) stayed at this classy establishment. It became a way station
for our travails to and fro to summon another spirit (My friend,
Greg, kept calling him, Jack). By our second day, I was in the right
shape of mind to create my costume. With tremendous help from my
much more aware fiancée, I morphed into Sideshow Bob. My nap-retention
allowed for the hair, and my tutu was comprised of green paper-mache.
The weak member of the ensemble was the pair of felt clown shoes
that dissolved at the mere appearance of heat or water.
The energy inside UNO Lakefront was molten. The intensity of the
last two nights glowed in many of the concertgoers pupils. Talk
of Sharon (now are there really no bones in her back?), Soul Kitchen,
and Sweet Leaf dominated the stratosphere of conversation. I licked
my hair-sprayed lips in anticipation of the goodies the band would
bestow on their hearty revelers. We dashed to find prime real estate
in the seat section.
My heart plopped up into my teeth as the house lights gave way
to darkness. A purple Ship of Fools stood in the background as the
six-man masquerade took the stage Sonny's hands began to thump a
familiar beat as I looked around the crowd for mouthed cues. JB
popped up to the mic and presented his dastardly persona. Please
allow me to introduce myself.
The reciprocal roar clarified that Sympathy For the Devil was
the opener. (Since I am of the high order of set list geek, I will
state for the record that it has been 1488 shows since it was last
played on 7-1-89). The name guessing began as the sinister protagonist
perused through St. Petersburg and the lives of the Kennedys. Dave's
Woo-Hoos were right on time as JB told everyone just to call him
Lucifer. After I guessed the devils name (along with a touch of
pity), Panic melted into the Kafka tricklings of Imitation Leather
Shoes. This song has been given a facelift since the Fake-Out versions
with JoJos old band, Beanland.
Just to make sure nobody could sit down, it was time for dual
Dave Schools (and Vic Chesnutt penned originals) on Blight>Sleeping
Man. The dark jams of Blight blossomed into fat ripples as the sextet
united for Sleeping Man. Mr. Schools, we are in your hands. JoJos
keyboard popping gave way to Dave whispering the final stanza about
guarded secrets. The Voodoo had gripped every danceable muscle,
and the Panic had turned UNO into a hellish dance-a-thon.
The gnarled finger then pointed at my favorite little vixen, Little
Lillya melodical shot at the shallowness of pop culture. The infectious
beat of this ditty creates an almost hypnotic state. The warnings
to Lilly faded as Panic (I believe) gave a due to our cheerleading
squad with the Jerry Joseph original, North. (Actually, there's
no telling if they actually did this for our benefit, but that's
what we tell all our friends). Next came the blazing guitar workout
that accompanies Holden Oversoul. The cylinders by now were lubed
for rapid cohesiveness. The new sound system (brought together just
this fall) have made each member a diverse personality. No man dominated
the other as equal explorations layered into each other, and then
the opened up a tiny crevice to allow for the first guest of the
evening-Cecil Daniels (aka Peanut).
His bubbly sax set the way for Lucifer to stand again in the limelight
for Me and the Devil JBs vocals took on an extra growl as Robert
Johnsons original was done a grand service.
The first set swayed to an end with the New Orleans battle cry,
Fishwater. This little number warns us that women can turn a little
bit mean. Its also a chance to watch seven musicians destroy all
common notions of free form. The sounds drunk-punched each viewer,
sending over 10,000 strong into a unified ass-shaking titan.
That was Set I.
Halftime saw my little cheerleaders degrade themselves and every
smarmy high school cheer ever elicited. We also viewed a surly Mr.
T threatening everyone around him that all hell would descend if
they didn't do the wave. The fly of hands spread like the plague
and UNO became a flesh-hued tidal wave.
Set II began with the contentment of Porch Song. The lyrics were
on, but it was the instrumental dueling by Schools and Houser that
tickled my nape hairs. Perhaps its the new fangled sound, I don't
know. Dave and Mike went at each other with fangs bared. The rapid
fire wah-wah was greeted by Thors Hammer (Mr. Schools thunder-inducing
bass). The pitch reached a climax, and then another, and thenahh,
a calming peace clouded the stage as JB corralled the sounds into
the Spanish-inflected, Casa De Grillo (Panicers, if you have access
to these lyrics, give me a shoutin English). This song debuted this
July at Harmony Park, Minnesota. Funny, it seems like JBs been doing
it for years.
Out of the pumpkinish haze, rose a band of merry brassers, known
as the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. The orchestra did the obligatory
Weight of the World and Christmas Katie before shooting off into
supernatural trickery on Guilded Splinters. The guttural wailings
of Bells guitar was now accompanied by the intricate doodlings of
the DDBB. I could feel an omnipotent darkness envelop the crowd.
Panic has found a soul mate that propels them into unforeseen jazz
tangents. Tinges of abstract even popped up before JoJo slapped
the clavichord around for the trademark entrance into Superstition
(Umm, guys, could you maybe give Sideshow Bob a breather?). The
Stevie Wonder classic was stretched past the ten-minute mark as
each musician made sure their instrument left the stage gasping.
Horns, guitars, bomb-dropping bass lines, and percussive tornadoes
spiraled to the top of the ceiling and then slowly floated down
into Drums. The sitting period didn't last long as the hand rhythms
had my knees a popping. Schools reappeared for a new jam (Sunshine,
Go Away Today), and then memories of a Spanish Lady manifested on
The Other One jam. The rest of the wackos appeared in time to slow
the cardiac with the mellow offering of Galleon. Out of this peaceful
orchestration came the punchy Hollys classic, Long Cool Woman in
a Black Dress. Umm, umm. The cover was vintage Panic.
A quaff of water at the end of each set. Very satisfying.
Oh, but wait, the encore(s) had yet to give its offering to the
sweat ritual. All Time Low seemed appropriate considering the gluttonous
intake by each concertgoer. The band smoked it out (surprise) and
then came an intermittent pause before the third gift of the evening.
Housers seamless guitar intro indicated that Paul McCartney had
injected a little influence over the years. My feet jumped out of
my pasty skin as I declared, Band On the Run!! The tempo changes
and the mood swings of the classic were cloned to a tee. The only
difference was the sprinkle of Southern flavor. The band left the
stage and with it a piece of our brain. I think Schools even stepped
on mine a couple of times. The New Orleans run had come to an end.
Or had it? The tease of the evening had to go to the houselights.
Our group had thrown their tonsils onstage in lieu of another encore.
All of the sudden, the harsh reality of the lights greeted our hoarse
yells. Disappointment sprouted with a collective, Aww and then was
chopped down by the return to blackness. The cheers shook the foundation
before the Big Mean Panic Machine stepped on for Encore Numero Dos.
JoJo rhapsodized on his keys before grumbling our empty stomachs
with Longhairs Red Beans. The raging of all weekend was balled up
and packaged into the final homage to the Crescent City.
As the lights came up for the final time, I noticed my grass skirt
was no longer (thank god I wore boxers), and my shoes had dissolved
into a cardboard mush. Panic had stricken. They had lassoed our
hearts and tugged them to the next performance, wherever the hell
it may be. The only thing left to do was, well, its New Orleans.
I wont bother with smutty details. The words to describe the rest
of our night would cauliflower any ear. I guess I'll have to go
back next year though. I hear there's a pretty good band playing
down there around Halloween.
By Bill Kuntz TALKIN' JIVE AT THE FUNKY BUTT Our plane touched down at 12:00am Saturday morning. This was just enough time for us to make it to the FUNKY BUTT, a small club off of Congo Square, to see the band Jive. Jive is a groove/funk band from Boulder, CO. This was my first chance to see these guys, and I was impressed. The line up, consisting of a drummer, two guitar players, sax, flute, and bass player had Congo Square groovin' to the beat. This show began at 2:00am and when we left at 5:00 am, these guys were still layin' down the funk. People were diggin' the funky rendition of It's Your Thang, as we left the club and headed for our room for some much needed rest. VOODOO FILLED THE AIR Saturday noon we headed to New Orleans Voodoofest. The festival featured many acts: Black-eyed Peas, Eminem, and Cypress Hill, but it was Blues Traveler, Galactic, and Ben Harper that pulled us into this world of Voodoo. The festival had four stages with music continually filling the air. Blues Traveler took to the stage with much enthusiasm. John Popper, 150 lbs. lighter, sounded just as good as he looked. His harmonic riffs blasted through the air with power. The band was tight, and it was a pleasure to see them after their long break from touring. I have always considered Bobby Sheehan, the former bass player for Blues Traveler who, unfortunately, passed away last year in New Orleans, a very dominant player in the band. I was interested to see what skills the new bass player, Tad Kinchala brother of BT guitarist Chan, could offer the band. I was in awe of the power and skills this 26-year-old put out there. The energy and connection these guys had was stronger than Voodoo. Maybe it is because they grew up together, but Tad and Chan played well off of each other. I highly suggest checking out their new tour and new album, BT 2000, that the band is putting the finishing touches on. You won't be disappointed. After Blues Traveler, we went to check out the New Orleans natives GALACTIC. Due to their New Orleans roots, their fan base was strong at Voodoofest. Galactic brought the FUN-k to Voodoo fest. The crowd was groovin' to the music as the "Houseman" took to the stage with Adam Duritz of the Counting Crows for a great version of Century City. Galactic had the crowd movin' and the good vibes were flowin'. Ben Harper took to the stage after Galactic. This was my first time seeing Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals. They were great, but I was most impressed with the Voodoo Child (appropriate) that included a jam of Led Zeppelins Kashmir before heading back into the Voodoo Child jam. There are some strong players in this band. I suggest you check them out on their current tour with opening bands Blackalicious trough 11/06/00 and with Warren Haynes and Matt Abts of Gov't Mule trough 11/19/00. You can expect Warren Haynes to sit in on a few jams, and that should be exciting. Ben Harper set list: 10/28/00 - Voodoo Music Festival: New Orleans, LA set: Burn One Down, Ground On Down, Glory & Consequence, Burn To Shine, Forgiven (w/intro), Voodoo Child (Slight Return) (Kashmir), The Woman in you, Ironman/Steal My Kisses, Faded > Whole Lotta Love > Faded The crowd sang Happy Birthday to Ben before Ground On Down. The Woman in You was dedicated to Curtis Mayfield. Rahzel joined in on "Steal My Kisses. Voodoofest attracted 100,000 people. It is quickly becoming "the event" of the fall. This event combined with Widespread Panic, and all of the late/after Panic shows, has transformed NOLAWEEN into a mini Jazzfest weekend. Make your plans for next year. You won't want to miss it. LISTEN TO YOUR MOM'S MUSIC This was the second year in a row we have attended the Mom's Halloween Bash at the Howlin' Wolf. MOM's (mystics, orphans, and misfits), is the craziest party in New Orleans. Costumes are a must at this event, and every year the costumes get wilder. This year winner was Woody from the movie "Toy Story". This Woody is not child friendly, with that description, I will leave the costume to your imagination. Moms Halloween features music from 7:00pm til 6:00am. I missed the opening bands but we made it in time for the costume contest as well as the headlining band, DEEP BaNaNa BLACKOUT. DBB took the stage at 2:00am in full costume. Hope, the singer and flute player, was dressed in choir uniform. In her funk-y way, she was preachin' to the funk congregation. Cy, on the keys, was Satan's little helper in divining the crowd a cosmic orgy. Benji, bass player and fun-k maker, was dressed in black and orange feathers and PIMP hat. SuppaFUZZ, guitar slayer, was dressed in a Halloween skirt. Eric Kalb, drummer and keeper of the beat, was Satan. His beats were evil and fed the hungry crowd. Vitamin B Smith on Trombone, was dressed as a mechanic, putting the fix on that fun-k engine. Rob Sommerville, sax extraordinaire, had on a white sheet. I don't think he even knew what he was supposed to be. Maybe a doctor of fun-k, maybe dressed for a baptism in funk, who knows. We were all surprised by a special appearance of Jen Durkin, Eric Kalb's wife and the former lead singer of DBB, who was dressed as Medusa. Looking at Medusa turns men to stone, but hearing her sing will turn your legs to jelly. DEEP BaNaNa BLACKOUT rocked the fun-k out of the house. And as we left with the sunrise, we were dripping funk filled sweat. If you have not heard Hope with DBB yet, you will be pleasantly surprised. The soul and musicianship she brings to the band should not be missed by any fun-k fan. If you haven't purchased your tickets for the Irving Plaza Thanksgiving run, I would do so now as this show will sell out, and if you're not there, you will be sorry you missed it. DBB 10/28/00 setlist: Fuzzy Logic> Fire It Up> Pakaloa> Listen To Yourself, Pass It Down>Doin It>Can't Get Next To You, Homo Lingo> M.S., Big Thing> Hear My Song, Bump & Sway> rocker. Set II Watermelon Man>Universal> Getchall 76, Soul Power*, Rocksteady*, Everybody> Boogie On, Strong> Verge> B-fast, Rocco> Too Bad, Anesthetic> Cum 2 Getha, La Familia, B'gock E: El Sol, Red Hot Mama# * with Jen Durkin vocals FUN-K THIS TINY UNIVERSE Our Sunday evening was spent at Tipitinas uptown. We were fortunate to catch the opening act Moore and Moore, consisting of Stanton Moore, drummer, and Rich Vogel on keys from Galactic, Brian Seaver on guitar, and Brent Rhodes on Sax. This is a side project from Galactic, and if you have NOT been to New Orleans to check them out, you NEED to. These guys laid down the funk grooves with a special appearance by Karl Denson towards the end of their set. They're definitely worth checking out if you come to the NOLA area. My first introduction to Karl Denson was '97 with Greyboy Allstars. I was hooked then. Now I am a Karl Denson's Tiny Universe Funk Fanatic. Karl's band was different than the band he was touring with when he came through during Jazzfest. The same guitar player and keyboard player, trumpet, drums, congas, and bass player had changed. Karl's new line up: Karl Denson sax, Andy Cleaves trumpet, Brian Jourdan guitar, David Veith piano/keys, Ron Johnson bass, Eric Bolivar drums, EJ Rodriguez on precision. From the beginning of Soul Driften, The Tiny Universe had complete control over the crowd, moving them from side to side with the fifteen minute fun jams. The first set brought a special guest appearance from Stanton Moore and the Houseman of Galactic for a jammed out version of Checkout Your Mind. The second fun-k filled set kept the crowd dancin' 'til 7:00am in the morning. As people walked out dripping with sweat from dancin' 'til dawn, you could see the fun-k filled smiles that filled the faces of the funkfilled crowd. Karl Denson's Tiny Universe Tour continued the next week with dates in Asheville, Atlanta, Athens, and Columbia SC before heading to Colorado for a run in Englewood and Boulder. He will return to Fun-k the universe for a small West Coast tour in December. For all the dates check out http://www.karldenson.com
Set I. Soul Driftin', Power of Soul, Rise & Shine, Ruff Tuff, The Clap, Checkout Your Mind*, Damn Right Set II. 32, Mighty Mouse, Perfect, Fallin', Inner Crisis, Family Tree, Missy, What You Want E: Sunshine Jam, Thing * w/ Stanton Moore and the Houseman from Galactic Election Night Jam w/ Will Hoge @ The Booth, Tuscaloosa, AL What better way to escape Indecision 2000 and a rainy night in Alabama by going to see the boys of Will Hoge. It was hard to escape the election news as tv's in the bar were on all the different networks. Finally, after it was fairly clear that the election would go unresolved for a long time to come, the boys hit the stage. For an opening set, an hour and half was a long set but a most enjoyable one. The boys rolled through all sorts of songs coming from their live disc, All Night Long - Live At The Exit/In, and from their upcoming release, Carousel, which is due out January 2001. First, here's the set list, courtesy of Kirk: Be Together Again, Welcome to the Big Show, I'll Be Your Fool Again, Someone's Baby, Rock & Roll Star, I'm Not That Cool, I'm Pretty Sure I'm Over You, She Don't Care About Me, Heartbreak Avenue, King of Grey, Ms. Williams, Draw Curtains, Take It So Hard, Come Down, Red Shoes, Carousel, Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow, Wish. You have to see this band live to appreciate them. The live disc they have out is great but seeing them play with your own two eyes, you can't help but get in to the groove. Take this show for example, a miserable rainy night and there could have been a hurricane outside for all that matter, inside the bar, everyone was having a good time and it was all because of the band. You just can't help but like them and to have a good time when they play. When it comes down to it, chemistry is what this band is all about. I'm not sure that you could get another group of 4 guys together that are so in synch with each other on the stage. Can you really go wrong with the talent of Mr. Dan Baird in your lineup? It's like four best friends hanging out, driving around the country and then at some point during the night they get up and have some fun playing music for people on stage. No attitudes, no egos, Will Hoge and the boys just put the fun back into playing live music. The band just played the Voodoo Music Festival in New Orleans on Halloween weekend, sharing the stage with the likes of Blues Traveler, Counting Crows, Live, and Stone Temple Pilots. An independent band playing such a large festival with such high profile acts, you know they are doing something right! This is the same independent band that played at Woodstock '99 as well. When you're done checking out Jambands.com, go and check out http://www.willhoge.com You owe it to yourself as a music lover to check out some more info on this band. |
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