Widespread Panic

Widespread Panic has been together going on 30 years. Formed by original members vocalist/guitarist John "JB" Bell, bassist Dave Schools and late guitarist Michael Houser, who lived together in a suburban house in Athens, GA, where they met as students not far from the University of Georgia campus, later to be joined by drummer Todd Nance. Shortly after that, the band's line-up was solidified with the addition of percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz and keyboard player John "JoJo" Hermann. Formed in the tradition of the great southern guitar blues bands, with an improvisatory ethos, Widespread Panic continue to explore a sound all its own on the band's 12th album, Street Dogs, their first studio effort since 2010's Dirty Side Down. When asked to describe Street Dogs, Widespread Panic's debut album on Vanguard Records, JB references the way Dr. John describes the music scene in New Orleans as "a gumbo of musical influences.” JB cites Van Morrison and George Carlin as influences while Dave (Grateful Dead/Miles Davis), Mike (Emerson Lake and Palmer), Todd (Steely Dan), Sunny (Tito Puente), JoJo (classically trained with a love for Professor Longhair) and Jimmy (Beatles/ Mahavishnu Orchestra) all bring something different to the table. "Above all, after nearly thirty years together, we are arguably each other's greatest influence,” JB concludes.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of artist