Widespread Panic Adapt Their Jams To The Studio

04/11/08 2:30pm

by Cameron Gordon (CHARTattack)

Widespread Panic are definitely one of those bands who a lot people have heard of but haven't actually heard.

In spite of relatively modest record sales and a casual off-the-cuff approach to writing and recording, the Panic have somehow evolved into one of America's favourite touring acts over the last quarter-century. In many ways, they continue to fan the embers first lit by trippy, dippy outfits like the Grateful Dead and Phish, and show no signs of slowing down. They have a new full-length titled Free Somehow in stores and another busy touring itinerary on tap.

The band's sound has evolved over the years and, rightly or wrongly, Free Somehow is perhaps their most accomplished album to date. Lashing woozy melodies up against lush orchestration and the band's trademark southern twang, Free Somehow is the right blend of comfort, concern and ambition. While new songs have previously been fleshed out in practice or, more typically, on stage, bassist Dave Schools says that this album was written largely in the studio.

"Writing in the studio was just a new approach, plain and simple. Changing the producer and venue, that being Terry Manning and his Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas, helped too. As a band, it's important to mix things up — especially after 20 years. The entire goal was to create something larger than we possibly could on stage, and I think we accomplished that with the album."

It seems strange that a band best known for their freeform shows would aspire to such levels. But the challenge of reproducing the new material on stage was one that Schools and his bandmates couldn't resist. After all, only two or three of the new tracks had ever been played in public before they were recorded.

"We're fond of saying that we've been rehearsing on stage for 20 years," jokes Schools. "But this time around, there'll be a few extra hours put in to get the sounds we're looking for.

"You just need to really keep in mind how you're going to pull off this type of material live. If you listen to a song like Led Zeppelin's 'Black Dog,' Jimmy Page used to use layer upon layer of guitar tracks. And yet when they played live, he was always able to choose that one harmony where you wouldn't miss all that orchestration. That's the approach we're trying to take now, so it'll just take us a bit of time to reach that place."

Luckily, new(ish) guitarist Jimmy Herring has been a godsend in switching up the band's sound. Brought in earlier this decade to replace founding member Michael House (who died of pancreatic cancer in 2002), Herring's considerable chops have definitely had a massive impact on the Panic, both in studio and on stage. With a resume that includes stints playing with The Allman Brothers Band and Col. Bruce Hampton And The Aquarium Rescue Unit, Herring's ability to rapidly ramp up has been perhaps his great contribution to the Panic.

"Jimmy has learned more in a year-and-a-half than you think would be humanly possible," says Schools. "The catalogue is 150 songs, and he's gotten an incredible hold on it in a very short period of time. We had played a lot of shows with Jimmy and Aquarium Rescue Unit, so he obviously was giving a good listen during that time."

With a full slate of spring and summer live dates on the horizon (including a spot flanking Radiohead, Beck and Jack Johnson at the inaugural Outside Lands Music And Arts Festival in San Francisco in August), Canadian appearances are conspicuously absent from the ledger. In fact, the band has gone more than a decade without gracing northern soil, although Schools is optimistic that the Panic will end the drought soon... maybe.

"I don't think we've played in Canada this millennium, but it's about damn time we get back there. The last time we played Toronto, we actually got to watch The Rolling Stones rehearse at the Masonic Temple for the Bridges To Babylon tour. That should give you a good idea of how long it's been. Hopefully we'll put an end to that soon."