Dallas Paper: Time to Widespread the Love?

Everything is bigger in Texas and their jokes are humongous. Take for example the recent Dallas Observer's response on the Widespread Panic controversy.

It all started with an editorial where the writer said some not so nice things about the band. Widespread Panic fans retaliated with over 600 comments against the writer as well as making nasty phone calls, sending nasty emails and other harassing actions. A few days later the writer blogged about the incident which continued the assault.

On 3/29 another writer from The Observer wrote an article entitled Panic Attack where she talks of a truce between themselves, the band, and the fans.

A free Widespread Panic concert the article states.
Widespread Panic has agreed to join with Polyphonic Spree, a reunited Toadies, all the original members of Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians and Dallas hip-hop star Money Waters to work on a new single, a sort of ultra-supergroup, "We Are the World" kind of project, the proceeds of which will go toward various charities that work to prevent drug abuse.

In the middle of the parking lot of our offices, sometime at the end of May (time and exact date are yet to be determined). The event is called "Widespreading the Love" and it will be an all-ages affair, but there will be a beer garden and a smoking area on the second level of the building's parking garage.


It all sounds like a dream show. Almost too good to be true?
Does the Observer really want to make a mends? Is it all just a publicity stunt?

The last paragraph of the article mentions that Widespread Panic are in the recording studio working on a new song for this BIG truce project.

"They also haven't decided on a name for the tune, but rumor has it the working title is "April Fools, Sucka!"

I think it's good to note that, although they may have questionable taste in music, the people over at the Observer have a fun imagination and good sense of humor!

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Widespread Panic Keeping It Fresh

3-24-07 Grand Praire, TX

The boys are working on some new songs while on tour this season. Widespread Panic has said in the past that that's how they like to improve on new songs by playing them live. That unpredictability factor of playing something new live is all part of the excitement of each Widespread Panic show.

"We don't want to be predictable. So we want people to be on their toes. We'll throw out different songs that we haven't played in a while so we aren't predictable," states Sunny Ortiz. "When we play music, when we do songs, we're conversing with each other through the lyrics and the music and the people are kind of accepting that. They are listening with their ears and they are either saying "oh, that sounds good" or "that sucks."

Sunny went on to say "Sometimes you hear through word of mouth what people are saying about certain songs. How it flows, you know. We try to listen to our fans."

Working on new songs while perfoming live has always been the way the boys do things except when they released their album BALL in which they choose not to play the songs live before recording them as they normally do. It's the unpredicatbilty factor that is Widespread Panic and keeps the fans going to each show to see what they'll do next.

Show Notes:

03/11/07 Langerado Festival - No Encore
03/23/07 Woodlands Pavilion, TX - First Time 'Smoking Factory'
03/24/07 Grand Prairie, TX - First Time 'Shoes On Tight'

MARCH '07 DATES

Mar. 11, 2007 Sunrise, FL - Langerado Music Festival
Mar. 23, 2007 The Woodlands, TX
Mar. 24, 2007 Grand Prairie, TX
Mar. 25, 2007 Tulsa, OK
Mar. 27, 2007 Kansas City, MO
Mar. 28, 2007 Kansas City, MO
Mar. 30, 2007 Carbondale, IN
Mar. 31, 2007 Cleveland, OH

Widespread Panic is Taylor Hicks #1 Friend

Taylor Hicks performs with Widespread Panic last June

A recent interview by Taylor Hicks on the Argus Leader website revealed that Taylor Hicks number one friend on his MySpace webpage is Widespread Panic.


(Interviewer): I saw that your No. 1 friend on MySpace is the jam band Widespread Panic. Are you a big jam band fan?

Taylor Hicks: I was in a Widespread Panic cover band when I was in college. A lot of my live music is based on jam band principles.


Back in June '06 the American Idol winner from Birmingham, Alabama joined Widespread Panic on stage at the Wiltern in Los Angeles to play harmonica on a bluesy 'Fishwater' proving he was a Panic fan. Of course, Hicks has also been seen on stage with Snoop Dog keeping the soul in Soul Patrol!

Perhaps Hicks will make another impromptu visit on stage with the boys this spring.

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Widespread Panic Fans - Another Bad Rap

Throughout the years I've read many articles about Widespread Panic fans that were less than complimentary. I found myself defending them since I am a fan of WP's music. However the lifestyles of many fans may not be one that is deemed widespread acceptable by many standards.

Most fans simply like the music but it's the music that can create a specific atmosphere. Even the band members themselves have mentioned that their fans can be overly passionate and protective.

Many articles in nationally recognized newspapers talk of WP concert goers as ganjafied hippies who seem to follow the band for nothing more than the rush induced scene each show produces before and after the music has been shared.

Unfortunately many Panic fans have lived up to their bad reputation and as a Dallas Observer newspaper reporter notes " Don’t like gay people? Join the fans of Widespread Panic."

This statement came after said reporter received nearly 600 furious comments over an article he wrote last week where he gave Widespread Panic the thumbs down on their upcoming show in Houston.

Not only did Widespread Panic "fans" leave nasty messages but one got a hold of the reporters personal information and left it on the Panic fan boards for all to see. This led to a rash of phone calls to said reporters home. The reporter blogged about his experience stating "Sadly, I was not at home so my sweet mother-in-law had to withstand the endless barrage of “fuck you, asshole” calls left on my answering machine before she unplugged it so my children could get to sleep."

Even other websites have picked up on the story and are blogging about the vicious assault. I guess if WP fans want to stand out and be noticed for being hatemongers then so be it. It's unfortunate that I get lumped into the pack.

Now I suppose the offense will begin and all the WP fans that claim to be dignified, intelligent, articulate doctors and lawyers will say that all fans shouldn't be judged by the actions of others. Sadly that's not what will be remembered by reporters. But in the end I'm sure the band would be proud that their fans came to their defense.

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Widespread Panic Tour Texas For Weekend

The Langerado Festival had kicked off this spring's WP tour and now they're on to the Center for the Performing Arts at The Woodlands in Houston on Friday.



The Dallas Observer published a not-so-nice article about the boys on Wednesday asking "What gets older more quickly—a Widespread Panic jam-out or the acutal members of the band?"

Nokia Theatre at Grand Prairie will host WP on Saturday before the band heads to Tulsa for a Sunday show.

MARCH '07 DATES

Mar. 11, 2007 Sunrise, FL - Langerado Music Festival
Mar. 23, 2007 The Woodlands, TX
Mar. 24, 2007 Grand Prairie, TX
Mar. 25, 2007 Tulsa, OK
Mar. 27, 2007 Kansas City, MO
Mar. 28, 2007 Kansas City, MO
Mar. 30, 2007 Carbondale, IN
Mar. 31, 2007 Cleveland, OH

APRIL '07 DATES

Apr. 01, 2007 Albany, NY -Palace Theatre
Apr. 03, 2007 Richmond, VA -Landmark Theater
Apr. 04, 2007 Baltimore, MD -Hippodrome Theatre
Apr. 06, 2007 Washington, DC -Warner Theatre SOLD OUT
Apr. 07, 2007 Washington, DC -Warner Theatre SOLD OUT
Apr. 10, 2007 Pittsburgh, PA -Benedum Center
Apr. 11, 2007 Louisville, KY -Palace Theatre
Apr. 13, 2007 Asheville, NC -Civic Center
Apr. 14, 2007 Huntsville, AL -Von Braun Civic Center
Apr. 15, 2007 Columbia, SC -Township Auditorium
Apr. 17, 2007 Knoxville, TN -Tennessee Theatre SOLD OUT
Apr. 18, 2007 Knoxville, TN -Tennessee Theatre SOLD OUT
Apr. 20, 2007 Raleigh, NC -Walnut Creek Amphitheatre
Special Guests: North Mississippi All-Stars
Apr. 21, 2007 Raleigh, NC -Walnut Creek Amphitheatre
Special Guests: North Mississippi All-Stars
Apr. 23, 2007 Athens, GA -The Classic Center
Apr. 24, 2007 Athens, GA -The Classic Center
Apr. 25, 2007 Athens, GA -The Classic Center
Apr. 27, 2007 Orange Beach, AL
Special Guests: DJ Logic and Jerry Joseph
Apr. 28, 2007 Orange Beach, AL
Special Guests: DJ Logic & JJ Grey & Mofro

IN JUNE

Jun. 09, 2007 Lawrence, KS - Wakarusa Music Festival

Jun. 14, to Jun. 17, 2007 (1 date) - Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival

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Richmond Rumors

You'll soon be able to see big name music acts at a new venue in downtown Richmond. The National Theater on Broad Street is getting a major makeover.


There's a lot of work currently going on at the National Theater, as they're working on some of the color schemes, trying to decide how they want it to look. They're also working on the flooring and the stage and expect to have it all done in around 6 months.

Rumor has it that the new "NAT" will open on September 7 with Widespread Panic.

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Langerado on Concert.TV the month of March

Langerado on Demand!



Be sure to catch highlights of the 2006 Langerado Music Festival On Demand on Concert.TV during the month of March. Featuring performances by Michael Franti & Spearhead, The Secret Machines and JJ Grey and MOFRO - Langerado is On Demand the entire month on www.Concert.TV!

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Widespread Panic @ Langerado Pics

click a pic for larger image


Langerado's 3 day festival drew large crowds, perfect weather and 47 bands favoring jam and reggae style music. Everything you'd expect to see at this type of festival was there including batik and tie-dye blouses, patchwork shorts and skirts, beads, flowers and dreadlocks.


By Sunday, the final evening of the festival, many happy happy attendees danced the arms-raised, twirly dance and jammed out to Widespread Panic who played for a 2-1/2 hour performance sans an encore.



WP brought back an "old-school feel" when they rocked out a version of Space Wrangler and Dave Schoools was smokin'!



Yeap, the festival was everything you'd expect ...including the $5 beers.










images by Marc Whitman

HDNet's True Music w/ Katie Daryl - Widespread Panic Promo

Interview with Jojo and JB

Widespread Panic Fan Radio @ LAUNCHcast

MUSIC @ YAHOO

Yahoo has this thing now where you can watch music videos, stream music via their very own LAUNCHcast radio and download over 2 million songs and, yes, Widespread Panic is included.

The site inlcudes 2 music videos from WP as well as the Widespread Panic Fan Radio through LAUNCHcast Radio and features artists like: Moe., String Cheese Incident, and Widespread Panic.

LAUNCHcast Radio will allow you to customize your listening pleasure simply by rating your favorite artists. Rating affects your music played in LAUNCHcast and Music Videos.

Yahoo's Music Unlimited has 217 songs available from Widespread Panic and include their "Top 5"....
1. Don't Tell The Band
2. Ride Me High
3. Sometimes
4. Barstools And Dreamers
5. Diner

Songs are 99 cents each. Check it out at Yahoo Music

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Widespread Panic Spring Tour Begins

The Langerado Festival kicks off this spring's WP tour begining on March 11, the final day of the festival. WP's circuit will also include the Wakarusa and Bonnaroo festivals.

MARCH '07 DATES

Mar. 11, 2007 Sunrise, FL - Langerado Music Festival
Mar. 23, 2007 The Woodlands, TX
Mar. 24, 2007 Grand Prairie, TX
Mar. 25, 2007 Tulsa, OK
Mar. 27, 2007 Kansas City, MO
Mar. 28, 2007 Kansas City, MO
Mar. 30, 2007 Carbondale, IN
Mar. 31, 2007 Cleveland, OH

APRIL '07 DATES

Apr. 01, 2007 Albany, NY -Palace Theatre
Apr. 03, 2007 Richmond, VA -Landmark Theater
Apr. 04, 2007 Baltimore, MD -Hippodrome Theatre
Apr. 06, 2007 Washington, DC -Warner Theatre SOLD OUT
Apr. 07, 2007 Washington, DC -Warner Theatre SOLD OUT
Apr. 10, 2007 Pittsburgh, PA -Benedum Center
Apr. 11, 2007 Louisville, KY -Palace Theatre
Apr. 13, 2007 Asheville, NC -Civic Center
Apr. 14, 2007 Huntsville, AL -Von Braun Civic Center
Apr. 15, 2007 Columbia, SC -Township Auditorium
Apr. 17, 2007 Knoxville, TN -Tennessee Theatre SOLD OUT
Apr. 18, 2007 Knoxville, TN -Tennessee Theatre SOLD OUT
Apr. 20, 2007 Raleigh, NC -Walnut Creek Amphitheatre
Special Guests: North Mississippi All-Stars
Apr. 21, 2007 Raleigh, NC -Walnut Creek Amphitheatre
Special Guests: North Mississippi All-Stars
Apr. 23, 2007 Athens, GA -The Classic Center
Apr. 24, 2007 Athens, GA -The Classic Center
Apr. 25, 2007 Athens, GA -The Classic Center
Apr. 27, 2007 Orange Beach, AL
Special Guests: DJ Logic and Jerry Joseph
Apr. 28, 2007 Orange Beach, AL
Special Guests: DJ Logic & JJ Grey & Mofro

IN JUNE

Jun. 09, 2007 Lawrence, KS - Wakarusa Music Festival

Jun. 14, to Jun. 17, 2007 (1 date) - Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival

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Rock in a hard place

Rock in a hard place
Could Atlanta produce the next R.E.M.?

BY LEE VALENTINE SMITH
for Creative Loafing

When R.E.M. is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame March 12, the glitzy ceremony at New York City's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel will certainly belie the band's humble origins at a party held in a dilapidated Athens church in April 1980.

"Back then, the party scene was the thing," says Cindy Wilson of the B-52's, the first Athens band to emerge from what is now considered the golden age of the New Wave era. "If you wanted original music, you did it yourself and played it for your friends."

And that's exactly what R.E.M. did, erupting from the DIY party scene that ultimately spawned a multitude of acts. The now-thriving Athens club scene was almost forced to grow in order to serve the increasing number of bands. Meanwhile, Atlanta's club scene was already well-established and organized. Atlanta attracted so many musicians that the scene fractured into many smaller factions, centered around venues or groups of bands. Compared with Athens' organic scene, however, Atlanta was like the Big Apple. Yet it still wasn't ready for the quirk of the original Classic City rockers.

"When we started out we couldn't have gotten an [Atlanta] gig if we tried," continues Wilson, now a metro Atlanta resident. "We had to go to New York before we could be taken seriously, and even then we had to move to New York in order to be a national act."

But once the B-52's left Athens, bands began to sprout. And in that fertile, unspoiled soil, R.E.M. quickly established itself as a regional draw, before earning national and international acclaim, all while deeply rooted in Athens. They didn't buy a ticket out of town. They bought in, by helping to resurrect historic buildings and landmarks, and bankrolling numerous local charities.

But could the massive monolith that is Atlanta ever produce such dedicated homeboys – a Hall of Fame-bound band whose success is intrinsically tied to the city?

"R.E.M. was a fluke of nature," says Atlanta native David Railey, an East Atlanta cornerstone and the mastermind behind Day Mars Ray, American Dream and Corndogorama. "Athens wasn't a music scene that was trying to 'make it,' it was just a college town with good music."

Indeed, while Atlanta's early '80s pop, rock and New Wave scenes boomed with venues such as Hedgens, the Bistro, 688 and the Agora, Athens' scene remained small-scale. "Atlanta is like Athens times 10, but without all the jam-rock and R.E.M. wannabes," says Ted Selke of the Seventh Ring of Saturn, active in Atlanta music for more than two decades.

Ultimately, Athens and Atlanta are inherently incomparable because of the difference in size. And it's important to remember that while Athens also had individual scenes, there were few geographic divisions due to the close proximity of the divergent musicians. "The biggest gap was the [distinction between the] art side and the more organic rocker side," says Widespread Panic's John Bell. Widespread Panic was heavily influenced by early '80s Athens band the Squalls, which was also divided between quirky art-pop and the jam-band approach of the Grateful Dead.

But perhaps the bigger issue at stake is whether or not bands have to move away from Georgia to find national success – like the B-52's, the Black Crowes and even Atlanta's Keith Vogelsong and his Goodnight Records label recently did? "No one knows the answer," Railey says. "Jimi Hendrix had to move to the U.K. to find a band and then return to the U.S.A. as a success with a British band."

He also points to the success of OutKast, the rap duo that has done its part to imprint Atlanta with a distinct yet divergent identity. "Twenty years after R.E.M. became No. 1, OutKast showed everyone something new and exciting without a corporate, preconceived business model. It worked because it was real, and most people can tell the difference. People decide who is successful, not the music industry. Then the vultures and leeches – the music industry – find out and usually suck the life and magic out of it."

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Langerado Festival begins Widespread Panic Tour

Only a week away on March 11 Widespread Panic kicks off their spring tour at the Langerado Music Festival in Sunrise, FL. (North of Miami)

Although the festive runs for three days, WP will be performing on the final day.
Check out the WP Tour page for updated details on the upcoming Spring Tour including venues, on-sale dates, and ticket info.

MARCH '07 DATES

Mar. 11, 2007 Sunrise, FL - Langerado Music Festival
Mar. 23, 2007 The Woodlands, TX
Mar. 24, 2007 Grand Prairie, TX
Mar. 25, 2007 Tulsa, OK
Mar. 27, 2007 Kansas City, MO
Mar. 28, 2007 Kansas City, MO
Mar. 30, 2007 Carbondale, IN
Mar. 31, 2007 Cleveland, OH

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Widespread Panic Concert Package

Widespread Panic Concert Package
from kaiserrealty.com

Calling all Panic Freaks!

Didn’t get your tickets to the Widespread Panic Concert at the Wharf Amphitheater for Saturday night’s show in Orange Beach, Alabama? Don’t worry.

Kaiser Realty Vacation Rentals has a special concert package for you!

On Friday, March 2, 2007, at 9:00 am CST, you will have the opportunity to get 2 FREE tickets for the Saturday night show, April 28, 2007, with your accommodations reservation in one of their spectacular condos or beach houses in Gulf Shores or Orange Beach.

BUT, there are only 20 packages available! The first 20 completed reservations will receive the FREE tickets.

Here is how you do it:

1. Call 877-405-8815. This offer is not available on online reservations.
2. When you call, you will be asked for the special password, which is “Hey, Little Lilly”
3. There are only 20 packages available, so don’t wait. The first 20 completed reservations will receive these FREE tickets.
4. This offer is only available for reservations of 3 nights or more.
5. You will receive your Widespread tickets at check-in. They will not be able to be picked up prior to check-in.

Now the details:

1. Only 2 tickets are available per reservation.
2. You must call. Do not try to book online.
3. Some properties are excluded from this offer. Not valid with any other offer or previously booked reservations. Minimum 3 night stay is required. Normal taxes and fees still apply.

A few hints:

1. Go to www.kaiserrealty.com
2. Identify your ideal vacation rental. You might want to pick a second choice if your condo or beach house has been previously booked.
3. Have your credit card ready.

Again, only 20 of these packages are available. So call Friday, March 2, 2007, at 9:00 am CST for your chance to receive these FREE tickets with your accommodations.

It’s going to be an awesome show!!

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