10/09/06 Widespread Panic Prepare "Earth To Atlanta"

PLUG-IN-MUSIC.COM

Widespread Panic Prepare "Earth To Atlanta"



Legendary live performers Widespread Panic announce the release of Earth to Atlanta November 14, 2006 on Sanctuary/ Widespread Records. The two DVD set was filmed at the kick off of this year’s Widespread Panic tour, set at the historical Fox Theatre in Atlanta. In a groundbreaking move, Widespread Panic simulcast the concert live to 115 Regal/Edwards/United Artists cinemas nationwide. For the first time ever, over 60,000 ticket holding fans across the country were given the ability to experience the evening live with Panic without actually having to travel to Atlanta.

A companion piece to Widespread Panic’s critically acclaimed 2006 CD release Earth to America, the set offers a unique visual counterpart to the recent studio album. Known for their prodigious live shows, the DVD’s were filmed in stunning High Definition/ 5.1 surround sound in order to capture every nuance of the Widespread Panic live performance. Overall the collection features 26 songs, including classic live versions of “Tall Boy,” “Travelin’ Man,” “Pigeons,” “Time Zones” and “Second Skin.”

Currently in the midst of their fall tour, Widespread Panic has also brought in legendary guitarist Jimmy Herring to join their line-up. Capping off their tour, Panic will headline the second night of the Vegoose Festival in Las Vegas on October 29th. They will also play their infamous Halloween show on October 30th at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas. Fans are known to travel from afar to attend the annual Panic Halloween show where every year the band surprises the audience with a elaborate stage theme, costumes, and new cover songs that cleverly tie-in. Past themes have included Mars Attacks, Moon Walk, and Bourbon Street to name a few. The tour will commence with three nights at The Backyard in Austin on November 2- 4th.

Widespread Panic first came together around the University of Georgia in 1986, when the band’s original guitarist, Michael Houser, introduced vocalist/guitarist John Bell to the joys of improvisation, following a musical conversation wherever it leads. With bassist Dave Schools, drummer Todd Nance, percussionist Domingo Ortiz and later keyboardist John Hermann, they hit the road, winning new fans at each stop. Together, they forged roots rock, blues and boogie into an aesthetic all its own. Without benefit of substantial radio or MTV airplay and other trappings of the pop world’s starmaking machine, their popularity grew steadily. After years of relentless touring, they are one of the biggest-selling bands on the road today. Road warriors for 20 years, the band has sold out venues across the country, ranging from New York’s venerable Madison Square Garden to Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre (where they hold the record for the most sold-out shows) to the Bay Area’s Greek Theatre. Panic has sold over 3 million albums, and released a total of 15 CDs and five DVDs (including Live at Oak Mountain, which is certified Gold).

Look for Earth to Atlanta to land in stores on Sanctuary/ Widespread Records on November 14, 2006.

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10/06/06 Panic returns: Macon Preview

MACON TELEGRAPH

Panic returns
By Maggie Large


This month will mark the 20th year since Widespread Panic percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz joined the Athens jam stalwarts.

The 54-year-old Texas native said in a telephone interview from a tour stop in Charlotte, N.C., that his varied musical background is probably what makes him mesh so well with the other players. Widespread Panic plays the Macon Coliseum Saturday night with Susan Tedeschi opening


Ortiz is originally from Waco but moved to Austin in the mid-1970s to join that city's burgeoning music scene.

"There I played with all kinds of bands, reggae, country, conjunto," Ortiz said.

Some years later, a good friend of Ortiz's moved to Athens.

"I packed up all my stuff and visited him," Ortiz said. "These boys were playing regular Monday nights at the Uptown Lounge, and I sat in with them one night."

The rest, as they say, is history.

"We never talked about the kind of music that we liked, we just played what we felt," Ortiz said.

These days the group is adjusting to the addition of guitarist Jimmy Herring after George McConnell left the group. Herring is a veteran of bands such as the Allman Brothers Band and Aquarium Rescue Unit. Mike Houser, Panic's original guitarist, died of pancreatic cancer in 2002.

"We've had to make some changes and revisit new avenues," Ortiz said. "(Herring) leads us to a new dimension with his playing."

At the same time, Ortiz seemed to hint that the band's lineup was still in flux.

"Nothing is etched in stone," he said. "The five of us have to make decisions for our future."

Though Panic has released more than a dozen studio albums and several live recordings, they've always been celebrated most for their freewheeling live sets. Their latest is this year's "Earth to America."

They've long embraced technology in getting the word out about their music. The site LiveWidespreadPanic.com sells audio files of the band's concerts recorded directly from the soundboard, sometimes as soon as 48 hours after a gig.

In May, Panic performed a concert at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta that was simulcast to dozens of movie theaters around the country. That show is set to be released as a live DVD, "Earth to Atlanta," on Nov. 14.

"I'm very proud of how we've established our roots in this business," Ortiz said. "Being self-sustained is rare. We make our own calls, whether it's what songs are on the album or what the advertising looks like."

Ortiz said while the band's stronghold tends to be in the Southeast, he enjoys playing out West and in the Big Apple, too.

"I love playing the San Francisco area, I love Red Rocks (near Denver)," Ortiz said. "It's always fun to play New York City. Last time we were there, we did Letterman."

And lastly, the secret to his nickname Sunny? Domingo translated from Spanish is Sunday, and that got shortened to Sunny in school.

"My real name is Domingo Steven Ortiz," he said.

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