Long accustomed to constant touring, Southern rock stalwart Widespread Panic will be invading Ann Arbor Thursday night for a performance at the Michigan Theater.
Widespread's percussionist, Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, spoke recently with The Michigan Daily to discuss the current state of one of America's greatest live acts.
Noting the difference between fans in the various regions of the country, Ortiz said, "Our stronghold has always been the Southeast. You know when we first started out on this long venture of ours, we figured that the Midwest and the Northeast were gonna be our toughest markets, only because they're so - and I hate to use this expression - but they're so widespread.
"But fortunately, you know, we've had some real good luck with some good radio stations that are willing to help us out and that's the key right there, getting in the radio waves. That's what it takes for an underground band, like we still are.
"We've been doing this now for 10, 11 years and there are still some markets that have never heard of us."
A talented and versatile sextet, Widespread Panic has gradually developed both fan and critical acclaim. Its solid and confident 1994 album, "Ain't Life Grand," was praised by the musical press from coast to coast, but the band didn't face mainstream recognition.
Ortiz proffered that MTV "might be against us. We're just not that camera-friendly." This fact should be duly noted, as lead vocalist and guitarist John Bell is not, frankly, a frontman whose air-brushed countenance is pinned up on every teen-age girl's wall, and neither are those of the rest of the band (keyboardist and vocalist John Hermann; lead guitarist and vocalist Michael Houser; drummer Todd Nance, and bassist and vocalist David Schools).
Nevertheless, the members of Widespread Panic are not exactly living like paupers. "We've always had huge amounts of successfulness by touring. We really didn't depend on MTV or VH-1 or the radio as our mainstay. We're still traveling out here about 200 dates a year," Ortiz said.
And the group is hitting the road for the right reasons. "Most bands just tour to support (their) albums. We just tour cause we want to tour."
Widespread Panic took almost two months off its busy schedule this summer to record the follow-up to "Ain't Life Grand."
"It sounds real good. We've got 10 new songs on there," said an excited Ortiz. "We think it's gonna do some damage here."
Although it won't be released until Feb. 6, Widespread Panic will be playing some of the new tunes in concert. "Trial and error," Ortiz explained, "that's how we hit on some of these songs."
One source of inspiration for the band is legendary rocker Col. Bruce Hampton, ex-leader of Aquarium Rescue Unit and current head of a power trio, the Fiji Mariners.
"The Colonel has been a stronghold, almost a member of the band since we first started out. He's kind of our spiritual father. For a 55, 60-year-old man, he's still out there kickin' it, kinda like how Sun Ra was before he passed away," Ortiz said.
In addition to spending a good amount of time with Widespread Panic on the inaugural H.O.R.D.E. tours in 1992 and 1993, Hampton wrote the surreal and hilarious liner notes to "Ain't Life Grand."
In a particularly funny section, Hampton describes Ortiz as a percussionist who plays his percussions with "the sensation of being stalked."
Ortiz aptly laid out Widespread Panic's philosophy: "That is to make the people out there who come and spend their hard-earned money have a really good time. Without them, we wouldn't be out here."
Come see the band Thursday for a fun, explosive evening of rock 'n' roll. It will definitely be worth your hard-earned money and your while.
Choo-choo! Widespread panic chugs into Ann Arbor tonight.