Widespread Panic is Coconuts for Memphis

September 24, 2021
Marty Halpern

Widespread Panic has made Memphis a regular tour stop since the band got together. According to the Panic resource “Everyday Companion Online,” their first official show in the Bluff City was in April, 1989. Since then, they’ve seen local crowds swell from a couple of hundred to thousands. After 30-plus years of touring, WSP recently made a conscious decision to cut back their schedule, to “pass the baton” to a younger collection of musicians looking to expand their careers.

WSP returns to Memphis to headline Mempho Music Fest on October 1 and 2, and will hit the road for several multi-night residencies after that. Slideandbanjo.com’s Marty Halpern caught up with Panic percussionist Domingo “Sunny“ Ortiz to discuss the band’s past, present, and future.

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Sam Holt Band: Remembering Mikey, 8/10/19

August 14, 2019
Slide & Banjo

Widespread Panic’s guitarist, Michael Houser, was a musical luminary that was taken from the world too soon. Each year, on August 10, Mikey’s former guitar tech, Sam Holt (Sam Holt Band, Outformation), pays celebrates his late mentor with Remembering Mikey, a tribute concert. This year’s show was at Atlanta’s Terminal West, and photographer Michael Saba was there to capture the magic.

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