Widespread Panic is still going strong after 30 years of performing and percussionist Domingo “Sunny” Ortiz recently reflected on his years with the band. “
You know, it’s an awesome feat. I think there’s only a select few bands that have been together that long. For us, it’s something that we never did think about it. All the years we were playing, time was nothing. It was just go to the next venue, do the show, pack up, drive, go to sleep, wake up, and do the next show. It’s a routine that we’ve been doing, like you said, for 30 years,” he says.
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“When you put your signature on the album, that’s your album.
People listen to it and get a sense of connecting
with the band.” -Domingo “Sunny” Ortiz
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Jimmy Herring, lead guitarist, joined the band 10 years ago when Mikey Houser died. Ortiz explains it was a time of growth and rebirth for the band. The band also saw the departure of founding drummer Todd Nance and added younger musician and Allman Brothers clansman, Duane Trucks.
“When Duane came along we were going through the same process. Kind of like a rebirthing, resurgence, a kick start of the band,” says Ortiz. When asked about the age gap between Trucks and members of Panic, Ortiz says, “Age has nothing to do with it. It’s that mentality. It’s that drive. It’s that desire. That desire, that will, that love for that instrument, or love playing in front of people. Age has no barriers. Music has no barriers. When you find the right people to work with, it’s a pretty special feeling. There’s just some kind of magical entity, magical sense that you know that it’s a good thing. It feels right.”
The band is as tight as ever and continues to grow and evolve, he continues. “The sign of a professional, in my opinion, is that one that can conform to any situation at any given time. It’s like being able to play with Miles Davis when he was alive. He’d have his group of musicians and at the drop of the dime he’d point to you and that would mean that it’s your own time to solo, and everybody else would either lay back or stop playing and you would just take off,” Ortiz muses. “It’s the same way with us. There’s no pointing the fingers, or a conductor saying, ‘Jimmy, you take it.’ It’s just one of those things where it happens naturally. I think that’s what makes Widespread Panic different than any of the other ensembles or bands. Each one of us is talented, can play and be happy with it,” he adds.
Widespread Panic recently released a new album entitled, “Street Dogs,” and Ortiz ruminates on their new release: “We don’t follow the rules by trying to create a commercial Top 40 song. … We’re not concerned about, ‘Is this radio worthy? Can we make a hit song in 3 minutes and 30 seconds?’ We wanted to express ourselves, and how we wanted to express ourselves, the way we wanted to express ourselves and not the way some record company wanted us to be represented. When you put your signature on the album, that’s your album. People listen to it and get a sense of connecting with the band.”
Widespread Panic plans to tour less next year, so this is a great opportunity to catch them in Tahoe. “For us, we’ve always lived the moment. Right now, we are in the moment and having an awesome summer tour. One of the reasons for our decision not to play as much next year is that all we agreed we are being too predictable with the places we are playing. … We want to do around 25 shows a year, but we want to spread it out,” Ortiz explains.
When asked if they will be singing “Sheik by the Lake?,” Ortiz laughs, “You know, I love ZZ Top, being from Texas. So you just never know. The cool thing about this band is we’re all in or not in it at all. In order for that to happen, everybody would have to be all in. It’s a democracy. We are all in it to win it. It has to be a special time for the Sheik.”
-Priya Hutner contributed to this article.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit harveystahoe.com.
July 6 | 6:30 p.m.
Harvey’s Outdoor Arena | Stateline, Nev.
