|
|
WIDESPREAD PANIC
|
"If I was to pass anything on to other bands, it would be find people you like and trust them," says John Bell (JB). What started as a few friends picking guitars has evolved into one of the most successful rock bands in the world. In their 24 years together they've sold over 3 million albums and are consistently one of Pollstar's Top 50 grossing live acts. No relationship that lasts this long is easy, but the path Widespread Panic has traversed has been marked with challenges; none more difficult than the 2002 loss of co-founder and lead guitarist Michael Houser to pancreatic cancer. Great bands overcome tragedy by bonding together and using it to grow. And that's just what Widespread Panic has done. Although the years following Houser's death were trying, the arrival of guitarist Jimmy Herring in late 2006 signaled the dawn of a new era. "We're about 25 people on the road, and then another 10 people in the office," says JB. "So right now, we're sitting here with 35 people in the unit and everybody is cooking. And even when we have a new intern, if they're bringing a spark to the thing, it translates all the way out there to the music."
|
|
|
.png)
