Panic Spreads Ignoring The Typical Playbook For Success, Widespread Panic Has Little Trouble Attracting Fans

If, per chance, you want to be a rock star of the ‘90s, there are certain prescribed career steps that are advised for maximum success.

First, write a terminally catchy radio hit that, ideally, gets played once every five minutes on every local radio station on the face of the planet.

Next, film a music video that gets you played incessantly on MTV (in the few minutes they actually play music videos between “The Real World” and whatever beach party they happen to be showing).

It’s also advised that you and your bandmates look like a bunch of gaunt and pouty Calvin Klein models.

Such is the path that many rock bands these days take to stardom. It’s also the kind of thing that makes you wonder how a band like Widespread Panic has survived now for 12 years and through seven (soon-to-be-eight) albums.

After all, it has never had a radio hit. MTV has never hyped one of its videos. When The Rolling Stones and Neil Young asked the band to open its concerts, Widespread Panic said no. And these guys look about as glamorous as your average dudes next door.

In fact, name one standard music career move and Widespread Panic has probably done the opposite.

“Yeah, we’re contrary,” says singer/guitarist Michael Houser with a laugh.

Yet, Widespread Panic has flourished on the fringes of the music biz. Based in Athens, Ga., this sextet’s popularity has grown grass-roots/word-of-mouth style into a dedicated field of fans, many of whom follow the band from gig to gig, swap bootleg concert tapes and discuss the group’s finer points in Internet chat rooms.

So strong is its following that Widespread Panic’s 1998 tour earned some $8.5 million, landing it among the top 40 tours of the year. It beat out acts such as The Smashing Pumpkins and Sheryl Crow.

Widespread Panic even set the world’s record for having the largest CD release party. More than 100,000 people showed up in Athens for the free outdoor concert celebrating the arrival of the double-live album “Light Fuse Get Away.”

“It wasn’t something that we planned,” Houser points out. “We didn’t start out saying `OK, we’re never going to have a song on the radio and that’s the way we want it.’ I think part of what has kept us going is our persistence as much as anything else.”

And yes, Widespread Panic has been persistent. Unlike many popular bands and much of pop culture, these musicians have grown slowly yet steadily, rather than shooting to the top overnight only to fade out a month later.

They tour almost constantly, playing a freewheeling form of rock ‘n’ roll that often lands them in the “jam band” pigeonhole with Phish and The Grateful Dead.

Their live shows are heavy on improvisation and free spirit and are often epic in length. In fact, that’s why they turned down both the Rolling Stones and Neil Young.

“Obviously we were excited to get an offer like that,” Houser admits. “But we just haven’t opened for people in years because it makes our fans mad. They’re not willing to give up the time that we need just to do what we do.”

How much time is that?

“Three hours.”

With the release of its latest album, Widespread Panic appears to be widening its horizons. “’Til The Medicine Takes” will be released in late July. It is a more focused album than previous efforts, one that finds the group members straying away from their renowned jam sound and into some new territory. With the help of gospel singers, synth loops, brass bands and a few turntables, their traditional rock has turned into a jambalaya of rock, country, soul and acoustic sing-along.

“We just went in and made the kind of record we wanted to,” Houser says. “I do realize though that we have left ourselves open for people to say, `This is not your typical Widespread Panic record.”’

Of course, somehow that seems appropriate. Because the only thing typical about Widespread Panic is that it’s not typical.

This sidebar appeared with the story: ON STAGE Widespread Panic Widespread Panic performs Wednesday at the Spokane Opera House. The show begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are $19.50, available at all G&B Select-A-Seat outlets or by calling (800) 325-SEAT.