In May, Jimmy Herring announced a new band, The 5 of 7, featuring bassist Kevin Scott, drummer Darren Stanley, longtime collaborator Matt Slocum on keyboards (Hammond B3, clavinet), and vocalist and guitarist Rick Lollar. The Widespread Panic guitarist will debut his new project on the road this fall with brand new music.
On Tuesday, the band added a second leg to their 2019 fall tour, which will begin with a performance at Savannah, GA’s Victory North on November 7th, followed by stops at Asheville, NC’s Orange Peel (11/8); Athens, GA’s Georgia Theatre (11/9); Macon, GA’s Hargray Capitol Theatre (11/11); Chattanooga, TN’s Songbirds South (11/12); Nashville, TN’s Basement East (11/13); Birmingham, AL’s Saturn (11/14); Jackson, MS’ Duling Hall (11/15); New Orleans, LA’s Joy Theater (11/16); Tallahassee, FL’s The Moon (11/17); and a tour-closing performance at Atlanta, GA’s Variety Playhouse on November 20th.
The band came together rather naturally. “Rick, Matt, and Kevin had a band together called King Baby,” Herring explained in a press release, “and I heard their record…I couldn’t help but think, man, if I could get together, play some of Rick’s songs, some of my songs, some covers, and maybe write a few things together, we may be on to something…”
From his days with Col. Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit, The Allman Brothers Band, The Dead, Project Z, Phil Lesh & Friends, The Invisible Whip, and of course, Widespread Panic, Jimmy Herring is a true master of his craft–and fans welcome new projects to see what else the White Wizard has up his sleeves.
According to a press release, “The newly assembled The 5 of 7 places his uniquely probing, responsive fretwork in the context of a vocalist-fronted, song-driven ensemble,” a contrast to his last tour with The Invisible Whip, which joined John McLaughlin and the 4th Dimension for a run of shows celebrating the legacy of the Mahavishnu Orchestra.
From fatback, roadhouse R&B to more expansive, jazz-inflected explorations, The 5 of 7 demonstrates Herring’s chops not just as a musician, but as a bandleader and catalyst. The novel vocal element is just one more texture at his disposal. “With instrumental music,” he reflects, “people expect to hear your solos, but they’ve just heard you play the melody! You can overexpose your voice. With Rick, I can play behind him, then step out with a solo, and give a fresh feeling to the song — take it to another place.”
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