Widespread Panic reached into the vault over the weekend to pull out vintage videos of “Tipitina” and “Driving Song”. Originally featured in the 2002 documentary The Earth Will Swallow You, these clips date back to 2000.
Captured during the Georgia-bred jam outfit’s 2000 summer tour, The Earth Will Swallow You found Widespread Panic as they climbed the ladder of the evolving jam scene ever-higher as they became one of the bigger names in the scene following Jerry Garcia‘s death just five years prior. While the 2002 film documented the band’s original lineup in its prime, the Geoffrey and Christopher Hanson-directed project premiered just four months before the untimely death of founding guitarist Michael Houser.
The first of two clips finds pianist JoJo Hermann performing the Professor Longhair song “Tipitina” at the famous New Orleans venue by the same name–Tipitina’s. This brief, two-minute instrumental run gives viewers an inside look at the swamp jazz influence that has perforated Hermann’s style and forms a cornerstone of Widespread Panic’s diverse sound.
The other video features Houser alongside frontman/guitarist John Bell as they reminisce on the band’s early days while performing an acoustic version of “Driving Song” from the setting of a front porch.
Reflecting on the band’s exciting beginnings in Athens, GA, Bell said of his early bond with Houser, “Mikey didn’t mind going wherever the music was going and that was, you know, a necessity because we didn’t know how to stop. So we needed people who were gonna keep on taking it, no matter what the terrain was presenting.”
With that, the two guitarists offered a showcase of the commitment to following the music with a stripped-down take on the Space Wrangler classic. One of the first songs Bell and Houser wrote together, the tune lends itself perfectly to the duo setup as Houser’s prowess is put on full display while JB holds down the rhythm and keeps the terrain a constant.
Watch clips of “Tipitina” and “Driving Song” from the 2002 Widespread Panic documentary The Earth Will Swallow You.
Widespread Panic – “Tipitina” (Professor Longhair) –The Earth Will Swallow You
[Video: Widespread Panic]
Widespread Panic – “Driving Song” –The Earth Will Swallow You
[Video: Widespread Panic]
[H/TÂ JamBase]