In one of his recent industry letters, music guru Bob
Lefsetz discussed Widespread Panic’s “Space Wrangler” and what that particular
song means to him. In his essay-length letter, Lefsetz jokes about mistaking
Widespread Panic for Phish when he saw the two groups play together on
H.O.R.D.E., discusses why “Space Wrangler” isn't about the industry trappings and,
finally, why jamband “music makes you want to join the club.” A few
days later, he shifted gears slightly and sent another letter letter discussing one of his own heroes, Jeff Beck.
In an open letter to Lefsetz’s public email list, Widespread
Panic bassist Dave Schools responds to Lefsetz, waxing poetic on his own
experiences with Beck’s music. Below is a copy of Schools’ letter in its
entirety:
It's funny, but for the last few nights Jimmy Herring and I
(well, most of the band actually) have been wearing out a dvd a friend
passed along of Jeff Beck's performance at Clapton's '07 Crossroads festival.
And when I say wearing it out I mean it! We watch it every night, wishing
that we had more footage of the man.
I have never passed up an opportunity to see Jeff Beck and I have seen him with
a few different bands. His incredibly emotive playing always manages to get
it's SOUL around the sound of the different musicians sharing the stage.
Because Beck has matured to the point where he is talking with his
guitar. Without even thinking about WHAT to play pure thought seems to ring out
of that Strat: beauty, sadness, humor, and even primitive grunts and squonks
are all part of his vocabulary.
And we are amazed....some of the rocking tunes have been part of our musical
lives: Led Boots, Blue Wind, Freeway Jam...but it's the newer ones that
really get us: Nadia, Angel Footsteps, Big Block, Behind The Veil, and like you
mentioned, his emotional rendering of A Day In The Life. Heck, last time I saw
him live he encored with a duet version of Somewhere Over The Rainbow and it
damn near made me cry.
But the real reason I felt the need to respond to your blog was because of a
point you often bring up: when you really FEEL what a musician is trying to say
you feel compelled to tell EVERYBODY you know about it. Even if it is something
as wonderfully simple as rediscovering an old flame like Jeff Beck.
My point being that last Sunday we played at The All Good Festival in West Virginia and there
we were, asking EVERYBODY we saw if they had heard Jeff Beck lately. And if
they hadn't we told them that they damn sure needed to! Oh to have been a fly
on the wall when Jimmy Herring asked Derek Trucks if he had heard Jeff Beck
lately. I mean these are two of the greatest and most expressive modern day guitarists
talking about how NO ONE has the range of expression that Beck does.
So it was really pretty funny when your email blast came through late Sunday
night. Sometimes things just happen at the right time.
