Search - Widespread Panic :: Everyday

There's nothing wrong with being a jam band, so long as when the verses and choruses fade away and leave a little space, you can actually deliver the goods. Instrumental dexterity is important, sure, but so are hooks, melodies, and the other elements of pop songwriting. Widespread Panic know this and make use of the knowledge--which is not to say they're out to write radio-ready hit songs. They're usually at their best when they leave themselves some room to wander within a given song, and only one of the numbers on Everyday clocks in at under four minutes. Even when they're determined to go off on extended excursions, though, as on "Hatfield," "Diner," and "Pilgrims," the group makes sure there's something of substance to hold on to. "Pickin' Up the Pieces," for example, is one of the group's loveliest, most laid-back (and, at four and a half minutes, most concise) songs. --Daniel Durchholz