Jack Pearson Heads Up the Wanee Pre-Pre-Party Tuesday in Lake City

Hey, all you Wanee brothers and sisters! Just in case the four days of the Wanee Music Festival aren’t enough (I know, right?), there is a very special show at Phish Heads in nearby Lake City on Tuesday, April 18th. SwampKat Productions Presents A Phamily Aphair!

This is a show in memory of Butch Trucks (yes, Wanee Wednesday is also a day honoring the late Allman Brothers Band drummer and Wanee founder), and the Phish Heads gig will be very special. Let’s look at the cast of usual — and unusual — suspects!

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Jack Pearson has a resume so deep it would take many paragraphs to explain. The Reader’s Digest version: Jack discovered The Allman Brothers Band Live at Fillmore East as a young player and absorbed every note into his DNA, which would become a great asset in later years. He is one of the greatest guitar players you may not know, but you’ve no doubt heard him.

Over the years, he has played in numerous bands and with hundreds of great musicians, from folk and blues to jazz and rock and almost everything else. It was when Warren Haynes asked Pearson to sub for ABB in 1993 that his career really skyrocketed. Gregg Allman asked him to join his band, and he played with ABB from 1997 to 1999.

And we saw him tear it up with Les Brers at Wanee 2016 in that epic three-hour late-night marathon. That’s Jack Pearson: singer-songwriter, brilliant guitarist. This year’s Les Brers set should be magical.

So will this night at Phish Heads.

lake bruce

The redoubtable Col. Bruce Hampton (Ret.), the man John Bell of Widespread Panic refers to as “the granddaddy of us all” (correctly), will be there to add his unique vocal stylings and great guitar-playing to the mix. Hampton Grease Band, Aquarium Rescue Unit, The Codetalkers, the Fiji Mariners, Pharoah’s Kitchen — the uniting thread is the Col. Read the great interview Col. Bruce did for MusicFestNews on Jam Cruise this year here. Did you play bingo with JoJo Hermann and the Col. on the boat?

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Heather Gillis, leader of her own band, first came to our attention at Magnolia Fest 2015 in two appearances with… Col. Bruce! Shortly thereafter, she was tapped by Butch Trucks to join his Freight Train Band. The group always featured at least two if not three excellent guitarists; Gillis was the constant. She will be performing at Wanee Wednesday, of course.

We confess we had no idea that Butch’s daughter Melody Trucks was a singer or that she had her own band. We are certainly looking forward to seeing her in this exciting lineup.

Isaac Corbitt
Isaac Corbitt

Isaac Corbitt, whom many (this writer included) regard as the premier harmonica player on the scene today, will be on hand to take you higher. Corbitt has been a member of The Corbitt Brothers, the Corbitt-Clampitt Experience, and now Harp Smoke.

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Willis Gore is a member of Jacksonville’s Bonnie Blue, an honest-to-goodness Southern rock band with all of the positive trappings that entails. Gore plays guitar and is a fine singer as well. If you are counting, that makes four great guitar players, all of whom sing, plus Melody.

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Forbidden Gecko Love (Al Al not pictured)

Not enough guitars yet? Let’s add two more. Forbidden Gecko Love will anchor the proceedings. Michael Johnson and Russ Buchanan will ensure guitar overload (is that even possible?), but this evening of music needs a rhythm section, for Pete’s sake. John Carillo will be at the drum kit, and on bass will be Al Al Ingram (so nice you’ve got to say it twice), from Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band. We only encountered Al Al for the first time two weeks ago at a Joe Marcinek gig, and all we can say is DAMN!

This is one hell of a lineup for the pre-pre-party Tuesday night at Phish Heads in honor of our beloved Butch Trucks. Seating is very limited, and this will sell out.

Jump on it, like, yesterday.

Tickets

 

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