The fall, Widespread Panic guitarist Jimmy Herring will hit the road with a new band Jimmy Herring and The 5 of 7. The group features Herring along with bassist Kevin Scott, drummer Darren Stanley, keyboardist Matt Slocum and vocalist and guitarist Rick Lollar. Jimmy Herring And The 5 Of 7 announced the first batch of tour dates for the new project.
Up first for the group is a run through Colorado that includes dates in Denver on September 12, Fort Collins on September 13 and Boulder on September 14. Herring & The 5 Of 7 then head to the Midwest for concerts in Iowa City, Chicago and Indianapolis. The quintet also confirmed a number of East Coast appearances such as visits to Albany, Natick (Massachusetts), Ridgefield (Connecticut), Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Richmond, Raleigh and Charlotte. More dates will be announced soon.
“Rick, Matt, and Kevin had a band together called King Baby,” said Herring in a statement, “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…”
Here’s more from the press release announcing the group’s formation:
“In addition to being a fine guitar player, Rick is a really powerful singer,” Herring continues. “Some of his favorite singers are Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder, and those are some of my favorites, too.” Supporting Lollar’s soulful vocals, Herring, Scott, Slocum, and Stanley provide a roiling sonic undercurrent drawing from all walks of their respective musical journeys — with one common thread: “We all have the Atlanta, Col. Bruce Hampton connection with each other,” Herring says, acknowledging their shared roots in Hampton’s spontaneous, dynamic, and challenging groups. “That’s important to me because it’s such a different thing — if you’ve been through that school, you want to play with people who have been through that too…you understand how to think on your feet and exist in the moment.”
As for what fans can expect, Herring said “There’ll be vocals, there’ll be instrumentals. There will be funk and rock and roll, with some songs leaning towards more sophisticated harmony…but, to me, it’s just music.” Tickets for most shows go on sale this Friday, May 10.
