Widespread Panic shared a previously unheard demo of “The Last Straw,” which will appear on the band’s upcoming collection of 1990 demos, Miss Kitty’s Lounge. Originally slated for a late 2021 release, Miss Kitty’s Lounge now has a new May 6 release date via Widespread Records with a limited edition vinyl available in independent record stores.
Widespread Panic tracked Miss Kitty’s Lounge at longtime collaborator and producer John Keane’s Athens, Georgia studio. The recording features the band’s five original members guitarists John Bell and Michael Houser, drummer Todd Nance, bassist Dave Schools and percussionist Domingo “Sunny” Ortiz along with contributions from Phish keyboardist Page McConnell, saxophonist Randall Bramblett and Keane on pedal steel guitar.
The band convened in Keane’s studio in 1990 to begin recording new material after releasing their 1988 debut album, Space Wrangler. The 14-track demo collection helped Panic land a contract with the storied Macon, Georgia label Capricorn Records with a number of the tunes on Miss Kitty’s Lounge being re-recorded for Widespread Panic’s 1991 self-titled LP including Widespread Panic closing track “The Last Straw.”
Listen to the Miss Kitty’s Lounge demo version of “The Last Straw” below:
