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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Friday, November 21, 2003

Little Feat steps up art of jamming live

By Derek Paiva
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

Little Feat came on the musical scene in the 1970s, much influenced by the Grateful Dead. The group has reformed to play an eclectic mix of music from Southern-fried rock to blues and country.

Blue Rooster Productions

Little Feat

with Vince Esquire Band

7 p.m. today

Kaka'ako Waterfront Park

$28 advance, $35 gate

732-6699

Neighbor Islands

In Kailua-Kona: 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Kona Brewing Co. Brewhouse Oasis, $28 advance, $35 door, (808) 334-1133, (808) 334-2739.

On Maui: 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Maui Arts & Cultural Center Castle Theater, $28-$38, (808) 242-7469.

Little Feat is rarely mentioned alongside The Grateful Dead as a founding outift of the modern jam band movement. But it should be.

The band's swampy, country-fried rock was largely assembled in the sun-kissed climes of 1970s Los Angeles. But Little Feat still managed to cook up a tasty Southern gumbo of blues 'n' boogie, incorporating an eclectic range of musical styles, from folk and blues to rockabilly and country.

Critics were moved enough to praise the band as master musical improvisationalists through four studio albums from 1974 to 1978. Still, Little Feat had barely won a devoted cult following when its much-beloved lead voice, Lowell George, died of a heart attack (partly brought on by years of chemical abuse) just as the band was just beginning to taste mainstream chart success.

Little Feat took a nine year-break before hooking up again in 1989. They've toured and recorded new music ever since.

We talked Little Feat history with keyboardist/founding member Bill Payne in New York City, a week away from a handful of Hawai'i shows.

What made a bunch of musicians from Los Angeles want to dip their toes in Southern-fried rock?

I was sleeping on the beach in 1969, up in Santa Barbara. I had popped out there because that's where Frank Zappa and The Mothers (of Invention) were, and I was hoping to join. Lowell was with The Mothers of Invention. (Drummer) Richie Hayward was with a group called The Fraternity of Men. I was directed to Lowell's house to talk to him about being in a band (and) I jumped into the band, which later became Little Feat.

We signed our first record deal a year later. ... The people (in the band) just brought in their (musical) influences. ... We were simply tapping into those and bringing them into our music, which is something we continue to do.

Lowell had announced that Little Feat was disbanding, and he was pursuing a solo career, when he passed away in 1979. Were there any hard feelings?

Well, there wasn't any hard feelings. I was angry. But just angry at the fact that I thought there was so much potential with this guy, and that it was, essentially, wasted in terms of what he would've been able to come up with in the future. There was mainly sorrow. ...

He and I butted heads quite a bit over direction. I always felt that we were taking a couple of steps forward and about one to three steps back depending on what was going on. So it was a little frustrating to deal with that. ...

But he was a very complex person. ... He was a part of our family. We miss him.

Little Feat are among the godfathers of modern jam bands like Phish, Dave Matthews Band and Blues Traveler. Do you listen to any of them?

I listen to String Cheese Incident. Phish are great. They've put out records that I've liked. ... We recorded one of their songs, called "Sample In A Jar," a few years ago. The influences flow both ways. I know we've influenced them, but they've certainly influenced us as well. I've worked with (Phish bass-ist) Mike Gordon, too. ...

I think most of the jam bands — probably including ourselves — certainly took a great deal ... from The Grateful Dead. Those guys are amongst the people that, if not invented it, at least honed it into a brand new exercise in terror.

Listening to Little Feat jamming live on its classics like "Dixie Chicken" and "Fat Man In The Bathtub" is like listening to good jazz musicians just having fun. A lot of wild improvisation off of familiar riffs.

Is that how "Dixie Chicken" went from being a four-minute album track to a half-hour jam at live shows?

Well, that started really early in the process. ... I don't even know (the longest we've stretched "Dixie Chicken"). Probably a half-hour ... 35minutes. You just cut it off because you have to end at a certain time. But we could go out there and play that song for two hours if we had to. ...

(Grateful Dead bassist) Phil Lesh reintroduced (Little Feat guitarist) Paul (Barrére) and me to the art of jamming on a tour we did with him about three years ago. We used to do it all the time, but then we kind of got away from it. So after that we jumped back in.

What's your take on the multimillion-selling female country trio that took its name from "Dixie Chicken?"

I haven't heard a lot (of their music), but what I have heard, I've liked.They're outspoken ... and good for them!

(Laughs.)

Reach Derek Paiva at dpaiva@honoluluadvertiser.com, or 525-8005.