Feat’s Last Farewell hits New Hampshire
Though they’re still at the top of their game musically, Little Feat’s Oct. 2 appearance at Portsmouth’s Music Hall is likely their final one in the region. Their Last Farewell tour isn’t a hard stop, but cruises and residencies in hubs like Los Angeles, New York City and Nashville will be the only way to see the legendary band after this run ends.
“There’s an end point to jumping on the bus,” founding member Bill Payne said by phone recently.
As to why now, close to six decades after Lowell George and fellow Mothers of Invention member Roy Estrada recruited Payne and drummer Richie Hayward as the nucleus of a rootsy band that would produce timeless songs like “Willin’” and “Dixie Chicken,” Payne offered a cryptic, albeit practical, reply.
“Groucho Marx used to say, ‘I love my cigar, but I take it out every now and then,’” he explained. “I was resistant to the idea, to be honest with you, and then I began to say, ‘Travel’s travel.’ I just want to be able to play at a certain proficiency.”
That’s not a problem, based on accolades the tour is getting in places like Nashville. On Sept. 8 they made their Grand Ole Opry debut, then returned to the Ryman Auditorium the following night, where young acolytes Marcus King and Maggie Rose joined them, along with veteran guitarist Tommy Emmanuel, for a fiery second set.
It’s a victory lap, both for the band and Payne. The singer, songwriter and keyboard player has a lot going on.
He’ll begin work on a solo album in December.
“It looks like in Nashville,” he said. With a batch of songs from late Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, Paul Muldoon and Richard Wheeler, he’ll be joined by Emmanuel and Trey Hensley in the studio. Hopefully, Daniel Donato and Molly Tuttle will also pitch in.
Next year, Payne’s memoir, Carnival Ghosts, will be published. He promises an honest appraisal of his band, while noting, “it’s a fine line to watch … being truthful, but not harming people.” This applies especially to his old band mate, whose tragic end is more than well known.
“Lowell was a storyteller, and even at his most compromised, he was still writing songs like ‘Mercenary Territory’ and ‘Long Distance Love,’” Payne said. “He had this incredible gift. The sadness of course was he and others like him rolled off the edge, but he had so much to share with people. That beauty, it’s not going to be tarnished.”
A few in George’s orbit are treated less kindly, he added. “I am hurting some other people that I felt deserved it.”
Similarly balanced is Little Feat – The Documentary, released earlier this year and now on the film festival circuit. Directed by Jesse Lauter, who also helmed Learning To Live Together: The Return of Mad Dogs & Englishmen, it’s narrated by Jeff Bridges.
“I was thrilled with what Jesse Lauder came up with,” Payne said.
With the recent death of Estrada, Payne is the last surviving founding member of Little Feat. The group disbanded after George’s overdose death in 1979, reforming eight years later and making their comeback album Let It Roll in 1988. They’ve made multiple records since, though losing Hayward and guitarist Paul Barrere along the way.
Guitarist Scott Sharrard and drummer Tony Leone have stepped in for Barrere and Hayward, with results rivaling any version of the band; both possess unique talents in Payne’s view. “Somebody said it better than me: Tony’s not Richie Hayward, but Richie Hayward isn’t Tony Leone either.”
Payne is past seeing the two as new members.
“These guys are just wonderful musicians,” he said. “Tony studied Richie growing up, and Scott always wanted to be in Little Feat, even as a kid. Quite a few years ago I said to the guys, ‘You’re not auditioning for the band anymore, you’re in it. What do you want to do?’”
Little Feat
When: Friday, Oct. 2, at 7 p.m.
Where: The Music Hall, 28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth
Tickets: $50 and up at themusichall.org
Featured Photo: Courtesy photo.