One of the great underdog bands of the classic-rock era, Little Feat could’ve been a done deal in 1979 after the sudden death of Lowell George, its lead singer, guitarist and most celebrated songwriter. But dismissing the post-Down On The Farm variations of the group diminishes the talents of its other founding members. Primary among them is keyboardist Bill Payne, the original lineup’s sole survivor, who’s singlehandedly held Little Feat together (with a few breaks here and there) over the past four decades.
While nothing Little Feat has done since the 1987 reboot has equaled the formative lineup’s early-’70s output, the many good-to-great moments include last year’s Sam’s Place (a Grammy nominee for Best Traditional Blues Album) and the new Strike Up The Band (Hot Tomato). Recorded in Nashville with producer Vance Powell (Chris Stapleton, Jack White), Little Feat’s 17th album features material from Payne’s collaboration with late Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, along with contributions from Larkin Poe, Molly Tuttle, Larry Campbell, Theresa Williams and Blackberry Smoke’s Charlie Starr. More important than all the big names, the band sounds reinvigorated—as opposed to a bunch of old dudes going through the motions.
MAGNET’s Hobart Rowland caught up with Payne before he hit the road for Little Feat’s first proper U.S. tour in three years.
Strike Up The Band comes fairly quickly on the heels of Sam’s Place. Prior to that, you hadn’t released anything since 2012. What’s behind the latest spike in productivity?
We are, once again, a new band. We’ve added Scott Sharrard on guitars and vocals and Tony Leone on drums and vocals. I had some songs for the project that were written some years back, as did (multi-instrumentalist) Fred Tackett. Scott came to the table with some great songs. Scott, Tony and I wrote with each other on a trip I made to New York. Scott and Fred were writing songs. Tony has a song on the album, “Running Out Of Time With The Blues.” I was also writing with Charlie Starr from Blackberry Smoke, Vince Herman from Leftover Salmon, and (producer) John Leventhal. Vince’s and my song, “New Orleans Cries When She Sings,” had been written quite a few years before. I was also proud to include “Bluegrass Pines,” which I wrote with Robert Hunter.
We’re also with Vector Management in Nashville. Brian Penix handles the reins, along with Ken Levitan. The energy everyone has put into this venture in the last few years has paid off. We’ve assembled an amazing team.
What was it like working with producer Vance Powell on the new album?
I liked the fact he was generally two steps ahead of me. I had someone I could trust. He and I co-produced the album; Scott Sharrard was also involved in production on some songs. Little Feat’s music isn’t easy to play, so the level of concentration when in the studio was aided considerably by our confidence in ourselves and our confidence in Vance. He made sure we could hear each other. He wasn’t there to give us false praise—another important point. If he wasn’t feeling it, he let us know, and vice versa.
We came in prepared. We had more songs than we needed—a first for Little Feat. I was glad Vance was there to help pick the songs. The ones that didn’t make the cut this time will be on the next one. Vance, in addition to everything else he does as an engineer and producer, is a great hang—just a wonderful person.
It’s interesting that your latest press information describes Little Feat as “underrated.” Critics and fellow musicians love you guys—it was audiences and record buyers that didn’t quite get you. What are your thoughts on that?Interesting question. My perspective differs a bit, though. I believe audiences—those who heard us—did get us, at least for most shows. In a career-spanning multiple decades, I don’t doubt there are a few shows when we were not at our best and might have lost some folks. In general, we’ve done well.
Record buyers are another thing. I think that has a lot to do with awareness. Do people know you’re there? When you mention Little Feat to someone, the reaction is either, “Who?” or “Wow! They’re one of my favorite bands.” We’ve always been the secret surfing spot. As such, those in the know are either apt to want to share us with others or keep us under wraps. Fans can be quite protective. I’d say that being under the radar has helped give us a longer career. It’s also provided us with more freedom as artists in what we write. What we play onstage is another story. We play songs we think people want to hear: “Dixie Chicken,” “Willin’,” “Oh Atlanta,” “Spanish Moon” and many others. We’re not any different than other artists in that regard. Phish, the Dead and others, though, go to extraordinary lengths to play everything. I like that approach, too, But it involves a massive amount of work and rehearsals to make it happen.
Little Feat weathered the sort of adversity that’s snuffed out countless other bands. What’s the primary fuel that’s kept Little Feat—more or less—going for more than a half-century?
A strong sense of legacy helps. Selfishly, I’ve wanted the band to continue as long as it could because there isn’t another band I could possibly play with that would allow me to write or play the songs I have in the Little Feat catalog. You have to have a firm grasp of reality to have a career like ours. Are your expectations realistic? How is the business side setup? Do you have good managers that can open doors? Who’s your audience? All those questions demand answers. It takes teamwork on just about every level to make a successful run. When the tough times take over, I’ve made it a point to keep a lower profile, to reflect, and to make plans for the next go around. It’s not easy, nor should it be. I’m writing a memoir, Carnival Ghosts, that addresses your question in more detail.
I recently finished Willin’, the 2013 Little Feat biography by Ben Fong-Torres. And while there were parts I really liked, it left me feeling a little unsatisfied. I know you’re working on that memoir as we speak. What would it take to write the definitive Little Feat biography—one that does justice to all the distinct eras of the group? Can it be done?Another great question. My memoir isn’t going to cover every aspect of Little Feat’s career—my voice is one of many. Sam Clayton’s perspective, in many cases, would be different than mine. I won’t say that the definitive biography can’t be written, but it would be very difficult. Every person in the band—past and present—would make a great story. I’d read Fred Tackett’s book, if he were to write one.
See Little Feat live.
