When guitarist Sam Holt and Widespread Panic percussionist Domingo “Sunny” Ortiz step on stage at Live Wire this Saturday for “Remembering Mikey and Todd,” it won’t just be another gig. For them Athens isn’t only home, it’s the heartbeat of the music that shaped their lives, careers and the community they continue to nurture.
As a longtime Widespread Panic fan and supporter of local music, I sat down with Holt and Ortiz last week to discuss their Athens roots, the evolving local music scene and the projects that keep them connected to the community.
Melissa Christensen: You both live in Athens. What’s your take on this town?
Sunny Ortiz: It’s a town with a beautiful connection—magical with heart, soul and fever. There’s always entertainment going in and out! Now that we have a hockey team [The Rock Lobsters], that brings in a whole different clientele. You’ve got football season coming up, and Athens is a big SEC college town, and then you’ve got all this music that’s now coming into Athens because everybody knows that Athens has a very powerful music scene. It is also a great kind of little hideaway town because you’re away from the traffic, from everything else that a major city might bring in, but yet, you still have the coziness of it being kind of down home. It’s just easy to get around for me in Athens compared to some of these major cities. So yeah, that’s the whole vibe that I dig about Athens.
Sam Holt: It’s this little beacon of freakdom in a predominantly conservative state. That dichotomy creates a lot of cool things. People here support each other—it’s less competitive and more encouraging.
MC: When you first came to Athens, what stood out about the music scene?
SO: Coming into Athens in the mid-’80s, the music scene already had bands like the B-52s and R.E.M. just knocking it out. And [Widespread Panic] was a whole different kind of style of music. So, you know the boys will tell you themselves, it was a struggle because a lot of venues that we played at in the early years wanted to hear songs by R.E.M and Guadalcanal Diary and Mercyland and the Bar-B-Q Killers. The boys wanted to find their own way. In fact, what interested me when I first sat in with the boys was how diverse of musicians they were. A lot of it sounded like forms of jazz. There was no real structure, but there was. You kind of did your own thing when it was your time. It took a while for people to latch on to that whole Panic scene, but timing is everything. And here we are, still doing it.
SH: I first came to Athens in 1990 to see Panic. My friend Clarke was at UGA and turned me on to them in late 1989. Coming to Athens was such an eye opening experience. I was young and discovering as much about myself as I was music. I got turned onto all kinds of music. I saw the bands Allgood, The Grapes and Col Bruce & The Aquarium Rescue Unit, all in the same orbit as Panic.
MC: You like to keep busy with projects outside of Panic. What’s happening for you locally right now?
SO: Right now, I’m working with Ben Reynolds from Chickasaw Mud Puppies, William Tonks and Rob Keller. We call ourselves the ‘Workhorses of the Entertainment Recreational Industry.’ We’ve played a few shows, including AthFest, but we’re working on a little album. Rob and Ben were gracious enough to allow me to play drums with them and be a part of this music scene, and I’m having a great time with it. I’m playing drums instead of hand percussion, so I’m really excited about that.
SH: Other than doing my own thing with Sam Holt Band, I have been playing with JoJo Hermann of Widespread Panic in some duo shows and with a full band. Cameron Williams, from the Athens band Tishamingo, and I play together as well. That’s always fun.
MC: Athens certainly has an impressive musical background. Which Athens musician, past or present, would you love the opportunity to jam with (or jam with again)?
SO: Bill Berry. Yeah, he’s an awesome guy, too. All those guys are so sweet. And David Barbe.
SH: Mikey Houser and Todd Nance. I’d also love to jam with Peter Buck or Mike Mills from R.E.M.
MC: Are there any local musicians who have caught your ear more recently?
SO: I love the stuff that Brian Howard does with The Heap. I have sat in [with them] a few times, but I don’t know if they’re still playing around town. Carlton Owens is an awesome drummer. I used to have a Santana cover band where I would have multiple musicians around the Athens area cover Santana songs and used [Carlton] as the drummer for that.
SH: We recently played with a band in Greenville called The Regulars, and I think they’re Athens guys. They’re young, really cool and interested in that Panic history. There’s also a band called Underground Springhouse out of Athens—a buddy of mine is playing drums with them. It’s cool to see that new generation digging in.
MC: Both of you have strong ties to Athens beyond just performing. What local projects are close to your heart?
SO: Years back, Dr. Arvin Scott at the University of Georgia had a program called Drumming for Success. There were after-school drum clinics for kids who had potential but didn’t always have the means. He was the spearhead of that, and I just came on board because I dug the whole concept. With support from the Georgia Theatre and local venues, we raised money to buy drums. If students brought up their grades, we’d present them with their own hand drum. It took a community—drummers would show up, venues would waive fees. It was a cool program I was proud to be part of.
SH: Nuçi’s Space is a wonderful program here in Athens that I’ve been involved with for a while. They have a program called The Mikey Houser Pre-Amped Music Program. The whole idea is to give 4th- and 5th-graders a chance to pick up instruments and learn in small groups with real musicians and educators. The goal is to spark that love of music early—something they can hold onto for the rest of their lives, and it’s keeping Mikey’s spirit alive for the next generation.
MC: What is your favorite place to eat in Athens?
SO: The Taco Stand. Always has been—a lot of great memories there. I’m gonna stick with them.
SH: I love the wings at Cali N Tito’s. But I always have to give a shout out to Jittery Joe’s Eastside. During the pandemic, it was the one place I could go every day and have some sense of normalcy. Thank you, Paul!
MC: Let’s pay some homage to the boys. What’s your favorite Widespread Panic song to play, and why?
SO: You know, I like ‘Fishing.’ There are so many, but ‘Fishing’ comes out. Of course, ‘Chilly Water,’ too. They all invoke fond memories of how they came about, just the whole vibe of going back to when we gave birth to them.
SH: I can’t definitively say I have one favorite. I really like to play ‘This Part of Town’ because the lyrics are so powerful and Mikey wrote it. I also like the instrumentals—‘B of D,’ ‘L.A.’ and ‘Galleon’—because they’re so unique. And I love playing ‘Action Man’ as an instrumental because it’s just so balls to the wall.
MC: Sam, you’ve played with Widespread Panic many times. Talk to us about the 2005/2006 tours where you played lead guitar? What sticks out from that time in your life?
SH: That was a crazy time, I was working full-time as Panic’s guitar tech and starting to play more and more with them. Then, as soon as that tour was over, my full time band, Outformation, would hit the road. I didn’t unpack my suitcase much for a few years. Playing with Panic was pretty special. It gave me a lot of confidence .
Let’s Get This Show On The Road
As the conversation winds down, one thing is clear—for Holt and Ortiz, Athens isn’t just where they live, it’s where the past still fuels their inspiration, collaboration and community. This weekend’s show at Live Wire coincides with Georgia’s home opener football game, an opportunity for UGA’s newest students to experience the rich history of Athens and celebrate what the town has become: A place where music is still very much alive.
WHO: “Remembering Mikey & Todd” with Sam Holt Band
WHEN: Saturday, Aug. 30, 7 p.m. (doors)
WHERE: Live Wire Athens
HOW MUCH: $20 (adv.), $25
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