Bill Payne of Little Feat The New Album Strike Up The Band Has Lit Up Fans Of Music

Pioneering Southern rock troubadours Little Feat have announced the May 9 release of their forthcoming studio LP, Strike Up The Band. As a preview of the set, the band has shared their initial single, "Too High To Cut My Hair," and the official music video, featuring the theatrics of Lily Winwood playing the role of stoned hairdresser to each member of the band that visits her.
"Too High To Cut My Hair," presents the ensemble's funk capability with the siphoned blues-fueled cadence of Sam Clayton's classic low C to create a roaring introduction to the band's latest project. The track was written by longtime member, Fred Tackett, who had a large part in crafting lines and lyrics across the album. "Fred Tackett shines all over this record, as he always does, but in particular in his writing," bandleader Bill Payne reaffirmed. Payne explains the backstory behind the single via press release: "'Too High To Cut My Hair' is based on a true story where [Tackett] and his wife Patricia were in a hotel room in New Orleans. Fred had asked for a trim, but decided that she was too high to cut his hair. And then he thought, 'oh my god, what a title!'"He continues, "People love the humor in our records, a cherished entree to those when they find it. So I'm happy this song displays that humor, and in full. It's also got the classic Sam Clayton doing his, three octaves below middle C voice in there - Too High To Cut My Hair! Everyone that has heard it has said, 'That's a Little Feat song,' and I know what they mean!"
Little Feat sprinkles the collective wisdom of a 56-year-old band across the 13-track record, granting listeners access to their collective prowess and sonic dexterity on songs like "Bluegrass Pines (Ft. Molly Tuttle, Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams), ""4 Days Of Heaven, 3 Days Of Work," "Shipwrecks" and "Midnight Flight." "'Strike Up The Band' really began in the winter of 2019 when I was subbing for Paul Barrere, and he passed away on the day of that first show," says Scott Sharrard, "Continuing through the pandemic shut down (and a lot of practicing and songwriting during that time), to our return to the road in 2021. Then on to our recording field trip to Memphis that resulted in the Grammy Nominated blues album of classic blues covers 'Sam's Place.' That one gave us all the chance to tighten up as a band and re-visit the Rosetta Stone of rock and roll, the blues. We have paid a lot of dues to get here, and all roads have led us to this new album." "When discussing the album with the band and where it sits in our canon," Payne adds. "Our predecessor to this record in my mind was 'Let It Roll.' We are in a similar position to introduce Little Feat once again with this new collection of songs. It is my feeling that, from what we had been playing over the last few years, there's no question the overwhelming majority of fans would accept the album for what it is: an unmistakable iteration of Little Feat that highlights, with great songs and musicianship, the very best of an ongoing legacy, expressly evoking and expanding upon what people think of when they hear Little Feat."


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