The Ringers are a new band made up of Widespread Panic’s Jimmy Herring, jazzman Wayne Krantz, guitarist Michael Landau, drummer Keith Carlock and bassist Eteinne Mbappe.
A founding member of the Aquarium Rescue Unit, Project Z and Jazz Is Dead, Herring has played with The Allman Brothers Band, The Dead, Phil Lesh & Friends, Bela Fleck and others throughout the years. He released his second solo album, Subject To Change Without Notice, in August.
Not only has music vet Krantz played with folks such as Steely Dan and Randy Brecker but the jazz fusion guitarist wrote the book on improvisation, 2004’s “An Improviser’s OS.” His latest album, Howie 61, was released in April.
Landau’s credits are equally impressive, having played with people ranging from Joni Mitchell to Michael Jackson as well as James Taylor, Steve Perry, Pink Floyd, Seal, Richard Marx and the late-great Miles Davis. Landau also fronted several bands, including Raging Honkies and Burning Water.
Carlock’s resume and includes Steely Dan as a group as well as Donald Fagen and Walter Becker plus artists such as Diana Ross, Faith Hill, James Taylor, Chris Botti, Paula Abdul, Rascal Flatts and more.
Mbappe has played Zawinul Syndicate and also played in the 1980s band Ultramarine and worked with Ray Charles on the R&B legend’s last album. These days Mbappe plays in John McLaughlin’s 4th Dimension.
The Ringers’ debut run is scheduled for February and includes stops in Georgia, North Carolina, New York and Washington, D.C. Here’s the routing:
Feb. 19 – Athens, Ga., Georgia Theatre
Feb. 20 – Charlotte, N.C., Neighborhood Theatre
Feb. 21 – Raleigh, N.C., Lincoln Theatre
Feb. 22 – New York, N.Y., B.B. King Blues Club
Feb. 23 – Washington, D.C., The Howard Theatre
Source Pollstar
