Bluest Tape

After a 6-month hiatus, hosts Harvey Couch and Jeff Kollath return with a packed episode covering Widespread Panic's western tour, a Goose show in Birmingham, and Harvey's surprise announcement: he's running for Midway, Kentucky city council. Nick Johnson's Breakthrough: Jeff declares Nick Johnson his 2nd favorite guitarist in band history (behind George McConnell) after the Red Rocks run. Both ho...

In episode 144, hosts Harvey Couch and Jeff Kollath recap Widespread Panic's three-night New Year's run at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta (December 29-31, 2024) while addressing news that broke after recording: Jimmy Herring's health issues and Nick Johnson stepping in as guitarist. Important Prelude: Episode recorded January 6th, before Thursday's announcement about Jimmy being unable to tour. Nick J...

This week,  The Bluest Tape  takes a trip through the looking glass — and down the rabbit hole — for a Halloween recap that’s as musically rich as it is delightfully strange. Harvey and Jeff reconnect fresh off a Memphis weekend for Jeff’s son’s bar mitzvah (with a party at  Dr. Nick’s House , no less — yes,  that  Dr. Nick, Elvis’s doctor!) before diving headfirst into th...

Welcome back to  The Bluest Tape ! Fall energy is officially here — crisp nights, cozy vibes, and plenty of Panic talk to warm the soul. This week, Harvey and Jeff kick things off by recapping the latest runs, setlists, and seasonal show anticipation before diving back into our conversation with author and longtime jam-scene journalist  Mike Ayers , discussing his book  Sharing the...

Episode 141 – Mempho Magic, Panic in the Garden, and Our Youngest Correspondent Yet Welcome back to  The Bluest Tape ! Harvey and Jeff reconnect in person for a full weekend of sunshine, vinyl, and jams at the  2025 Mempho Music Festival  in Memphis. It’s three days of good vibes, great music, and plenty of Widespread Panic talk — naturally. The guys recap the whole weekend, from pl...

"The Bluest Tape #140: Sharing in the Groove with Mike Ayers - Part One" In episode 140 of The Bluest Tape, hosts Harvey Couch and Jeff Kollath sit down with author Mike Ayers to discuss his new book "Sharing in the Groove," which chronicles the jam band scene from the mid-1980s through 1999. This is part one of a two-part interview. Topics Discussed: Harvey's upcoming Goose shows at the Palace in...

In episode 139 of The Bluest Tape, hosts Harvey Couch and Jeff Kollath welcome back friend of the pod Sam Holt for a deep dive into the legendary Summer 1995 tour, complete with a snake draft of their favorite shows and Sam shares some insider stories from crew member Chris Rabold. Topics Discussed: Sam's recent tour with JoJo Hermann in Colorado (Winter Park and Denver at Ophelia's) with full ban...

Recording on July 7th, 2025, hosts Harvey Couch and Jeff Kollath cover Harvey's emotional Red Rocks experience, updates on the post-Panicstream landscape, and their continued exploration of the evolving jam band scene. Topics Discussed: Jeff's recent Wisconsin trip and encounter with friend of the pod Marq Spusta Jeff's review of Eggy at Overton Park Shell in Memphis - comparing them to "5/8ths sp...

In this early summer edition of The Bluest Tape, hosts Harvey Couch and Jeff Kollath discuss their recent Goose experiences, address significant news in the Widespread Panic community, and share insights about the evolving jam band scene. Topics Discussed: Summer camp activities for the kids and Harvey's upcoming Red Rocks trip (Sunday show - their 75th performance at the venue) Major news about P...

Show Notes In episode 136 of The Bluest Tape, hosts Harvey Couch and Jeff Kollath discuss summer activities, recap Widespread Panic's recent Chicago shows, and share a detailed interview with legendary taper Charles Fox recorded several weeks prior. Topics Discussed: Summer plans including family camps and upcoming Goose shows in Indianapolis and St. Louis Detailed recap of Widespread Panic's thre...

In episode 135 of The Bluest Tape, hosts Harvey Couch and Jeff Kollath catch up on recent Widespread Panic performances, share their revelation about audience tapes, and host a special segment with Mike McClure (IG @guesstheyearshow) from the "Guess the Year" podcast. Topics Discussed: Recent Widespread Panic shows at Ascend Amphitheater in Nashville, featuring guest appearances by Daniel Donato a...

In episode 134 of The Bluest Tape, hosts Harvey Couch and Jeff Kolath welcome a special guest with deep connections to Widespread Panic history - mandolin player Matt Mundy, formerly of the Aquarium Rescue Unit and the musician who played on Panic's "Pickin' Up The Pieces." Topics Discussed: Matt's musical journey from his bluegrass upbringing to joining Colonel Bruce Hampton's Aquarium Rescue Uni...

On episode 133 of The Bluest Tape, hosts Harvey Couch and Jeff Kollath catch up on recent Widespread Panic shows in St. Augustine before welcoming special guest Mitchell Davis, member of the Widespread Panic preservation band 54 Bicycles and founder of the Million Memory Project. Topics Discussed: Highlights from Widespread Panic's recent St. Augustine run, including standout openers and encore pe...

In episode 132 of The Bluest Tape, hosts Harvey Couch, Jeff Kolath, and guest Sam Holt catch up on recent adventures, share stories from the road, and dive into music memories, wrestling nostalgia, and March Madness predictions. Topics Discussed: Jeff recaps his experience at the "In Memory of Dickie Betts" show at Macon City Auditorium Sam Holt shares updates on upcoming shows in Asheville (March...

In this episode, recorded in late February 2024, Harvey and Jeff catch up after Widespread Panic's return to the stage in Atlantic City. Topics include: Brief highlights from the three-night Atlantic City run, including notable songs and special guests Jason Crosby on fiddle and John Keane on guitar/pedal steel Discussion of the recently announced 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees, includ...

This week, Jeff and Harvey welcome author and music historian Dr. Bob Beatty to discuss his book "Play All Night: Duane Allman and the Journey to Fillmore East" and explore the legacy of the Allman Brothers Band. Key discussion topics include: • The historical significance of At Fillmore East and the high stakes surrounding its recording • The concept of the Allman Brothers as "The People's B...

Jeff and Harvey return for their second episode of 2024 to conduct their long-awaited Spring 1995 Widespread Panic tour draft. Before the draft, they catch up on: Discussion of Harvey's recent duck and deer hunting adventures Preview of next week's guest, Dr. Bob Beatty, author of "Play All Night: Duane Allman and the Journey to Fillmore East" Recent recommendations including Goose's new music vid...

After a brief hiatus, Jeff and Harvey return to The Bluest Tape to catch up and look ahead to some exciting content. The duo discusses: Personal updates including Jeff's new role at the Sultana Disaster Museum and his new dog Maggie A comprehensive look at Widespread Panic's Spring 1995 tour, including: Notable openers like Jackopierce, From Good Homes, and Soul Hat Major song debuts including "Sl...

Harvey is joined by Sam Holt and we discuss his upcoming Remembering Mikey shows and he also shares an unheard demo of a Mike Houser original song "Without You." He also plays some classic tracks from the 2012 We Miss You Mikey show at the Georgia Theatre, featuring the Romper Stompers with Danny Hutchens and Todd Nance and Outformation featuring John Bell. And then we top it off with an uncircula...

It's been awhile, but we're back with a welfare check. Harvey's seen a bunch of shows this summer (including Panic at Red Rocks) and he's on the verge of going on Goose tour. Jeff is lucky enough to have Panic play in his back yard every year in Memphis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the 125th episode of the Bluest Tape, Sam Holt joins the show to discuss his recent shows with JoJo Hermann as well as upcoming Sam Holt Band shows. We discuss some repair work he has done recently on some DAT masters and listen to a previously unheard version of 12/30/91. And then finally, we discuss New Years' Eve shows of the past and then finish up with a great Chris Rabold version of Tallb...

Harvey is joined by friend of the show Sam Holt, who updates us on his recent tour out west with Jojo and some upcoming Remembering Mikey shows. Then they play everyone's favorite podcast game, Guess the Year. Honoring the work of the OG Guess the Year Grateful Dead podcast. Harvey asks Sam to guess the year of some great Panic passages of the past. And then finally, Sam plays some great unrelease...

We check in with friend of the podcast, Sam Holt, as he and his friends get ready to hit the road for a short tour through the southeast. We talk about that, fall 2000, and of course, Mikey and Todd. https://www.samholtband.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are joined by brothers Geoff and Christopher Hanson, the guys behind 2002's The Earth Will Swallow You, a documentary that follows Widespread Panic in 2000 and looks at a band at their zenith. Be sure to check out The Earth Will Swallow You on Nugs on Saturday January 21st at 8pm. And check out www. ScrappleMercantile.com for more from the Hansons. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mor...

In this episode, Harvey is joined by Sam Holt, longtime Widespread Panic fan and former guitar tech and band member, to discuss the 20th anniversary of Michael Houser's passing and Sam's post-Panic shows in Atlanta. Sam pulled out two old soundboard tapes and some of each are included here: 11/8/00 - Hult Center, Eugene, OR Disco > Ride Me High > No Sugar Tonight 11/29/00 - Assembly Hall, Ch...