Michael Houser
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Michael Houser (January 6, 1962 – August 10, 2002) was a founding member and
lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...
ist of the band
Widespread Panic Widespread Panic is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Duane Trucks, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJo" Hermann, and guit ...
. He appeared on seven studio albums during his 16-year tenure with the band from 1986 till 2002. He is also featured on 4 live albums by Widespread Panic as well as several archive releases, live video concerts and compilations. Two solo albums by Houser were released posthumously.


Musical career

Michael "Mikey" Houser was born in Boone,
North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
. He graduated from
Hixson High School Hixson High School is a public high school in the Hamilton County Schools system located in the Chattanooga, Tennessee, suburb of Hixson, with grades 9–12. History Hixson High School was founded in 1909. Its current site opened in 1966. It h ...
in
Chattanooga Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...
,
Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
, and became a founding member of Widespread Panic in 1986 while attending the
University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...
with John Bell. Michael's adolescent nickname was "Panic" due to his then frequent panic attacks, and this moniker later became the inspiration for the band's name. Widespread Panic's large rhythm section, and John Bell's virtuosity as a rhythm guitarist, allowed Michael to pursue an atmospheric lead guitar style that often lingered behind the primary melodies. His predominant use of the volume pedal caused him to spend most of his performance time balanced on one leg, this would eventually lead to circulation problems causing his left leg to become numb. In 1996, during an acoustic tour known as the "Sit and Ski" tour, he was reminded of how much more comfortable and accurate his playing was while he was seated. Subsequently, Houser returned to playing all shows seated in 1997. His playing style used a volume pedal for sonic effect, rather than just for volume control. Widespread Panic always shared writing credits for all of their songs during the Houser era, but he wrote many of the band's standards, including "Pleas," "Porch Song," "Airplane," "Ain't Life Grand," "The Waker," "Impossible," "Pilgrims," "You Got Yours," "This Part of Town," "Vacation," "Postcard," and others. Diagnosed with
pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of t ...
in the spring of 2002, he died on August 10 of that year, in
Athens, Georgia Athens, officially Athens–Clarke County, is a consolidated city-county and college town in the U.S. state of Georgia. Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta, and is a satellite city of the capital. The University of Georgia, the sta ...
, at the age of 40. A solo album of his instrumentals entitled '' Door Harp'' was released after his death, and was followed by '' Sandbox'' in 2006. He is survived by his wife Barbette and two children, Waker and Eva. Widespread Panic has continued to tour and record after Houser's passing as was his wish.


Equipment

Houser played a discontinued Fender Telecaster Deluxe Plus. This guitar is a
Telecaster The Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele , is an electric guitar produced by Fender. Together with its sister model the Esquire, it is the world's first mass-produced, commercially successful Les Paul had built a prototype solid bod ...
body with
Stratocaster The Fender Stratocaster, colloquially known as the Strat, is a model of electric guitar designed from 1952 into 1954 by Leo Fender, Bill Carson, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares. The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation has continuously ...
hardware. Houser purchased his first Telecaster Deluxe Plus second hand in 1991. A guitar lasted him about five years, needing to be replaced "'cause esweated into
hem A hem in sewing is a garment finishing method, where the edge of a piece of cloth is folded and sewn to prevent unravelling of the fabric and to adjust the length of the piece in garments, such as at the end of the sleeve or the bottom of the ga ...
so much". Fender made two custom-remake replacements with his preferred discontinued ''Firestorm'' finish. Houser claimed of the three guitars, "they're as close as modern science can get" These guitars had Lace Sensor pickups (a Blue at the neck, and a dual Red at the bridge with a mini switch to split them), a Strat-style
tremolo In music, ''tremolo'' (), or ''tremolando'' (), is a trembling effect. There are two types of tremolo. The first is a rapid reiteration: * Of a single Musical note, note, particularly used on String instrument#Bowing, bowed string instrument ...
behind the metal place surrounding the bridge pickups, and a roller nut. Houser didn’t like to use a
whammy bar A vibrato system on a guitar is a mechanical device used to temporarily change the pitch of the strings. Instruments without a vibrato have other bridge and tailpiece systems. They add vibrato to the sound by changing the tension of the stri ...
, preferring to pull up on the tail of the bridge instead. The mini switch is in between the volume and tone pots. This allows for a wider array of tones than a standard Telecaster. On most Telecasters, you can choose neck, bridge, or both pickups simultaneously. With the dual Reds in the bridge being splittable, you can choose neck, bridge dual, bridge single, or combinations of neck and dual bridge as well as neck and single bridge. Houser's signature sound was also due to his use of Soldano SLO-100 Super Lead Overdrive Heads through a
Mesa Boogie Mesa/Boogie (also known as Mesa Engineering) is an American company in Petaluma, California, that manufactures amplifiers and other accessories for guitars and basses. It has been in operation since 1969. Mesa was started by Randall Smith as a ...
Quarterback 2x12 Cabinet. He played Medium Gauge D'Addario Strings. His effects included the Soldano Surf Box Spring Reverb / Tremolo / Vibrato unit, a Boss GE-7 Equalizer, the Ernie Ball 6166 Mono Volume Pedal, a
TC Electronic TC Electronic (sometimes stylized as t.c. electronic) is a Danish audio equipment company that designs and imports guitar effects, bass amplification, computer audio interfaces, audio plug-in software, live sound equalisers, studio and post-pr ...
TCF Chorus/Flanger and a Kendrick Model 1000 Tube Reverb.


Discography

Source:


Solo Studio Albums

* 2002 '' Door Harp'' -
Sanctuary Records Sanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label based in the United Kingdom and is as of 2013 a subsidiary of BMG Rights Management solely for reissues. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest m ...
* 2006 '' Sandbox'' - Supercat Records


Widespread Panic Studio Albums

* 1988 '' Space Wrangler'' - Landslide Records * 1991 ''
Widespread Panic Widespread Panic is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Duane Trucks, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJo" Hermann, and guit ...
'' -
Capricorn Records Capricorn Records was an independent record label founded by Phil Walden and Frank Fenter in 1969 in Macon, Georgia. Capricorn Records is often credited by music historians as creating the southern rock genre. History Label and studio foun ...
* 1993 ''
Everyday Everyday or Every Day may refer to: Books * ''Every Day'' (novel), by David Levithan, 2012 Film * ''Every Day'' (2010 film), an American comedy-drama starring Liev Schreiber and Helen Hunt * ''Everyday'' (film), a 2012 British drama direct ...
'' -
Capricorn Records Capricorn Records was an independent record label founded by Phil Walden and Frank Fenter in 1969 in Macon, Georgia. Capricorn Records is often credited by music historians as creating the southern rock genre. History Label and studio foun ...
* 1994 '' Ain't Life Grand'' -
Capricorn Records Capricorn Records was an independent record label founded by Phil Walden and Frank Fenter in 1969 in Macon, Georgia. Capricorn Records is often credited by music historians as creating the southern rock genre. History Label and studio foun ...
* 1997 '' Bombs & Butterflies'' -
Capricorn Records Capricorn Records was an independent record label founded by Phil Walden and Frank Fenter in 1969 in Macon, Georgia. Capricorn Records is often credited by music historians as creating the southern rock genre. History Label and studio foun ...
* 1999 '' 'Til the Medicine Takes'' -
Capricorn Records Capricorn Records was an independent record label founded by Phil Walden and Frank Fenter in 1969 in Macon, Georgia. Capricorn Records is often credited by music historians as creating the southern rock genre. History Label and studio foun ...
* 2001 '' Don't Tell the Band'' - Widespread Records


Widespread Panic Compilation Album

* 2007 '' Choice Cuts: The Capricorn Years 1991-1999'' -
Capricorn Records Capricorn Records was an independent record label founded by Phil Walden and Frank Fenter in 1969 in Macon, Georgia. Capricorn Records is often credited by music historians as creating the southern rock genre. History Label and studio foun ...


Widespread Panic Live Albums

* 1998 '' Light Fuse, Get Away'' -
Capricorn Records Capricorn Records was an independent record label founded by Phil Walden and Frank Fenter in 1969 in Macon, Georgia. Capricorn Records is often credited by music historians as creating the southern rock genre. History Label and studio foun ...
* 2002 '' Live in the Classic City'' - Widespread Records * 2004 '' Jackassolantern'' - Widespread Records * 2010 '' Live in the Classic City II'' - Widespread Records


Widespread Panic Archive Releases

* 2008 ''Carbondale 2000'' Recorded live at
Southern Illinois University Southern Illinois University is a system of public universities in the southern region of the U.S. state of Illinois. Its headquarters is in Carbondale, Illinois. Board of trustees The university is governed by the nine member SIU Board of Tr ...
Arena in
Carbondale, Illinois Carbondale is a city in Jackson and Williamson Counties, Illinois, United States, within the Southern Illinois region informally known as "Little Egypt". The city developed from 1853 because of the stimulation of railroad construction into the ...
on December 1, 2000 * 2009 '' Valdosta 1989'' Recorded live at The Armory in
Valdosta, Georgia Valdosta is a city in and the county seat of Lowndes County, Georgia, Lowndes County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. As of 2019, Valdosta had an estimated population of 56,457. Valdosta is the principal city of the Valdosta Metr ...
on April 8, 1989 * 2009 ''
Huntsville 1996 ''Huntsville 1996'' is a live album by Athens, Georgia's Widespread Panic. The three disc set is the third release from the Widespread Panic archives. The performance was recorded live at Von Braun Civic Center Arena in Huntsville, Alabama on Apr ...
'' Recorded live at Von Braun Civic Center Arena in
Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in t ...
on April 3, 1996 * 2009 '' Montreal 1997'' Recorded live at
Club Soda Club soda is a manufactured form of carbonated water, commonly used as a drink mixer. Sodium bicarbonate, potassium sulfate, potassium bicarbonate, potassium citrate, or sodium citrate is artificially added to replicate constituents commonly fo ...
in
Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pea ...
, Canada on September 6, 1997 * 2010 '' Johnson City 2001'' Recorded live at
Freedom Hall Freedom Hall is a multi-purpose arena in Louisville, Kentucky, on the grounds of the Kentucky Exposition Center, which is owned by the Commonwealth of Kentucky. It is best known for its use as a basketball arena, previously serving as the home ...
in Johnson City, TN on November 20, 2001 * 2011 ''
Colorado Springs 1998 Colorado Springs 1998 is a complete concert by Athens, Georgia's Widespread Panic on CD. The performance was recorded live at the City Auditorium Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado on October 20, 1998. The multi-track recordings featured all or ...
'' Recorded live at City Auditorium in
Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...
on October 20, 1998 * 2011 '' History Lesson New Years 1997'' Recorded live at
Fox Theater Fox Theatre or Fox Theater or Fox Theater Building may refer to: U.S. * Fox Tucson Theatre (Tucson, Arizona) *Fox Theater (Bakersfield, California) * Fox Theatre (Fullerton, California) * Fox Theater, Westwood Village (Los Angeles, California) * Fo ...
in
Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
on December 31, 1997 * 2013 '' Oak Mountain 2001 - Night 1'' Recorded live at
Oak Mountain Amphitheatre Oak Mountain Amphitheatre, formerly known as the Verizon Wireless Music Center, is an outdoor amphitheater, owned by Live Nation, located in Pelham, Alabama, USA, a few miles south of Birmingham. It is the largest outdoor music venue in Alabama. ...
in Pelham, Alabama on July 27, 2001


Widespread Panic "Porch Songs" Releases

* 2009 ''Mud Island '97'' Recorded live at
Mud Island Amphitheater Mud Island Amphitheater is a 5,000-seat concrete outdoor amphitheater located on Mud Island, a peninsula in Memphis, Tennessee. The structure has been used for concerts and shows since it was built in 1982. A few artists that have performed at Mud I ...
Arena in
Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...
on July 18 & 19, 1997 * 2010 ''June 2001 Santa Fe'' Recorded live at
Paolo Soleri Paolo Soleri (21 June 1919 – 9 April 2013) was an Italian-born American architect. He established the educational Cosanti Foundation and Arcosanti. Soleri was a lecturer in the College of Architecture at Arizona State University and a National ...
,
Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , Spanish for 'Holy Faith'; tew, Oghá P'o'oge, Tewa for 'white shell water place'; tiw, Hulp'ó'ona, label=Tiwa language, Northern Tiwa; nv, Yootó, Navajo for 'bead + water place') is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. ...
June 19 & 20, 2001 * 2010 '' Wilmington, DE 2001'' Recorded live at Kahuna Summer Stage in
Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington ( Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...
on July 22, 2001 * 2010 '' Milwaukee, WI 1996'' Recorded live at Modjeska Theatre in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...
on November 1, 1996 * 2010 ''Chicago, IL 1996'' Recorded live at the Aragon Ballroom in
Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
on October 31, 1996 * 2010 ''Morrison, CO 1996'' Recorded live at
Red Rocks Amphitheatre Red Rocks Amphitheatre (also colloquially as simply Red Rocks) is an open-air amphitheatre built into a rock structure in the Western United States, western United States, near Morrison, Colorado, west of Denver. There is a large, tilted, flyi ...
in
Morrison, Colorado The Town of Morrison is a Colorado municipalities#Home rule municipality, home rule municipality in Jefferson County, Colorado, Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. The population was 428 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. Red R ...
on May 31, 1996 * 2011 '' Jackson, WY '96'' Recorded live at Snow King Center Arena in Jackson, WY on February 6 & 7, 1996 * 2011 '' Geneva, MN 2001'' Recorded live at Harmony Park Music Garden in Geneva, Minnesota on July 4, 2001 * 2012 ''Omaha, NE 1997'' Recorded live at Ranch Bowl in
Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...
on July 1, 1997


brute Studio albums

* 1995 '' Nine High a Pallet'' –
Capricorn Records Capricorn Records was an independent record label founded by Phil Walden and Frank Fenter in 1969 in Macon, Georgia. Capricorn Records is often credited by music historians as creating the southern rock genre. History Label and studio foun ...
* 2002 '' Co-Balt'' – Widespread Records


with John Hermann

* 2001 ''
Smiling Assassin ''Smiling Assassin'' is the debut solo album by Widespread Panic keyboardist John Hermann, released in 2001. Other members of Widespread Panic as well as members of the North Mississippi All Stars and Blue Mountain also perform on the album. T ...
'' –
Fat Possum Records Fat Possum Records is an American independent record label based in Water Valley and Oxford, Mississippi. At first Fat Possum focused almost entirely on recording previously unknown Mississippi blues artists (typically from Oxford or Holly Sprin ...


with Jerry Joseph & The Jackmormons

* 2002 ''Conscious Contact'' - Terminus Records


with Bloodkin

* 1994 ''Good Luck Charm'' – Backdoor Records * 1999 ''Out Of State Plates'' - Pretty Mean Records


Compilation albums

* 1992 ''The Mother Of All Flagpole Christmas Albums'' - with
Widespread Panic Widespread Panic is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Duane Trucks, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJo" Hermann, and guit ...
- Long Play Records * 1993 ''The Best of Mountain Stage Live, Vol. 5'' - with
Widespread Panic Widespread Panic is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Duane Trucks, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJo" Hermann, and guit ...
- Blue Plate Records * 1994 ''Better Than A Poke In The Eye'' - with
Widespread Panic Widespread Panic is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Duane Trucks, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJo" Hermann, and guit ...
- Long Play Records * 1995 '' Hempilation: Freedom Is NORML'' - with
Widespread Panic Widespread Panic is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Duane Trucks, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJo" Hermann, and guit ...
-
Capricorn Records Capricorn Records was an independent record label founded by Phil Walden and Frank Fenter in 1969 in Macon, Georgia. Capricorn Records is often credited by music historians as creating the southern rock genre. History Label and studio foun ...
* 1996 ''Five Ring Circus'' - with brute. - Flip Records * 1997 ''To the Extreme'' - with
Widespread Panic Widespread Panic is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Duane Trucks, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJo" Hermann, and guit ...
- American Recordings * 2002 '' Crowd Around The Mic Vol. 6'' - with brute. - WNCW Records * 2002 ''Live From
Bonnaroo The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is an American annual four-day music festival developed and founded by Superfly Presents and AC Entertainment. Since its first year in 2002, it has been held at what is now Great Stage Park on a farm in M ...
'' - with
Widespread Panic Widespread Panic is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Duane Trucks, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJo" Hermann, and guit ...
-
Sanctuary Records Sanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label based in the United Kingdom and is as of 2013 a subsidiary of BMG Rights Management solely for reissues. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest m ...
* 2003 ''Carved In Stone'' - with
Widespread Panic Widespread Panic is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Duane Trucks, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJo" Hermann, and guit ...
- Harvest Media Group


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Houser, Michael 1962 births 2002 deaths American rock guitarists American male guitarists Widespread Panic members Deaths from pancreatic cancer University of Georgia alumni People from Boone, North Carolina People from Chattanooga, Tennessee 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians Brute (band) members