Interview with Little Feat's Bill Payne

I had a chat with Bill Payne, leader of the rock band Little Feat, ahead of their new album and tour. Their new album, Strike Up The Band, will be released on May 9, 2025. Their upcoming tour begins on May 5th in Vermont and ends on October 26th in New Jersey.

Photo courtesy of Fletcher Moore.

Is there anything you guys are looking forward to while being on tour?

Bill: Believe it or not, we still enjoy each other’s company. This includes the band and everyone on our crew. It’s a great collection of people who day in and day out are going after the same goal to present the best show possible. Lots of shared interests, as well: sports, finding great places to eat, to name a few. Just great camaraderie.

Do you guys have essentials you’ll be bringing with you on tour?

Bill: Great question! Essentials can cover a wide area, but I’ll reduce it to this: Food on the bus! Our road manager and guru, Vid Sutherland, and our lovely assistant, Michele Cochrane, both make sure the bus is well stocked. It adds a level of comfort to traveling that is really important.

Is there a venue or city you are excited to perform in?

Bill: We all wear in-ears for performing so the venues and the acoustics are not as important a consideration to the question as it was years ago. The people who attend matter. Many of them we’ve known for years. Always good to catch up with folks. We have a good following throughout these days that is bringing in new fans. Trying to choose a city is difficult, as well. That said, I’m personally fond of the Santa Barbara Bowl. We recently played a concert there with Tedeschi Trucks Band. Susan and Derek are friends of ours. I grew up in the area north (Santa Maria) and south (Ventura) of Santa Barbara. Lots of great memories. We added another one the night we played.

Are there any songs from the album that you all are excited to perform on tour? 

Bill: Every song on Strike Up the Band is under consideration to play. Out of the thirteen songs on the record, we will probably narrow it down to nine or so. On any tour, songs evolve as the band plays them. I’m looking forward to “New Orleans Cries When She Sings.” Vince Herman from Leftover Salmon and I wrote it. Another song I think will resonate is “Bluegrass Pines,” I wrote with Robert Hunter. “Too High to Cut My Hair” is a fun song to play. Scott and Fred Tackett put that song together. Again, every song that is on the album is worth playing or they wouldn’t have made the record.

How did you come up with the title for the album, “Strike Up The Band”? 

Bill: The title and song came from Scott Sharrard. He wrote it to convey bringing people back together after the pandemic. It also serves as a metaphor to Little Feat coming back as a band with a new line up.

What was the creative process like for the album cover?

Bill: Our resident artists and longtime friends Dick and Linda Bangham of Rip Bang Pictures conferred with Brian, Scott and me on a direction. A field drum was mentioned. The Sailin’ Shoe, one of our major logos, was brought in. Dick showed us several versions, and we chose one after going back and forth with some of the design details. Colors are important. Looking for an image that pops! Mission accomplished.

What was the writing process like for this album?

Bill: I went to NYC to write with Scott Sharrard and Tony Leone. We came up with “4 Days of Heaven, 3 Days of Work.” We worked on a few songs while I was there. Fred and Scott wrote “Too High to Cut My Hair.” Tony contributed a cool song, “Running Out of Time with the Blues.” I went outside of the band to write with Charlie Starr from Blackberry Smoke a song called “Bayou Moma.” I was also pleased to write “When Hearts Fall” with John Leventhal. And Vince Herman, whom I mentioned earlier.

How did you know when the album was done?

Bill: Strike Up the Band was unusual for us. We normally don’t write more songs than will go on the record. We had at least four or five songs that didn’t make the album this time. There wasn’t enough room. Narrowing down the selection to thirteen was not easy. I knew the album was done once we had whittled the list down. Well, that, and all of the overdubs were checked off the list!

Are there any songs you guys are excited for fans to hear?

Bill: It’s fair to say that Little Feat has an extensive catalog. My hope is not only to play the new songs from the album, but from our Blues album Sam’s Place, featuring Sam Clayton. Also, from time to time, we’ll play songs not written by Little Feat. Recently we played the John Hiatt song, “Slow Turning.” that took the roof off. That’s the direction we’re excited about, and I’m quite sure the fans will be, as well.