Richie Hayward
Recreational Rockin'

Enjoying a few days off after a six-month tour with Little Feat, Richie Hayward was pleased - and a bit surprised'to talk about Endangered Species, a recent band project with Allman Brothers/Phil Lesh guitarist Jimmy Herring, Dixie Dregs/Jazz Is Dead keyboardist T Lavitz, and Little Feat bassist Kenny Gradney. "We didn't have any commercial intentions for this band," Hayward admits. "We just wanted to get together and make some music we liked; it was just about playing. Honestly, I expected it to kind of fall between the cracks and never be heard. It's nice that people might actually be hearing it."

Due to the players' commitments to their respective steady gigs, the band's self-titled debut album was written, recorded, and mixed in just nine days. On Tone Center Records, an imprint of Shrapnel, Endangered Species' nine inspired tracks bear unmistakable Dregs and Allman compositional markings, as well as some strong, freewheeling grooves by Hayward. "The material is all instrumental, and not so "Song-ish" as some of the stuff I do. So it gave me a little more latitude to express myself," Richie says. "The feel and the space between the instruments was just lovely. That was its allure. Also, they're such great players."

Although Richie's professional plans continue to revolve around Little Feat, he hopes that Endangered Species isn't a one-time project. "There won't be a lot of road stuff, because all of us are busy in our bands," he explains. "But we'll probably do more records. Mike Varney at Shrapnel Records is real supportive, and the door is open to us to tour if we can all find the time."

Rich Watson

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