In music, words and images, Payne strikes a cord

Bill Payne will be at ROH on Oct. 31 (Courtesy photo)

At 64, Little Feat co-founder Bill Payne says he is feeling more creative than he ever has.

And he’s putting that creativity to good use, not only in his music, but also in his other passions: writing and photography.

Payne, considered by many rock ‘n’ roll luminaries to be one of the best blues and rock pianists of our time, will perform with renowned New Hampshire band Truffle at the Rochester Opera House on Thursday at 8 p.m.

Little Feat and Payne have transitioned through different musical styles over the decades since the band was formed in 1969, but Payne said expect pure bayou blues on Thursday.

Payne, who spoke in an exclusive interview with The Lebanon Voice on Monday, said Thursday’s songlist will evoke a classic New Orleans vibe, with drummer Gabe Ford of the current Little Feat performing with him and Truffle.
Opening the show will be the Hot Tamales Brass Band, a high-energy New Orleans and Dixieland band from Boston.

Payne said after the Hot Tamales played, he, Ford and Truffle would play a number with their opening act, then play their own set before being rejoined by the Hot Tamales for the finale.

“Basically, there will be people floating in an out,” he joked Monday night.

Payne has toured and recorded with artists like Pink Floyd, the Doobie Brothers, Bryan Adams, Jackson Browne, Stevie Nicks, Robert Palmer, James Taylor, Bonnie Raitt and Bob Seeger.

A music fusion artist of the highest order, he has fused his own creative outlets in recent years, spending more and more time writing and pursuing the art of photography around his home in the stark wilds of Montana.

A photograph by Bill Payne titled, "Illumination," taken in Montana.

He writing is hauntingly emotional and stark as well, including a tenderly worded homage to former Little Feat drummer Richie Hayward, who died in 2010.

Lowell George, who co-founded Little Feat, died in 1979.

Little Feat’s popularity, meanwhile, continues to endure. The band’s next gig is March 5 in Jamaica.

For more on Little Feat, check out http://littlefeat.net.

Payne’s writing, music and photography can all be enjoyed on his website at http://billpaynecreative.com.

While Payne’s music, writing and photography are all inspiring, he admits he was inspired early on by the likes of The Band, Leon Russell and Dylan.

He said an overriding concept of Little Feat and its, and his, music is the construction of complex arrangements that are perceived by many as simple ditties.

“But they’re not,” he said. They are, in fact, very complex.”

The show on Thursday at The Rochester Opera House begins at 8 p.m., with doors open at 7 p.m.