Widespread Panic has just launched its new Porch Songs archival release series. Porch Songs will debut with Panic’s two night run at the Mud Island Amphitheater in Memphis, Tennessee from July 18 and 19, 1997. Archivist Horace Moore shares the reasoning behind this selection as well as the details regarding the future of the series, at his archivist’s blog. Here he writes, “Why these two shows you might ask? Well, these performances are somewhat of an intersection of what I think both you and I have been looking for…. multi-night runs, soundboards released along with the WP Archive Multi-Track issues, and being able to fulfill some specific show requests. Porch Songs obviously gives us the platform to deliver on those angles…and do so more frequently. I felt that these two from Mud Island made the mark….a two-night run in a killer venue, a great collection of guest artists and a second set performance on 7/19 that was voted the best of 1997 by Honest Tune magazine back in the day. I certainly received many emails…even some from a few close friends…commenting on these shows and how they deserved some attention. So, a great starting point for Porch Songs …and certainly a basis for future comparisons. Next up? Well, I promised I’d head to the 1998-2002 era, so let’s go!”