July 24, 2013

UPDATE: PHISH FALL TOUR 2013 ANNOUNCED

UPDATE: PHISH FALL TOUR 2013 ANNOUNCED

This just in ... Three night of Hampton bliss!

PHISH 2013 FALL TOUR DATES

10/18 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA
10/19 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA
10/20 Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, VA
10/22 Blue Cross Arena, Rochester, NY
10/23 Glens Falls Civic Center, Glens Falls NY
10/25 DCU Center, Worcester, MA
10/26 DCU Center, Worcester, MA
10/27 XL Center, Hartford, CT
10/29 Sovereign Center, Reading, PA
10/31 Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ
11/01 Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ
11/02 Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ


BLUE CROSS ARENA, ROCHESTER, NY, OCT. 22, 2013

Oops!

Looks like Ticketbastard got a little trigger happy and accidentally let it slip that Phish has a 2013 Fall Tour in the works. No big surprise here, since Dec. 3 marks the band's 30th anniversary. I'm also hearing some noise about Glens Falls and Atlantic City for Halloween.

Stay tuned.

May 9, 2013

Let's Talk About Phish ... Gorge '98 Video

"Let's talk about Phish" is the header for a Phish.net post by user telascomet calling for Phishheads everywhere to start some serious discussion, which is "the reason we're all here anyway."

Telascomet suggests the impetus behind creating his/her discussion topic, dated May 7, is because the Phish message boards are "clogged up with boring threads."

So, add your two cents, or kill some time checking out some of the responses.

VIDEO: THE GORGE 7-17-1998
I remember standing right in front of Mike when they walked out that day. They all looked like they were stoned to the bejesus, and Trey seems to confirm this when he drops "dank" as the Makisupa Policeman keyword.

Watch, and see if you can spot my head. I'm right .... there!

Phish.net has the definitive essay on the history and significance of the "keyword" in Makisupa Policeman. You gotta check it out, just 'cause someone took the time and effort to get it all down on "paper," and it's right on.

May 8, 2013

JEMP Records Announces "Phish: Ventura" Box Set

Phish's record label, JEMP Records (which stands for Jon, Ernest, Mike, Page, for the uninitiated), announced the release of "Phish:Ventura," a six-CD box set, including soundchecks, from the band's performances at the Ventura County Fairgrounds on 7/30/97 and 7/20/98.

You can see the entire track listing here.

Additionally, here is a sample track from "Phish: Ventura" ... a killer Bathtub Gin from the 7/20/98 show.

The box set ($36) currently is available for pre-order through Phish Dry Goods. Everyone who pre-orders "Phish:Ventura" also receives the bonus CD, "Buenaventura," featuring 10 tracks from Phish's March 21, 1993 show at the Ventura Theatre. The official public release date is set for June 18. Pre-orders ship June 14.

If you just can't wait that long, or if you haven't ever heard these gems of shows, here is a link to stream the entire 7/30/97 show via YouTube. 

Also, Hidden Track posted links to streaming versions of Bathtub Gin along with Stash and a blurb about the shows written by Phish Archivist Kevin Shapiro.


May 7, 2013

Videos Surface of Fishman and Page Performing this Past Weekend


JamBase.com is blessing Phish nation this week. Yesterday, we pointed out that Page McConnell played with the Meter Men at the New Orleans Jazz Festival over the weekend. Today, JamBase posted links to videos of Page playing with the Meter Men, but also included links to video of Jon Fishman sitting in with We're Bionic at The Radio Bean in Burlington, Vermont.

Check it out; it's all right here.

MEANWHILE
Our friends @YemBlog posted a video of Phish ripping Maze from 12/31/1997 at Madison Square Garden.  As YemBlog put it ... "Deliciously extended. See if you can find the 'Birdland' tease." It's the shit, kiddos. Arguably the best Maze ever. Play it loud and play it more than once.

GOT STICKERS?
And here is a fun thread over at Phish.net about Phish stickers and license plates. I think this Phish sticker is my favorite.

FAMOUS MOCKINGBIRD PINS RELEASED
To celebrate the upcoming release of the 3rd edition of The Phish Companion, if you're into it, Masthay Studios released a Famous Mockingbird pin for $15 a pop. "A generous portion of the proceeds" go to The Mockingbird Foundation. 

PHISH AND THE HALL OF FAME
Phinally, from Glide Magazine's Hidden Track there is updated footage of Phish inducting Genesis into the Rock'N'Roll Hall of Fame.

May 6, 2013

Latest Phish News from Around the Internets


BLUEGRASS SESSIONS RESURFACES
Jambase.com featured The Bluegrass Sessions, the nine-part never-commercially-released documentary filmed during Fall Tour 1994 by the Rev. Jeff Mosier, who Phish hired and brought on tour to give them bluegrass lessons.

The Wagger posted links to this video back in 2008, but you can also see the entire documentary, which is a great snapshot of what it was like to be on the road with Phish in 1994, by heading over to Jambase and following their links.

METER MEN REVIEW
Here's a review of the Meter Men show, featuring Page McConnell, from the New Orleans Jazz Fest over the weekend.

STATE OF MIND REVIEWS TREY ANASTASIO BAND
Here's a review of the Trey Anastasio Band show from the Crystak Ballroom here in Portland, Ore. This is the one show I attended on Treys's spring tour, mostly because it was about a mile from my house. I more or less agree with his review, which means I don't need to write one now!

 I've now seen the Trey Anastasio Band 23 times ... not sure how that happened but I'm glad it did!

May 3, 2013

New Trey Anastasio Band Videos, Free Mike Gordon Download


TREY ANASTASIO BAND VIDEOS
My Google alert for "Trey Anastasio" yielded five Couch Tour videos from the Trey Band's April 2013 tour. Check 'em out!

Pigtail from the Fox Theater in Oakland, 4/19/13.

Shine and Wherever You Find It, and Burlap Sack and Pumps from the Fox Theater in Oakland, 4/20/13.

Sand from the Moore Theater in Seattle, Washington, 4/19/13.

FREE MIKE GORDON BAND DOWNLOAD
Courtesy of LivePhish.com here is a free download of Mike Gordon's show at The Egg in Albany, New York on 12/11/2011.

DIFFERENT WAYS TO GET PHISH TICKETS
Here's a fun thread over at Phish.net. Someone is writing an article that is "essentially a guide for buying Phish tickets." Check it out and throw in your two cents and experiences.

PAGE MCCONNELL JOINS TRYPTOPHUNK IN NEW ORLEANS
Jambands.com reports that The Chairman of the Boards sat in with Tryptophunk, an all-star New Orleans-based band that features Meters bassist George Porter, Jr., Papa Grows Funk keyboardist John Gros, drummer Terrence Houston from George Porter and the Runnin' Pardners, Funky Meters guitarist Brian Stoltz, and Bonerama horn players Mark Mullens and Craig Klein.

Mr. Page McConnell joined Tryptophunk for a late-night set following his show at The Republic with The Meter Men.








May 2, 2013

Fishman to Play Jam Cruise

Jon Fishman and his bar band, Pork Tornado, have signed on to play Jam Cruise 12.

April 30, 2013

Latest Phish News From Around the Internets


TREY ANASTASIO RECEIVES A TONY AWARD NOMINATION
Trey Anastasio received a Tony nomination for the play "Hands On A Hardbody." (For the uninitiated, a Tony Award is the Broadway equivalent of an Oscar, or an Emmy.) Trey's nomination came for "Best Original Score Written for the Theatre." The musical garnered three nominations altogether, including two awards for best acting.

Hands On A Hardbody was widely panned by many critics, and the show closed after running for just about a month. Initially, when the play debuted in La Jolla, Calif. (about 15 minutes north of San Diego), Hands On A Hardbody received positive reviews, which led investors to finance its way to Broadway. But as the New York Times reported, once the musical opened in The Big Apple it didn't gross enough through ticket sales during the 58-show run to cover the weekly production costs.

In related news, The Drama Desk, an organization of theater critics and journalists, nominated Hands On A Hardbody for nine Drama Desk Awards. As Variety magazine put it, "Score one for the underdog."

This is the 58th year of The Drama Desk Awards. According to the organization's websiteThe Drama Desk Awards are "the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway compete against each other in the same categories."

PHISH RELEASES BLOSSOM '95
Phish announced the band released its latest remastered show from the LivePhish Archives collection, Blossom Music Center, June 20, 1995. According to Phish.com, "the release was created from Paul Languedoc's DAT stereo soundboard mix remastered by Fred Kevorkian," and contains three-and-a-half hours of music over 25 songs.

You can download Blossom '95 here. And here is the setlist.

Blossom '95 marked the first time Phish headlined the venue, selling just 9,000 tickets to the 18,000-seat venue. Previously, Phish performed at the Blossom Music Center when they opened up for Santana on July 31, 1992.

JON FISHMAN AND TOUCHPANTS TOUCH THE CROWD
Fishman sat in with musical comedy act Touchpants back on April 18 at the River Street Jazz Cafe in Wilkes-Barre, Penn.

Here is an interesting recount of what happened that night, along with an amusing anecdote about Fishman being bum rushed by fans when he made an appearance at the bar.

JAMES CASEY: TRAVELING WITH TREY ANASTASIO
Jambands.com is running an article about James Casey, the 30-year-old saxophone player for the Trey Anastasio Band

The story highlights Casey's rise to fame in the Jamband scene, beginning as a sideman for the collective known as Lettuce/Soulive Royal Family and eventually landing the gig with Trey.

In the article Casey reveals that he almost missed the call from Trey because when his phone rang he didn't recognize the number and let it go to voice mail. Jambands.com reports that after he listened to the message, "I immediately called up everyone I knew who would know stuff about this scene (and Phish) because I am still very new to it. I didn't know who he was ..."

Can you imagine?



April 26, 2013

Bob Weir Collapses On Stage; Hands On A Hardbody in the Recording Studio

Scary news here boys and girls. Bob Weir collapsed on stage last night during Furthur's second set. Bizarre-sounding, for sure. Here is a video of it. Was he sauced?

And here is the scoop on Hands On A Hardbody heading into the recording studio.

Oh yeah, The Egg is now available for purchase. Try not to hyperventilate.






April 24, 2013

The Business of Phish

Great article about Phish's business model. In 30 years, $250 million in ticket sales. Way to go, boys.