MANN2 RECAP: IN A STEAM DREAM
For today's recap, please hop over to JamBase for a full rundown from RJ Bee of Osiris Media and HF Pod.
MANN1 RECAP: MANN OH MANN -- NIGHT 1 IN PHILLY
[Thank you to Nick Williams (user @TwiceBitten) for recapping last night's show. -Ed.]
Phish, the band, what can you say? An American original: full of the awe, spectacle and big top excitement of P.T. Barnum’s circus; as majestic as the Rocky Mountains and as thick as New England’s forests; as powerful as the magic that existed in this land before the white man came, and sometimes as dark and sinister as the evil that those settlers brought with them (well maybe only on a headful). So what does such a band do after playing a show up in Bangor that seems to be unanimously regarded as IT? They had options: Phish could have tried for a repeat, stretching another jam past 30 minutes; they could have relied on a bunch of bust outs to keep the fans satisfied; they could have phoned it in even.
As the years have gone on, Phish has largely moved out of the shadow of the Grateful Dead and into their rightful place as the elder statesmen and torchbearers for a spark that was ignited almost 60 years ago in a series of rented halls around the Bay Area. While the Dead largely settled into a standardized show format less than halfway through their career, Phish has always been keen on freshening-up the flow of shows from night-to-night, tour-to-tour, era-to-era. Still, much as there are only 12 notes in western music, there are only so many types of Phish shows (not counting more subtle variations within each format).
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TREY WRITES ABOUT ROOTS MUSIC
An essay by Trey Anastasio about the future of roots music appears in the Summer 2022 issue ("Movers and Shakers") of No Depression, from the FreshGrass Foundation. The issue also features pieces by Bonnie Raitt, Woody Guthrie, Dan Auerbach, Rhiannon Giddens, and more.
FreshGrass is also known for continiuing the Steve Martin Banjo Prize, two festivals, and a series of awards supporting bluegrass, old time banjo, and roots music traditions.
BANGOR RECAP: LET'S GET DOWN (WITH DISEASE)!
[Phish.net thanks volunteer recapper Ben Harder for recapping last night's show. -Ed.]
To my fellow Mainers, a big Hihowahya!!?? To those of you who were visiting from away, stoked you made it up for what was the first Phish show in Maine since the Bangor show on 6/25/19 and 6/26/19. Tonight's show made for the fourth at the venue (the first being 7/3/13), and over the years we've seen the GA Pit evolve from lawn to crushed rock to concrete pad. The place looked a bit like the Big Dig, with a steel retaining wall and framing for private boxed seating to come.
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GW2 RECAP: HOLDING TIGHT
[David Goldstein, this recap's author, is a phish.net contributor and co-host of the Beyond the Pond podcast on Osiris Media. He usually wears Whalers gear on lot. -Ed.]
It could be nostalgia creeping in, but something about seeing Phish in New England in 2022 just hits a bit differently. This is especially so in Massachusetts, a state so integral to the band’s evolution; The ‘89 Paradise gig! Multiple New Year’s Shows in Boston and Worcester! They did a Gamehendge here once! And now that the nexus of the Phish kingdom has been effectively relocated two and a half hours south, they seem to play Massachusetts far less than they used to (you brahs too fancy for a heady Worcester run now?)
GW1 RECAP: WICKED STAHT TO SUMMAH TOR
[Jadedvet TLDR Capsule Summary: 6/10. Remarkable for a tour opener, as they played as if it were a mid-tour gig. Strong improv in the “Ghost->SYSF” sandwich opener and the “Ruby Waves” in the first (arguably the worst version—technically speaking—of “Mound” ever, but it’s at times hilarious), and the segue-heavy second set was great fun improvisationally, with solid versions of almost everything, a SHOCKING “Weekapaug” -> out of “Plasma’s” coda, and even the “Saw It Again” had a sublimely dark, throbbing jam that segued well into “Fuckerpants.” And Page was on the piano quite frequently, which as you know ain’t always the case. Overall an above-average-great show worth a listen and a strong terr openah. -cd]
IT’s the most wonderful time of the year! And with the beginning of summer tour: the sticky humidity, the hot asphalt, the commingling of musty moist smells of patchouli, skunky hybrids, and B.O. . . . smells like: VACATION!
So much EXCITEMENT, so many weeks of ANTICIPATION, building and building and building after the, uh, first-summer-tour concluded only like five weeks ago in Deer Creek, and after PORK TORNADO played a gig for the first time in nine years, and after Trey sat-in with both Goose AND Billy Strings! What would the tour open with?? Would Trey invite a child on stage for a-sing-along with the band!? Would the show be better than the Arkansas tour opener a year ago!? Would the show even be WORTH A DAMN!??
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SURRENDER TO THE FLOW #74, SUMMER TOUR 2022, RELEASED
FYI Surrender to the Flow's Summer 2022 issue has been released and it is available for download at this link here. (https://sttflow.gumroad.com/l/sttf74) While it is free to download after you provide an email address, donations are encouraged as STTF has been a labor of love for many years and we at dot net hope you support it! There will be paper copies circulated on tour, so you may see it in the lot or at a show, but you're far more likely to see it if you download a PDF of it. (There likely will be a paper copy available for perusal at the WaterWheel table at shows, too.)
This issue includes information about the Summer Tour from Great Woods to Alpine, e.g., where to eat, things to do, and things you need to know about the towns and the venues. The issue also includes reviews of the Spring Run 2022, articles including ...
PRIME DAYS TO SUPPORT MUSIC EDUCATION
Whether you're taking advantage of Amazon's Prime Days deals (today and tomorrow), stocking up on concert tour needs for upcoming shows, or getting Christmas gifts done early (check the time!), we hope you'll start with any of the links in this post - all of which are affiliate links benefitting the Mockingbird Foundation. And if not today, bookmark any of them for later, then use that bookmark any time you shop at Amazon.
From Parke Puterbaugh's book to that mildly suspicious Phish trivia one, to musical instruments, to luxury beauty care products, to a Segue - every Amazon purchase, rental, or subscription starting from any of these links will help pay for instruments, staffing, scholarships, and more, "bringing the music full circle" (Trey's words about what we do) from the fans back to kids who'll be the next musicmakers.
You can even help Mockingbird earn a "bounty" by signing up for a trial subscription of Amazon Prime, Audible, or Kindle; or use Amazon Fresh or Amazon Pets; or do pretty much anything else, at any Amazon site or property, as long as you start with any of these links.
GORDON STONE TRIO WITH MIKE GORDON AND JON FISHMAN, OCTOBER 3, 1996
[Blog post and video/audio of this 10/3/96 Gordon Stone Trio gig with Mike and Jon is courtesy of Chad Simons, dot net user @charlesrsimons (Twitter @ChadSimons1, and Insta chadrsimons). -Ed.]
Phish tour '96 ranked among the top for me. I jumped in at the Red Rocks shows and finished at the Clifford Ball. Need I say more? I could, trust me.
After the Clifford Ball, my crew and I crossed Lake Champlain by ferry in my friend's split-window VW bus. The sunset behind the Catskill Mountains was amazing, and I knew something very special was waiting for us on the other side. Just after driving off the ferry, we spotted a huge vertical sign with the word "WILSON" on it. Of course, Nectar's was next, and the list goes on.
I decided to stay in Burlington, and my friends went back to Indiana. I had no idea what was in store for me as the temperature started to drop that fall. I had never experienced a northern winter like the ones you get in Vermont, but the fun never stopped.
On October 3, 1996, I patched my Sony DAT-D8 into the mics of a guy I met before this show. We set up just in time, and I barely had a moment to count how many people were there before the guys began playing. There must've been only about 30 of us there, as you will hear in the applause and comments made between the songs. Mike is on bass for all of the songs, and he’s on vocals for nearly all of the songs; and Jon joined in on the washboard and bell for the entire second set. This show is truly a gem with such a fun setlist and plenty of humor.
I hope you enjoy it, you can listen to it here on YouTube.
Charles R. (Chad) Simons
INTERVIEW OF CHRIS KURODA, OCTOBER 7, 2000
Almost five years after the interview conducted by Dean Budnick, Chris Kuroda was interviewed by Scott Boyarsky and Hal Waterman, who were involved with the fan website CK5 (http://www.ck5.org, now defunct). This conversation delves further into Kuroda’s work philosophy, his personal tastes, and his life outside the band. A few of the questions are repeated from the previous interview, but Kuroda’s opinions had evolved over the preceding five years.
The full interview was initially published on the CK5 website and republished in the Phish Companion 1st Edition. The interview was then edited and streamlined for re-publication in the Phish Companion 2nd Edition. This blog post includes the edited interview from TPC 2nd Ed., followed by the remaining interview “bonus material” from TPC 1st Ed.
Enjoy! - Matt Schrag aka @kipmat
Interview with Chris Kuroda from TPC 2nd edition
Excerpted from an interview conducted by Scott “Seabass” Boyarsky and Hal “Brother” Waterman backstage prior to the 10/7/00 Shoreline show, the last show before the hiatus.
HW: Where are you originally from?
CK: I was born in Princeton, New Jersey. I grew up in Chappaqua, New York, which is in Westchester County. When I was about 21, my family moved out to Allentown, PA.
HW: What’s the most rewarding part about this job?
CK: Well, my whole life when I was growing up my Father was thirty years at the same company, Wall Street, New York Stock Exchange, executive guy, got in a suit, commuted on a train everyday. Throughout my whole life growing up, I said to myself, I will not be a “nine-to-fiver.” So, when I think back about the whole thing, the fact that I actually accomplished that might have to stand out over everything. The second greatest thing is all the support I get from all the fans. I get a lot of support, and you know, as a human being it just makes you feel so good. And believe it or not, an extremely rewarding thing to me is when I nail a “David Bowie.” It brings tears to my eyes sometimes. Doing the job, that’s how I express myself to the world. I get to express myself through light and there is a lot of joy to that!
INTERVIEW OF CHRIS KURODA, DEC. 5, 1995, BY DEAN BUDNICK
One of the many exciting aspects of the week before Phish tour is hearing news about the crew technical rehearsal; where they are, what they’re working on, and especially what Chris Kuroda’s new light rig will look like. As Lighting Director for Phish (a position which also incorporates the role of Lighting Designer), Kuroda has been continually innovative with both available technology and presentation, making the band’s lighting an integral part of the Phish concert experience. Dean Budnick (author of The Phishing Manual and erstwhile Editor-in-Chief of jambands.com, now part of the Relix Media Group) conducted an interview with Kuroda toward the end of the marathon Fall 1995 tour, offering an intriguing glimpse into Life on the Road with Phish. Budnick subsequently posted the interview text to the Usenet newsgroup rec.music.phish, but the interview has not been republished on this site until now. Please enjoy this trip down memory lane, as we look forward to more dazzling lights on Summer Tour!
- Matt Schrag aka @kipmat
[Dean Budnick is the editor-in-chief of Relix and has reported on the live entertainment industry for Billboard, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. He directed the documentary Wetlands Preserved: The Story of An Activist Rock Club, which opened nationally before airing on the Sundance Channel. He also is the creator and host of the Long May They Run podcast, which reached #1 on the Apple Music Podcast charts, and he has written many books, including Ticket Masters: The Rise of the Concert Industry and How the Public Got Scalped, and a forthcoming book with Peter Shapiro, The Music Never Stops: What Putting On 10,000 Shows Has Taught Me About Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Magic, https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/peter-shapiro/the-music-never-stops/9780306845185/.]
Interview with Chris Kuroda 12/5/95
From: [email protected] (Dean Budnick)
Newsgroups: rec.music.phish
Organization: Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Okay, here's the text of my interview with Chris. I hope you find it as interesting as I did. This interview took place around 5:00 on December 5th, before the second night of the Mullins Center run.
BTW, after the show Chris told me that he had forgotten to say one thing that was really bugging him. He's asking everyone to stop bringing laser pens to the shows and to discourage your friends from doing so. I noticed one on Trey's guitar on Saturday and people have been shining them up at the chessboard as well. On with the interview....
DEER CREEK 3 RECAP: THE SUN SETS ON SPRING TOUR
[Thanks to our guest recapper Dana Slattery (@tweezeher). -Ed.]
Spring tour feels a little like Summer tour, doesn’t it? Considering some recaps for this short sprint of shows boast it as the first leg of the Summer 2022 run, and I myself had been gently corrected with torches and pitchforks after a post to CashorTrade, it seems debatable. After a 3-night run on the coast of Alabama, and 2 scorchers on a tennis court in South Carolina, the Birkenstock tans on the dusty Deer Creek lot (Ruoff Home Mortgage Center to the layman…) look, feel & likely smell like a Summer tour.
Is it sun stroke or is the nitrous just good? After 2-nights of Phish and 3-days of Phish lot, the lines become blurred. Both were in seemingly endless supply in Indianapolis this weekend. The Sunday show started 90-minutes earlier than the previous 2, bringing a feeling of ‘Let’s get this show on the road’ and "party time." No one is interested in driving back through the mid-west with a trunk full of whatever you brought to the lot. So, yes, deals.
DC1 AND DC2 RECAPS: BIRTHDAYS, HEATERS AND SLOW MAZE
[Thanks to our guest recapper Michael Ayers (user @yhgtbfkm) . -Ed.]
As I was packing my bags to get ready to drive to Indianapolis, my phone beeped with an email address. The fine folks over here at .net asked me if I would be interested in recapping both Friday and Saturday, as nobody had volunteered for Saturday. They said I could even wait and send both Friday and Saturday in one big review as opposed to doing two. After pondering it for a few minutes I responded back that I’d love to, as writing one long incredibly mediocre review would be far less damaging to my ego than two short, incredibly mediocre reviews. So without further ado..prepare to be disappointed.
SOME PHOTOS OF DC1 FROM THE PIT
[Posting some photos courtesy of Matt Bittmann, taken from the pit last night (June 3, 2022, Deer Creek), because the recapper of last night's show will be recapping tonight as well and has chosen to recap the two shows together. Recap will be posted tomorrow. If you want to read a recap of last night don't miss Scott Bernstein's " The Skinny" on Jambase. -Ed.]
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HOOK, LINE, AND STINKER: STARING IN TRAIN-WRECK HORROR AT THE CULT OF PHISH
[This article was published in the San Francisco Bay Guardian in 1999, so is Copyright © 1994-99 San Francisco Bay Guardian. It is being re-printed here, and now, because it is hilarious and its author Summer Burkes is a great writer. Special thanks to Philip Zerbo (co-editor of the Third Edition of The Phish Companion) for posting the text of this article to Rec.Music.Phish in October 1999. Also want to thank Josh Martin, whose recap of Charleston1 reminded me of this article and how I'd wanted to try to locate it and post it to the blog. -charlie]
Hook, line, and stinker:
Staring in train-wreck horror at the cult of Phish
By Summer Burkes
THEY ARE PHISH, I am chum
I must admit, I'd been unfair. I'd hated Phish with a passion since the
moment they entered my consciousness, even though I couldn't ever recall
actually hearing one of their songs.
Phish.net
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