On Tuesday, October 23, 1984, in the garage of a house on 69 Grant Street, the band performed what is believed to be their first gig (so billed as Phish). We know that “Makisupa Policeman” was played, but that’s about it. The setlist is incomplete. Hell, even the date—while possibly correct—might have been a few days earlier, or a couple of days later. Not that this much matters. What seems to be certain, however, is that “Makisupa Policeman” is the first known Phish composition publicly performed. And this is significant.

As Phish.net’s “Makisupa Policeman” song historian Jeremy Goodwin explains, the song’s rather elemental lyrics were penned by Tom Marshall in grammar school – circa 1969 – a fact which prompted Trey, during the Philly segment of the band’s 2003 Anniversary Tour, to cite “Makisupa” as Phish’s “original” song.

The surprising reality of a Phish song “written” in the halcyon heydays of Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix has prompted Trey to dub “Makisupa” as Phish’s “60’s” song, though those familiar with the tune and its pseudo-reggae stylings are quick to point not to Jimmy Page or Jimi Hendrix, but, rather, to Bob Marley and Bunny Livingstion, musicians slowly giving rise to what is often considered the new reggae movement.

The origin of the distinctive word at the heart of the song – ostensibly an imaginary place name – comes, Goodwin notes, from the distant memories of Tom’s early childhood. He took to issuing a singular nickname to all of his older sister’s boyfriends, of whom he was in awe due to their perceived coolness (based largely on the music they listened to and the occasional guitar-strumming ability). The inscrutable nickname was “Macky.” He penned these words while writing a song with childhood chum Chris LaRiche: “Hey Macky Super Policeman.” Years later, Trey misheard the first two words as one, and “Makisupa” was coined. Although this tidbit – recounted many years after the fact – seems in fact to be a genuine recollection, one should take note that Tom has provided fallacious explanations for lyrics many times in the past, seemingly as a form of sport.

What can be documented, however, are those keywords that Trey has incorporated during live performances of the song. Today, thanks to the tireless volunteer efforts of Phish.net users Dave M. (@doglogin) and Jam Charts Guru @raidcehlalred, with the help of Phish.net tech whiz and content junkie Pete Skewes-Cox (@ucpete), we are pleased to announce precisely that: the first (to our knowledge) document containing every one of the so-called “keywords” (or perhaps, more accurately, “key phrases”). And what better day to announce the “Makisupa Policeman Keyword Chart” than on April 20^th?

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As a follow up to the previous news posted here on Phish.net, this week HF Pod interviews Jeff Goldberg, a professional audio technician, archivist, and engineer who recently remastered two Phish shows that were previously unreleased and unavailable to the community (4/8/90 and 4/8/92).

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Welcome to the 321st edition of Phish.Net's Mystery Jam Monday, the middle of five April contests. The winner will receive an MP3 download code courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. To win, be the first person to identify the song and date of these three mystery clips, which are connected by a theme that needn't be part of the correct answer. Each person gets one guess to start – if no one guesses correctly, I will post a hint on Tuesday around 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. After the hint, each person gets one more guess before the contest ends Wednesday, and the winner announced shortly thereafter. Good luck!

Hint: HERE

Answer: Congrats to @jimsleftear, who used the hint to easily track down this week's theme and jams that fit – the 6/18/10 "Tweezer," the 12/8/99 "Down with Disease," and the 10/21/95 "David Bowie," all played in shows during which the band played "Tweezer Reprise" twice. That's three wins for @jimsleftear – he's definitely got at least one good ear. Stay tuned for MJM322, when a couple folks strive for emeritus status while others play the spoiler.

Beyond the Pond is a bi-weekly podcast in which Brian Brinkman (@sufferingjuke) and David Goldstein (@daveg924) use the music of Phish as a gateway to introduce the listener to many other bands, the vast majority of which are not jambands. An episode generally begins with a deep dive into a designated portion of Phish improvisation, and then can spin off to any variety of musical themes and other acts, the overarching purpose being introducing the listener to as many new and different bands as possible.

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Welcome to the 320th edition of Phish.Net's Mystery Jam Monday, the second-easiest of April. The winner will receive an MP3 download code courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. To win, be the first person to identify the song and date of these two mystery clips, which are connected by a theme that needn't be part of the correct answer. Each person gets one guess to start – if no one guesses correctly, I will post a hint on Tuesday around 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. After the hint, each person gets one more guess before the contest ends Wednesday, and the winner announced shortly thereafter. Good luck!

Answer: ¡Una más y ya! @justino is peaking like a summer Ghost jam right now, and now only needs one more win to go fully spectral and become the 18th MJM Emeritus and 19th inductee into the MJM HoF. Or will @TwiceBitten get there first? This week @justino sprinted through the ambient haze to the solution, correctly identifying the 12/30/98 "Frankie Says" and the 11/4/98 "Frankie Says," both great ambient "Frankie" outros from 1998. MJM321 drops Monday, and will be the third of five April MJMs.

Thrilled to announce that thanks again to Niel Ringstad and Jeff Goldberg (Principal/Owner of The Audio Specialist), there’s new Phish available for downloading: April 8, 1990, and April 8, 1992.

Jeff’s exploration of the work involved in releasing this material to you is detailed here, and it includes information on the equipment and software used to bring this music to the community for the first time in the highest quality possible under the circumstances. It’s a fascinating read, particularly given the damage to the April 8, 1992, tapes that Jeff spent many hours endeavoring to repair. If you have any questions for Jeff, or want to wish him a happy 40th birthday, don’t hesitate to email him through Phish.net (user @Jeff_Goldberg) or email him (jeff at audiospecialist.net).

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On this episode of the Helping Friendly Podcast, we revisit the 20th anniversary of the Island Tour. 20 years later, we’re still upside down from the Island Tour. We had to celebrate this awesome run, so we talk about a notable jam from each night. We had some laughs, discussed the legacy of the run and how it looks from 20 years out, and then we played some Phish. We hope you enjoy. You can listen by visiting our site or through the player below.

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Beyond the Pond is a bi-weekly podcast in which Brian Brinkman (@sufferingjuke) and David Goldstein (@daveg924) use the music of Phish as a gateway to introduce the listener to many other bands, the vast majority of which are not jambands. An episode generally begins with a deep dive into a designated portion of Phish improvisation, and then can spin off to any variety of musical themes and other acts, the overarching purpose being introducing the listener to as many new and different bands as possible.

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Welcome to the 319th edition of Phish.Net's Mystery Jam Monday, the first* and easiest of March. The winner will receive an MP3 download code courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. To win, be the first person to identify the song and date of the mystery clip. Each person gets one guess to start – if no one answers correctly in the first 24 hours, I'll post a hint. After the hint, everyone gets one more guess before Wednesday at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. Good luck!

*Reminder: For the first MJM of each month, only folks who have never won an MJM are allowed to answer before the hint. If you have never won an MJM, please answer as a blog comment below. If you have previously won an MJM, but you'd like to submit a guess before the hint, you may do so by PMing me; once the hint has been posted, everyone should answer on the blog. If that's confusing to you, check out the handy decision tree I threw together to help guide you. If you're not sure if you've won before, check in the MJM Results spreadsheet linked below.

Answer: Congrats to long-time player and first-time winner, @lostboy01, who quickly dismantled this week's MJM to get on the board. Sometimes all it takes is breaking through on one's first for us to add another force to be reckoned with to the mix. This week @lostboy01 correctly identified the 4/2/93 "Weekapaug Groove," which I am officially dubbing the "Wackipaug," on its 25 year anniversary. MJM320 drops on Monday morning, and we'll have two fun clips: the MJM's intent is for your delight (and supreme frustration).

Beyond the Pond is a bi-weekly podcast in which Brian Brinkman (@sufferingjuke) and David Goldstein (@daveg924) use the music of Phish as a gateway to introduce the listener to many other bands, the vast majority of which are not jambands. An episode generally begins with a deep dive into a designated portion of Phish improvisation, and then can spin off to any variety of musical themes and other acts, the overarching purpose being introducing the listener to as many new and different bands as possible.

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Welcome to the 318th edition of Phish.Net's Mystery Jam Monday, the most difficult of March. The winner will receive an MP3 download code courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. To win, be the first person to identify the song and date of these four mystery clips, which are connected by a theme – the theme needn't be part of the correct answer. Each person gets one guess to start – if no one answers correctly in the first 24 hours, I'll post a hint. After the hint, everyone gets one more guess before Wednesday at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. Good luck!

Answer: Congrats to @justino on his fifth MJM win – now it's not a matter of if, but a matter of when he reaches the Holy MJM Emeritus status. This week's puzzle, another from the mind of the @wumbo, had some Jerry undertones, some fantastic sounding music, Type II all over it, and the same song ("Tweezer") on the same month and day (August 1st), four times: 8/1/15 "Tweezer," 8/1/98 "Tweezer," 8/1/14 "Tweezer," and 8/1/99 "Tweezer." @justino fell for none of the traps, and in less than 200 minutes, cut down the nets on #5. Monday brings us MJM319, and a resetting of the difficulty down to the bottom rung.

The Silver Anniversary of arguably the purest live performance of Trey's Gamehendge saga, The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday, offers us the ideal occasion to unveil this new project. And, we have to admit, the rigid deadline definitely helped expedite the process.

Legend has it that, much like the song cycle’s subsequent performance at what has come to be called the “GameHoist” show, the venue was under-sold. The crowd clearly gave the band its patient, undivided attention. Whatever prompted the band to finally immerse their live audience in the full story in Sacramento 25 years ago today, the tape of the show became a rite of passage for nearly every fan, thanks to the widely shared and very crispy SBD.

Born inside a .net forum thread, a group of regular contributors committed to what seemed to us a worthwhile endeavor to compile transcriptions and summaries of every narration available on audio recordings. The thread began shortly after the release of St. Louis '93, prompted by my listening to the powerful “Harpua” from the April date. As soon as the thread got legs, I knew I would have to put my money where my mouth is.

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This week's HF Pod guest is Tom Wassell, a Phish fan and sports radio host who joins us for the first time. Tom shares how he fell into, out of, and back into love with Phish. We share one of his favorite sets, from 11.26.97 in Hartford. You can listen to the episode in the player below, or download it here.

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Welcome to the 317th edition of Phish.Net's Mystery Jam Monday, the penultimate MJM of March. The winner will receive an MP3 download code courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. To win, be the first person to identify the songs and date of these three mystery clips, which are connected by a theme that needn't be part of the correct answer. Each person gets one guess to start – if no one guesses correctly, I will post a hint on Tuesday around 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. After the hint, each person gets one more guess before the contest ends Wednesday, and the winner announced shortly thereafter. Good luck!

Answer: Congrats to @prab_mode on his second win, pulling a sneak attack on the blog before the hint dropped. He correctly identified three consecutive (and not on the Jam Charts) versions of "Bathtub Gin": 8/9/98, 8/16/98, and 11/4/98. Thanks again to @wumbo for his masterful EQ work in creating this week's puzzle. Check out MJM318 on Monday morning...

Beyond the Pond is a bi-weekly podcast in which Brian Brinkman (@sufferingjuke on Twitter) and David Goldstein (@daveg924 on Twitter) use the music of Phish as a gateway to introduce the listener to many other bands, the vast majority of which are not jambands. An episode generally begins with a deep dive into a designated portion of Phish improvisation, and then can spin off to any variety of musical themes and other acts, the overarching purpose being introducing the listener to as many new and different bands as possible.

Read more...