Phish returned to Watkins Glen International Raceway on Aug 21-23 for their 10th festival, Magnaball. The sold out event gathered more than 40,000 fans to the gorgeous hillsides of the Finger Lakes Region of New York for 3 days of camping, art and the musical jam stylings of the Vermont quartet.
Magnaball was not just some mash-up of two random words, but simply the best way to describe the current state of Phish, a band sounding as fresh as ever, even after 32 years. The first third of that definition was in the books.
Just ahead of its Summer Tour opener in Bend, Oregon, tonight, Phish has released a few updates on MagnaBall and also the band’s annual pre-tour sampler download, LiveBait 11.
Photo by Andy Hill
MagnaBall, a three-day festival at Watkins Glen International from Aug. 21 to 23, is Phish’s 10th festival. In a second wave drop of news, it was announced that the JEMP Record Store, which was a big hit at Super Ball IX, will return this year. Rift will be released on vinyl for the first time. On 180-gram water-blue vinyl, it will only be available at the JEMP store.
In an effort to help the environment and keep the grounds clean, Phish announced its MagnaWater Program, where attendees can bring up to 32-ounce, refillable bottles and top them off with cold, filtered water for $1 per fill. Each dollar goes to the WaterWheel Foundation. There will also be stations throughout the festival to fill up with regular drinking water.
The band also released LiveBait 11, a sampler of live songs for free download. Highlights include a 24-minute “Runaway Jim” from Shoreline Ampitheater on 7-31-1997, a raucous “Tweezer” from Pauley Pavillion on 12-1-1996 and the “Prince Caspian>Light” from Dick’s Sporting Goods Arena on 9-1-2012.
As reported by PhanArt, Phish has filed paperwork to trademark Jon Fishman’s iconic donut dress pattern.
From PhanArt: “While the dress Fishman wears has been a staple of quite literally every performance in the past 30 years, the filing of the trademark is interesting. This is being done either to protect current interests in use of the red circles on a blue background, or to prevent the pattern from being used by anyone other than Phish for commercial use, comparable to the Phish logo and words Gamehendge, among others.”
“The description of the pattern in the filing states, “The mark consists of a series of red circles with holes in the center, placed in pattern against a blue background, where each circle is equidistant from the other.” What that means is up to interpretation, should the Trademark be approved, a process that can take many months.”
What does this mean for Phish fans making shirts, posters and more with the ‘Fishman Donut’? Stay tuned for more on this breaking story.
Phish would of course go on to perform the ‘Baker’s Dozen’ in 2017, a run of 13 shows, with not a single song repeated, each with a donut theme for the night. Read more on the entire run here.
The 2015 SAMMY awards dinner held upstairs at Dinosaur BBQ in Syracuse on March 6 brought together music fans, musicians and promoters alike to honor some of Syracuse’s finest at the Syracuse Area Music Awards
With emcee Dave Frisina of of 105.9 introducing special guests the honorees included a music educator, producer, local band, early rock ‘n’ roller, guitarist and a muumuu wearing drummer.
Stacey Waterman of Eastern Artists presented Professor David Rezak of the Bandier School at Syracuse University with the Music Educator award. She joked that 90% of his graduates work in the industry while the other 10% are musicians, while referencing notable alumni who Prof. Rezak has been a mentor and teacher to over the course of his career. Upon taking to the podium, Rezak responded by noting “It’s all about the music, it’s all about the song. I am happy to have been a part of the music of Syracuse”
State Senator John A. DeFrancisco took the podium to share proclamations for all honorees this evening, noting that “music and arts in this community are the heart and soul of Syracuse.
Guitarist Loren Barriger, who at 6 years old played the Grand Ol’ Opry, emotionally thanked family and friends who encouraged him throughout this life of music. Ron Wray introduced Bobby Comstock, who was on the original American Bandstand, wrote a rock version of “Tennessee Waltz”, worked with Alan Free who coined the term ‘Rock n Roll’ and played Madison Square Garden 50 times. Upon taking to the podium, Bobby said “I did all that?”, while reflecting on playing with Chuck Berry, in Chicago with blues greats but noted that every story comes back to Syracuse. Comstock had a great deal of memories and thank you’s to give from his storied career.
Chris Goss, producer and musician (Masters of Reality, Queens of the Stone Age, Kyuss) has been a major influence on the desert rock genre and was honored as such. Referring to his career path, he said “It’s not a job, it’s a vocation; you do it out of love.” He mentioned that Seattle, a dark and dreary city, much like Syracuse, gave birth to Soundgarden and Nirvana, because instead of going outside, kids would go inside, look inward and listen to music. “Good music comes out of dark places.”
The Works, a local act who did it their way and in their own style are one of the most storied local Syracuse acts and were known for playing local clubs on a weekly basis in the 70s and 80s. If you weren’t playing music, you were seeing local music and supporting local music, a sentiment that is relevant in towns and cities across the state and country. As The Works put it, “It’s a brotherhood.”
Jon Fishman was introduced by his father, Leonard, who spoke of his late wife Mimi’s memory and presence at early Phish shows playing the vacuum with her son. He received great laughter and applause saying “I don’t know if you know this, but my son wears a dress”. While it is well known among his fans that Fish is a self-educated drummer who still practices daily, Jon cited Dave Hamlin and Bob Gulloti who taught him how to play the drums. Having been in only one band his entire career, the adventurous and spiritual unit of Phish has allowed him to make a living by moving music out of his parent’s basement to UVM, then to Goddard College, and on the road with Phish, and now with his wife and 5 children.
At 50, Jon says he still feels like he is 8 years old when playing the drums and is “still getting away with this … I’m just drumming.” He found it odd to be receiving a lifetime achievement award at 50 but recognizes that “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” referencing both the band and the community of Phish.
Fish also came clean and told his father that he snuck out on more than one occasion in the late 1970s to walk a mile to Manley Field House to see Frank Zappa and King Crimson, incredibly influential shows for the young Henrietta that led him down his career path towards recognition from his peers in his hometown of Syracuse.
On Friday, March 6 at The Palace Theater on James Street, the SAMMY awards were handed to a cadre of local musicians who had earned recognition of their peers and fans.
Best Pop: Nick & Noah
Best Blues: Castle Creek
Best Rock: William Gruff
Best Country: Megan Lee
Best Alterative: Leah Shenandoah
Best Jam Band: Joe Driscoll & Sekou Kouyate
Best Jazz: Nick Ziobro
Best Americana: Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers
Best R&B: Brownskin Band
Best Hip-Hop/Rap: Nick Case a.k.a. Decoy
Best Other: Samba Laranja
Best Hard Rock: Nineball
Best Singer/Songwriter: Alanna-Marie Boudreau
Brian Bourke Award for Best New Artist: Spring Street Family Band
People’s Choice awards included:
Best Artist: Briana Jessie
Best Venue: Kegs Canal Side
Best Festival: FoxFest
This morning at The Palace Theater in Syracuse, NY, the much anticipated Syracuse Area Music Award Nominees, Hall of Fame Inductees, Music Educator of the Year, and Lifetime Achievement Recipient were announced for 2015. With several new names, a few new categories, and many well deserving recipients being added to the list, the upcoming Hall of Fame Ceremony and Award Ceremonies and bound to sell out.
Jon Fishman – DRUM Magazine Cover September 2014
The most prestigious award, The Lifetime Achievement Award, will this year be given to Syracuse’s own, Jon Fishman. Jon is the drummer/vocalist and one of the founding members of the highly popular band Phish. Often credited as the namesake, after all he is often referred to as “Fish”, Jon has traveled the world for the past thirty plus years with band mates acquiring a cult like following of fans that are often compared to the Grateful Dead’s fans, and lovingly referred to as Phisheads or Phans. This exceptional drummer began honing his skills here locally as a student at Jamesville-Dewitt High School, and Jon was recently featured on the cover of DRUM Magazine this past September.
His musical abilities reach past the drum kit however to a myriad of musical instruments, including the vacuum, yes, the vacuum, but what he’s most passionate about is his tireless efforts and dedicated humanitarian role he has with several organizations, but most specifically he plays a key role in helping to raise money and awareness for the Mimi Fishman Foundation, an organization founded by Jon’s late mother, Mimi Fishman. Mimi believed that through partnerships with bands such as Phish, money could be raised to help bring awareness and assistance to many needed charitable organizations, focusing on the needs of families and children, and specifically those that suffered from visual impairments.
SAMMYS Hall of Fame Inductees
Lifetime Achievement Award
Jon Fishman Hall of Fame Inductees
Bobby Comstock
Chris Goss
Loren Barrigar
The Works Music Educator of the Year
David Rezak
SAMMYS Nominees 2015
Best Pop
Ceili Rain
Nick & Noah
Sir Magnus Best Country
Hattie Lewis Band
Mick Fury & Midnight Moonshine
Jason Kreuger
Megan Lee
Driftwater
Best Jazz
Julia Goodwin
Nick Ziobro
Christiane Page
The Bob Holz Band
Scott Dennis Best Hip Hop
Oxburg
Nick Case a.k.a. Decoy
Supa Satty
Coke Da Don
Shystee
Best Blues
Tas Cru
Tangled Roots
Funky Blu Roots
Johnny Ray & The Stonethrowers
Castle Creek
Best R&B
Brownskin Band
Shakeif
Best Americana
Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers
The Brothers MacRae
Larry Hoyt & the Good Acoustics
String Bee
Best Alternative
Leah Shenandoah
The Overnighters
Phoenix Eleven
Phantom Chemistry
Joe Valentine
Best Rock
Ben Mauro
The FabCats
The Golden Novak Band
William Gruff
The Unknown Woodsmen
Best Hard Rock
Jeremiah’s Razor
Nineball
How to Disappear Completely
Armed With Valor
Vampire Choir
Best Other Style
Doolin O’Dey
Samba Laranja
Peter LaVine
Best Jam Band
Joe Driscoll & Sekou Kouyate
Liquid Lounge Band
Acadia
Our Friends Band
Count Blastula
Best Singer/Songwriter
Tim Herron
Alanna-Marie Boudreau
Rabbit In The Rye
Kingsley Malcolm
William James Nicholson
Peoples Choice Award
TBD – Voting Ends February 7, 2015
Tickets can be purchased for both the March 5th Hall of Fame Event at the Dinosaur Barb-B-Que, and the March 6th, Awards Ceremony at The Palace Theatre.
“The description of the pattern in the filing states, “The mark consists of a series of red circles with holes in the center, placed in pattern against a blue background, where each circle is equidistant from the other.” What that means is up to interpretation, should the Trademark be approved, a process that can take many months.”
His musical abilities reach past the drum kit however to a myriad of musical instruments, including the vacuum, yes, the vacuum, but what he’s most passionate about is his tireless efforts and dedicated humanitarian role he has with several organizations, but most specifically he plays a key role in helping to raise money and awareness for the Mimi Fishman Foundation, an organization founded by Jon’s late mother, Mimi Fishman. Mimi believed that through partnerships with bands such as Phish, money could be raised to help bring awareness and assistance to many needed charitable organizations, focusing on the needs of families and children, and specifically those that suffered from visual impairments.