NYS Music 202​0

Tag: Phish

  • Flashback: Phish headline for the first time at SPAC

    On July 10, 1994, Phish headlined for the first time at Saratoga Performing Arts Center. Two years prior, the Vermont group had opened for Santana at SPAC, one of the few opening slots Phish would perform in their career.

    via Brendan McKenna, as published in PhanArt: The Art of the Fans of Phish

    The summer of 1994 would feature The Eagles, Peter Gabriel, James Taylor, The Beastie Boys and the debut of Dave Matthews at the classic Upstate amphitheater, in addition to Phish, whose performance was at the tail end of their summer tour.

    Of note from the first set is the “Stash,” which appears on Live Bait 10, and fun with the lyrics of “Julius,” adding “I haven’t decided, no no no’ during the chorus, and “Ya Mar” where the band gave shout-outs to Trey’s dog Marley, including “Who is she?” (also their record label’s name) and “Who’s the Mar Mar?”

    Tickets were only $18.50 for reserved seats

    The middle of the second set held the heat with a strong “Mike’s Groove”, adding in “Low Rider” to the typical three song sequence inside of “Mike’s Song.” At the end of the second set, The Dude of Life came to the stage and sang his composition “Crimes of the Mind” with the band.

    Listen to the show below or tune in via Phishtracks.com.

    Phish.net/Rec.Music.Phish shirt from 1994, via PhanArt

    Setlist via Phish.net

    Phish – SPAC, Saratoga Springs, NY – July 10, 1994

    Soundcheck: Jive Talkin’, The Old Home Place, Nellie Kane, work on Jive Talkin’

    Set 1: Chalkdust Torture, Horn > Peaches en Regalia > Rift, Stash, If I Could, My Friend, My Friend > Julius, Cavern

    Set 2: Sample in a Jar, David Bowie, Glide, Ya Mar, Mike’s Song -> Low Rider -> Mike’s Song > I Am Hydrogen > Weekapaug Groove, Bouncing Around the Room, The Squirming Coil, Crimes of the Mind

    Encore: Golgi Apparatus, Rocky Top

    Notes: My Friend included a Purple Haze tease and Julius contained a Buried Alive tease from Trey. The Dude of Life sang vocals on Crimes of the Mind


  • Camp Circle Jam Hosts Festival for Artists in Need

    Camp Circle Jam creator Ostin Gold has announced a virtual music festival taking place July 2 at 12 p.m. A collective streaming event for music, art and wellness, the grassroots festival will showcase over 30 creators ranging from live music to mindfulness workshops and more.

    Live performances will include Brooklyn based DODONGO, Jeremy Kraus (Space Carnival), Danny Littler (Autonomix) and Josh Nermon (Autonomix), Vaporeyes, Gallons Of Pork, Chameleonize and a set of Phish from Nectar.

    Performing solo will be Pat Tato (of Vaporeyes/Baked Potatoes) Ron Solo (Of Space Carnival), Smurfy, Khalil Jade, Marliii, Josh Nermon (of Autonomix) and more.  Unique DJ sets will feature names like Fuzzy Bunny Slippers, APROTU, Waves,  and more.

    Available to stream on Twitch, there is no cost to watch the event but donations will be accepted which will directly benefit artists and creators that have found themselves out of work due to the pandemic.

    Find more information about the festival on Instagram and Facebook.

  • 27 Years Later: Phish rocks Jones Beach for two nights

    After performing at SPAC and taking a day off to celebrate the release of A Live One, Phish headed to Jones Beach for their first two-night run at the Long Island amphitheater. Growing their following, especially from New York metro area high school and college students with a summer off, was part of Phish’s broadening appeal as they performed in bigger and bigger theaters.

    Ticket stubs via Shapsio

    The first show on the 28th featured the retired “Axilla (Part II)” and an 11-minute “Foam” demonstrating the patience of the foursome from Vermont. The rest of the set after “Fast Enough For You” reads like a fantasy setlist, and it was only the first set, including one of two “Fluffhead”‘s from that tour.

    Set 2 unleashes a 30+ minute “Tweezer” that is one for the books, so much that it was added to Live Bait 10 (scroll down for video). This experimental version of the jam vehicle included the ever rare “Dave’s Energy Guide” and a jam on The Breeder’s “Cannonball.” If you were still clamoring for more, the “Harry Hood” and “Tweezer Reprise” to close the set are likely to seal the deal.

    Setlist: June 28, 1995 via Phish.net

    Soundcheck: Sweet Home Alabama, Jam, Ginseng Sullivan, Red River Valley Jam, Dog Log (slow)

    Set 1: Axilla (Part II) > Foam, Fast Enough for You, Reba[1], Punch You in the Eye, Stash, Fluffhead > Chalk Dust Torture

    Set 2: Sample in a Jar, Poor Heart > Tweezer -> Dave’s Energy Guide -> Tweezer > Gumbo > Sparkle > Suzy Greenberg, Harry Hood, Tweezer Reprise

    Encore: Sweet Adeline, While My Guitar Gently Weeps

    [1] No whistling.

    Ha Ha Ha was teased before the start of the first set. Reba did not have the whistling ending. Dave’s Energy Guide was played for the first time since March 8, 1991 (479 shows). The secondTweezer included a Cannonball jam with quotes from Trey.

    The next day the fans returned to Jones Beach for another round of Phish, and were greeted with “Runaway Jim” -> “Taste.” The straightforward first set was enthusiastic and energetic, and ended with an acapella “Carolina.”

    If you were getting your first taste of Phish over these two nights, you might think that nearly half hour versions of songs were the norm, and for a time, they were. Both “David Bowie” and “You Enjoy Myself” topped over the 25 minute mark, with “Bowie” taking chances getting spacey, and “You Enjoy Myself” including a bass and drums section.

    From here, Phish would have two more two-night runs, at Great Woods in Mansfield, MA and two-nights in at Sugarbush in North Fayston, VT

    Setlist: June 29, 1995 via Phish.net

    Set 1: Runaway Jim > Taste, The Horse > Silent in the Morning, Divided Sky, Cavern > Rift > Simple > Split Open and Melt, Carolina

    Set 2: Free -> David Bowie, Strange Design, You Enjoy Myself, Acoustic Army, A Day in the Life

    Encore: Theme From the Bottom

    Runaway Jim contained a Cannonball tease.

  • Flashback: Phish at SPAC, June 26, 1995

    On June 26, 1995, Phish performed for the third time (and second as a headliner) at Saratoga Performing Arts Center. Phish’s 1995 Summer Tour was into full swing by this point with the final 11 shows in the Northeast, four of which were in New York.

    Phish SPAC 1995

    Back in 1995, reserved tickets for this performance at SPAC cost only $20. An “Acoustic Army” soundcheck with teases of “Shine” (six months and a day before “Shine” would debut on New Years Eve during “Fly Famous Mockingbird”), and Little Feat’s “Time Loves a Hero” reappeared for the first time since soundcheck on April 15, 1989.

    A little Led Zeppelin could be found in “Possum” with a “Heartbreaker” tease, and in “You Enjoy Myself” containing a hint of “Immigrant Song.” The highlight of the show is surely a spacey and unfinishes “Down with Disease” that led into a monster “Free,” seen below.

    The penultimate performance of The Meditations “Don’t You Want to Go?” was found in the first set, alongside a unique trio of “It’s Ice” > “Dog Faced Boy” > “Tela,” and the aforementioned “Possum.” Set 2 is a fiery one from the start, with a “Down with Disease” > “Free” that Phish.net calls “a multi-movement masterpiece.” A huge “You Enjoy Myself” (seen below) and “Sleeping Monkey” > “Rocky Top” encore are among the many highlights of this stand out show. It would take 9 years before Phish returned to SPAC, shows that stack up well against June 26, 1995. This show was released by Live Phish in 2017.

    Setlist via Phish.net

    Phish – SPAC – June 26, 1995

    Soundcheck: Time Loves A Hero > Dog Log/Time Loves A Hero mashup, Nellie Kane, Santana Instrumental, Rocky Mountain Way

    Set 1: My Friend, My Friend, Don’t You Want To Go?, Bathtub Gin, NICU > The Sloth, My Mind’s Got a Mind of its Own, It’s Ice > Dog Faced Boy > Tela > Possum

    Set 2: Down with Disease [1] -> Free > Poor Heart > You Enjoy Myself, Strange Design > Run Like an Antelope

    Encore: Sleeping Monkey > Rocky Top

    [1] Unfinished.
    My Friend started with a Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 tease from Trey. Trey teased and quoted Long Tall Glasses in Bathtub Gin. Possum contained a Heartbreaker tease and YEM contained Immigrant Song teases from Trey. Down with Disease was unfinished.

  • The Mockingbird Foundation Starts Emergency Grant Program to Protect Music Education

    The Mockingbird Foundation has announced its plans to start an emergency grant program that will help protect music education amidst the COVID-19 crisis. The fund will run off of donations from The Mockingbird Foundation and donations from the public. 

    The Mockingbird Foundation logo.

    The music industry has been extremely affected by this pandemic particularly music education. Music education programs across the United States have been experiencing significant negative impacts from the economic fallout of the pandemic. The foundation aims to use this collected emergency grant fund to help music educators and their students who have been affected by COVID-19.

    The fund will start with an initial $25,000 provided by The foundation. The foundation will then match an additional $25,000 in donations made from the general public between now and July 31st, 2020. The foundation hopes to collect enough to make $75,000 available to music education by the end of it’s donation period. 

    The Mockingbird Foundation is a non-for-profit that is volunteer based. It has existed since 1996 and works to raise money for music education for children. It has donated more than $1.6M in grants to 450 grantees covering all 50 states. For more information or to donate visit Mockingbird’s website.

  • This week’s Dinner and a Movie to feature 2018 Phish show at MSG

    For the tenth installment of Phish’s Dinner and a Movie, Phish will stream full show video from their December 29, 2018 performance at MSG, and the second in the series from ‘The World’s Most Famous Arena.’

    The show was the second night of Phish’s annual New Years Eve run, held at Madison Square Garden every year since 2010 (except 2014) and the 63rd time the Vermont group has played MSG.

    dinner 2018 phish MSG

    Mike Gordon shares a Vegetable Shoyu Ramen recipe with fans, and the Afya Foundation will serve as the non-profit beneficiary for Tuesday’s stream. From their website, Afya Foundation states as their primary mission to improve global health by rescuing surplus medical supplies and delivering them to underserved health systems around the world. During the COVID-19 crisis, Afya has turned their focus and is delivering PPE to New York healthcare workers, with a special focus on healthcare systems supporting vulnerable populations.

    To stream Dinner and a Movie, tune into Live Phish or the band’s Facebook page on Tuesday, May 26 at 830 pm ET for the free stream of the December 29, 2018 show at MSG. Read the NYS Music recap from the first night of the 2018 run here.

    Setlist courtesy of Phish.net

    Set 1: Buried Alive, Blaze On, Turtle in the Clouds, The Sloth, 46 Days > Cities, Corinna, Ya Mar, Wolfman’s Brother

    Set 2: Carini -> Tweezer > Death Don’t Hurt Very Long -> Tweezer > No Quarter > Also Sprach Zarathustra > First Tube

    Encore: Shine a Light, Tweezer Reprise

    Notes: Wolfman’s Brother contained Party Time quotes. Trey teased Can’t Always Listen in the first Tweezer. Tweezer Reprise contained a Death Don’t Hurt Very Long quote.

  • Listen to Velocihamster’s heavy metal version of Phish’s “First Tube”

    Lap steel guitarist Sean Williamson recently released his tribute to Phish with a heavy metal version of their rock anthem “First Tube” under the moniker Velocihamster. Williamson’s take on “First Tube” incorporates jam rock elements into the guitarist’s pioneering hard-rock lap steel work.

    velocihamster first tube

    Nominated for a Grammy in 2001 for “Best Rock Instrumental,” “First Tube” is a staple at Phish shows, typically closing out a high energy set or appearing as an encore.

    Lap steel is featured exclusively on upcoming full-length Velocihamster album Balls to the Wall, which features Williamson modeling his approach after the acrobatic electric guitar leads typically heard in progressive metal and “Djent” genres. The debut Velocihamster album Wheel of Steel released in 2018 garnered the attention in Guitar World & Guitar Player magazines, earning the project recognition as “the world’s first lap steel metal band.”

    Williamson says of the challenges he embraced on the new album:

    “Lap steel guitar has no boundaries, so neither should this project. Trey (Anastasio) is on my Mt. Rushmore of musical influences and it’s exciting to explore an alternative approach to his trademark style and share it with a new audience.”

  • JamFam Music & Arts Festival Announces Initial Lineup: New Riders of the Purple Sage, Melvin Seals and JGB Plus More

    JamFam Music & Arts Festival has just released the initial lineup for the 2020 festival slated to take place at Waterloo Village from July 24-26 in Stanhope, NJ. Headlining the festival is New Riders of the Purple Sage and Melvin Seals and JGB. The New Riders of the Purple Sage will be celebrating 50 years together with a special show dedicated to the band’s pedal steel guitar player who recently passed away.

    New Riders of the Purple Sage perform “Up Against the Wall Redneck” Live

    Jazz Is Phsh, lespecial, Out of the Beardspace, Flux Capacitor, Creamery Station and many more finish the initial lineup, with more artist announcements expected to be coming soon.

    Nestled in the Appalachian Mountains of Northwester New Jersey, JamFam Music & Arts Festival is a two day camping event that creates a haven of continuous music taking place. Waterloo Village has played host to stellar performances since the 80s including Phish, Bob Dylan and the 1994 Woodstock.

    “Our goal was to ignite the hallowed grounds of Waterloo and create a new beginning for this iconic venue while keeping the area spotless. The JamFam Music & Arts Festival will feature a ‘Leave No Footprint’ commitment to eco-conscious partying and music with an aim to protect the beautiful and lush landscape and environment.”

    Founder & Producer, Michael Kestin
    (As stated in a press release)

    Available now are a limited number of 2-Day Early Bird Passes and VIP Packages. Once the full daily schedules are announced single day passes will become available. Tickets are available at the JamFam website.

    Melvin Seals and JGB perform live at Jerry Jam 2017 “That’s What Love Will Make You Do”

  • In Focus: Mike Gordon kicks off Winter Tour at State Theatre of Ithaca

    On the cusp of a winter storm, blanketing the Northeast, Ithaca was bustling with energy ahead of the start of Mike Gordon tour at State Theatre on Friday, January 17. Mike took time during the show to reference Phish’s February 1991 show at the State Theatre, recalling the show as “the night we gave the van away,” when the band gave away Fishman’s family minivan to an audience member. Nearly 30 years later, Mike suggested that this time he said he was giving away a Hummer limo. He did not and the show continued.

    Mike Gordon Ithaca

    Throughout the night, Mike weaved Little Feat’s “Sailin’ Shoes” between songs, as well used “I Am Random,” “Pendulum” and “Victim” to sandwich additional songs in between, including a debut cover of Aimee Mann’s “Save Me,” inside “Pendulum.” Two Phish staples stood out as highlights in the second set – a percussion heavy “Cities” and a slow and groovy “Funky Bitch” for an encore. Mike Gordon heads into the Midwest this week as the tour heads to Seattle for the final show on February 1.

    Mike Gordon Ithaca

    Set 1: Victim, Say Something > Victim > Victim 3D, Steps, Borrowing Rain [1], Sailin’ Shoes > Jumping, Sughn Never Sets.

    Set 2: Pendulum > Save Me [2] > Pendulum, Acid Man, I Am Random > Sailin’ Shoes > I Am Random, Cities > Crazy Sometimes > Sailin’ Shoes > Crazy Sometimes

    Encore: Funky Bitch[1] Debut.
    [2] Mike Gordon debut.

  • In Focus: TAB End a Weekend at The Cap

    Trey Anastasio Band )TAB) closed a sold out, two-night run at the historic Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, on Saturday. Fresh off ringing in a new decade, up in the rafters of Madison Square Garden, Trey and his amazing band warmed up the theatre with energy and ease. The original rock palace served as a perfect setting, allowing for a more intimate and special-filled night of fan favorites, and debuts.

    The weekend was a springboard for a short winter tour to begin mid-January.

    The night kicked off with a mellow “Everything’s Right.” The highlight of the first set came with the debut of “Silver Light,” only to kick back with “Ocelot,” and round out with “Rise/Come Together.” After a short break, the second set ensued: “46 Days,” a bass heavy “Sand,” an eight-minute “Mr. Completely,” and a classic “First Tube,” to close out a great night. The octet returned to the stage for a 12-minute encore (of a not-so) “Brief Time” and “Push on Till the Day”

    Set One: Everything’s Right, Cayman Review, Acting The Devil, Alive Again, Sometime After the Sunset, Silver Light, Mozzambique, Ocelot, Curlew’s Call, Rise/Come Together.

    Set Two: Burlap Sack and Pumps, 46 Days, Magilla, Sand, A life Beyond The Dream, Liquid Time, Heavy Things, Traveler, Mr. Completely, Dark and Down, First Tube.

    Encore: Brief Time, Push On Til The Day.