Tag: Trey Anastasio Band

20 Years Later: Oysterhead Plays The Utica Memorial Auditorium

Hey Uticats, Police, Primus, and Phish fans, do you remember when Oysterhead played the Utica Memorial Auditorium on November 9, 2001? It was Stewart Copeland and Les Claypool’s first time in Utica. Trey Anastasio’s first of four musical projects debuted in the Mohawk River city at the base of the Adirondacks.

If you recorded the HBO show Reverb ,you’ll have a VHS tape of Oysterhead’s inaugural tour footage from Los Angeles’s Palladium to New York City’s Roseland Ballroom during its Fall 2001 episode. Their last television performance would be from NBC studios in NYC for on Late Night with Conan O’Brien.

Ironic collaboration considering the trios background during the 1980’s. Stewart Copeland went from playing the Fire Barn Club across from Syracuse City Hall with his band “The Police” to selling out the Carrier Dome a year later at Syracuse University & various other arenas across the world during the decade.

Les Claypool was in California during the 1980’s auditioning for Metallica’s vacant bassist slot at the time. He was also brainstorming with drummer Jay Lane and guitarist Larry LaLonde about a new project called Primus.

In 1983, we know that Trey Anastasio just hooked up with Syracuse native drummer Jon Fishman at University of Vermont to form their new group appropriately named Phish.

The only collision was during Fall Tour 1996 when Les Claypool and his band Primus sat in with Phish for “Wildwood Weed Harpua” in Las Vegas. Phish covered “So Lonely”by the Police in November 1998. That’s all we knew. These artists were certainly castaways at sea during the 1980’s while The Police’s “Roxanne” dominated the air waves.

It all started in New Orleans by “Superfly” during Jazz Fest who curate random musicians to play the late night gig. Les was called on by Superfly with the intention “of musicians to get other interesting musicians to play a night club after Jazz Fest” Claypool called up Trey and Stewart from always wanting to work with them. It was that simple. Although Trey told HBO’s Reverb of the trios seed while the pearls were jamming

I get these glimpses of potential and chemistry between the three of us. First time we got together we did a jam in my barn and I thought it was incredible. Then we did the Strand Theater show and I thought it kind of sucked. But then Stewart sent me the good moments of the show and those motivated me…We got to do another album, We got to tour Japan.
Trey Anastasio

Trey told The New Yorker in Fall of 2015 the hilarity of the trio snowshoeing through Vermont to the surprise of locals who recognized the formation. “Could you imagine walking through the snowy woods and seeing me Les and Stewart on the trail?” They didn’t make it to Japan but they made their way to Utica, New York’s Memorial Auditorium for their 14th show of a national 22 tour date support of their only album The Grand Pecking Order.

The Oysterhead trio’s distinct backgrounds came to light in Utica when Les addressed a sign from the GA crowd in bold magic marker titled “Les is Evil.” Claypool told the New York audience during Rubberneck Lions:

I’m looking directly at a bright red sign that says Les is Evil. I don’t know if that’s a fair thing to say. Are you saying in comparison to Mr. Happy Pants Trey Anipasta that I’m the evil one? Is what your saying? Because in the grand scheme of things compared to Marilyn Manson or GG Allin… I’m not very evil. In this situation if were looking at Trey Anastasio as the symbol of good than yes i am a symbol of evil. But not so much evil like ah Satan or Vlad the Impaler. More like Evil Kanevil… If there was a Harley Davidson sportster in this room and four trucks…I would jump those sons of bitches for you all
Les Claypool

Les Claypool & Trey Anastasio traded vocals all evening, with the 2001 anthem “Army’s on Ecstasy” resonating with the fall crowd. The Army’s on ecstasy so they say, I read all about it in USA Today. During “Shadow of Man,” Les appeared from the darkened hockey rink stage with a pair of extended eye balls attached to a LED space helmet portraying psychedelic illuminations toward the performance.

Trey used Jimmy Page like theremin signals from his antler-adorned custom Languedoc guitar, flickering sounds from the edge of his palm to the Upstate crowd. His acoustic Martin was pulled out for the twangy tune “Birthday Boys,” a tun that Claypool referenced in Colorado in February 2020, that the song is about four things. “Vegas, a penis, some cocaine and pair of breasts.” Trey added “it’s also about Kid Rock who was there with Les and I… the birthday boys”

Stewart Copeland emerged from behind his hanging percussion kit adjacent to the drum rig for all the bells and whistles of sound. He even got on vocals asking the clergy to “Wield the Spade.” After funking out on “Mr. Oysterhead” to close the night, the trio paid homage to the most Viking-like rock acts to grace the Americas, as Les Claypool took on Robert Plant’s howling for a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” for the encore.

Oysterhead flew full circle to the Northeast this past July 4 at the Peach Music Festival on Montage Mountain. It marked the bands first headlining festival gig since the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Summer of 2006. They are set to headline the Sweet Water 420 fest in Georgia with Trey Anastasio Band in 2021.

Les Claypool returned to Utica just once in 2019 to the Saranac Brewery as part of The Lennon Claypool Delirium show. Attendees in the Utica crowd that night were fellow bassist Krist Novoselic from Nirvana and Rochester harpist Mikaela Davis. In November 2005 Trey returned to the Aud with Tony Hall on bass as changing cast of the Trey Anastasio Band during the Phish hiatus. The 11/11 nights special guests included Jon Fishman and Mike Gordon with the exception of Page McConnell. On Phish Fall Tour 2010 the Vermont quartet culminated their concert film Guyutica on DVD upon return to the Utica Memorial Auditorium, There is something about those Upstate, NY hockey arena stages that just rock.

God Damn, Playing in this Hockey Arena rink shit is fun
Les Claypool, Utica

Oysterhead, Friday 11/09/2001 Memorial Auditorium: Utica, NY

Set: Oz is Ever Floating, Rubberneck Lions, Little Faces—>Hello Skinny—>Army’s on Ecstasy, Radon Balloon, Pseudo Suicide, Shadow of a Man, Wield the Spade, Birthday Boys*, Mr Oysterhead

Encore: Immigrant Song**

*acoustic
**Led Zeppelin Cover

November 9, 2021
Trey Anastasio Band Bring New Life To Classics At Radio City Music Hall

Trey Anastasio Band officially closed out their fall tour with back-to-back shows at Radio City Music Hall over Saturday, October 2nd and Sunday October 3rd. It was the group’s first performance at the legendary venue since 2018’s ” A Concert for Island Relief,” where TAB teamed up with Dave Matthews Band and more to raise money for hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico.

photo by Rene Heumer

This year’s Radio City shows arrived during a similarly turbulent time for both the world and Trey Anastasio Band. Despite the band’ precautions, the lineup was drastically affected by COVID – 19. First came the loss of Jennifer Hartswick to a mild case of the virus, which put the rest of the brass section in quarantine. Then, shortly before a Columbus, Ohio show, Russ Lawton tested positive as well. Thus, on Saturday night, TAB performed as a five piece, with Jon Fishman again stepping in for Lawton.

As Ray Paczkowski put it:

We thought about it like, half the band is TAB, half the band is Phish. And we want it to sound like something that isn’t quite either.

Though powerhouses like Hartswick and Russ Lawton were impossible not to miss, the tapered-down nature of the band allowed TAB the freedom to improvise. The set stayed playful and experimental throughout, and Jon Fishman’s presence behind the drum kit felt familiar while adding a layer of mystery.

Furthermore, a smaller band gave newer members an opportunity to shine. Bassist Dezron Douglas joined the band this fall with enormous shoes to fill after the tragic loss of Tony Markellis. Markellis, who joined Trey’s earliest solo project in 1998, was a force of nature and a steady heartbeat within the band. Though Markellis remains one-of-a-kind, Douglas’ jazz roots and dexterous abilities add a new element to TAB. Reportedly, Russ Lawton specifically requested working with Douglas as the band sought a new bassist for this tour.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KklDY5VjUkI

Douglas, who studied at the Hartford Conservatory of Music with Hartswick, brings the life and freedom of jazz to his masterful electric bass work. A classically trained double-bassist who first heard Phish in high school, he embodies the timeless quality of TAB’s music. No matter how many times TAB has performed a song, it never feels the same. Their music, like their ensemble, grows and changes as the years go on.

With their rendition of “Mr. Completely” thoroughly embodying their ability to rejuvenate old classics. Highlights included Douglas’ perfect syncopation on bass to Cyro Baptista’s insane percussion break, where he built a beat out of bird calls as the rest of the band went silent. The energy in the audience marked a TAB show at its very best; fans of all ages focused on letting a rhythm take them, dancing their hearts out together. For some 20-odd minutes, the harmony rang throughout the audience.

Despite setbacks along the road and the constraints of touring during COVID-19, the TAB live experience was fully intact at Radio City. After their hiatus from the venue, TAB offered a little bit of everything, from a heartwrenching Paczkowski/Anastasio duet of “Shade” to crowd favorite “Twist.” The packed house got a joyous and poignant set that honored those missing and welcomed new (and familiar) faces back again. As Paczkowski said, the goal was to create something a little TAB, a little Phish, but also new and singular. By the time TAB landed on classic closer “First Tube,” the crowd dancing madly in the aisles, it was clear that job was done.

Setlist via Phish.net

Trey Anastasio Band – Radio City Music Hall, New York City – Sunday, October 3, 2021

Set 1: 46 Days, Tube, In Rounds, Gotta Jibboo, Cayman Review > Blaze On

Set 2: Party Time > Ghost > Mr. Completely, Shade > Twist

Encore: When the Words Go Away*, Theme From the Bottom*, More*, First Tube

* = Trey Anastasio solo acoustic

Sunday review by Matt Romano

The final evening of Trey Anastasio Band’s 2021 tour was a Sunday to remember. The revolving cast of musicians included Trey Anastasio and Jon Fishman’s first time together on the infamous stage at Radio City since Spring of 2000. It’s important to understand the level of composition versus improvisation Trey’s music takes on for whomever joins him on stage. Keyboardist Ray Packzkowski, percussionist Cyro Baptista and bassist Dezron Douglas were all the right cats to join in the moment at Rockefeller.

A nod to the NYC subways helped the show open with “Get Back on the Train.” Having Cyro add another layer of percussion to Fishman’s grooves all night was reminiscent of Phish’s Halloween’s shows in Atlantic City 2010 with Giovanni Hidalgo and Atlanta 1996 with Karl Perrazo. Dezron Douglas’ bottom end locked in with them served up the funkiest “Moma Dance” to date that clocked in over 20 minutes. “Undermind” also included heavy drum grooves with Jon and Cyro exploring all of the skins in front of them. “Ocelot,” “Set Your Soul Free” and a chilling set closing “Dark and Down” helped wrap up a complete jam heavy 6-song set.

The second set opened the Art Deco venue with Tony Markellis’ infamous bass line to “Sand” This ensemble really had all three mezzanines grooving immediately. Paczkowski’s rig sounded as if it was coming from Radio City’s organ in the main theatre, the largest instrument ever built by the Wurlitzer company. “Everything’s Right” served up the longest layer of improvisation clocking in at over 35 minutes of sound stretching out to the grand foyer. Ups, downs, ins and outs… it was hair raising. Trey returned to his Upper West Side abode for “Lonely Trip” and never “Never Left Home,” recorded solo during his NYC quarantine. Dezron Douglas’ bass line sounds like jelly jam to Trey’s lyrics on this. “Oh, I’ll never be halted, I always shall roam. Oh, scaling the cliffs and enjoying the view” The band then closed the show with a dark and extended “Carini.”

The encore was full of special dedications and moments to TAB members current and past. Trey let the crowd know that members Russ Lawton, Jennifer Hartswick, Natalie Cressman, Coachema Gastelum and James Casey were all in good health and on the mend despite their absence. A soul Sunday nod to Markellis was sent out to the theater as well. Trey appropriately performed “Strange Design” and “Backwards Down the Number Line” on the acoustic guitar to reference all these friends as part of the tour’s ever changing ride.

He then invited special guest James Casey to the stage in hand with alto soprano sax for backing vocals on the last three songs. “Evolve” “Rise/Come Together” and “Life Beyond a Dream” Casey’s sax blew like Branford under the great proscenium arch that sits above the stage. All three songs’ message is saturated in positivity and optimism towards whatever life can throw at you. Love is the message here. “We’re all looking for a little more love to shine a light and lift us up,” “Don’t give up hope. Keep on dreaming.”

Setlist via Phish.net

Trey Anastasio Band – Radio City Music Hall, New York City – Sunday, October 3, 2021

Set 1: Back on the Train > The Moma Dance, Undermind > Ocelot, Set Your Soul Free, Dark and Down

Set 2: Sand, Everything’s Right, Lonely Trip, I Never Left Home > Carini

Encore: Strange Design ^[1], Backwards Down the Number Line^[1], Evolve ^[2], Rise/Come Together ^[3], A Life Beyond The Dream^[3]
[1] Trey solo acoustic.
[2] With James Casey on saxophone.
[3] With James Casey on additional vocals and saxophone.

October 5, 2021
Trey Anastasio Band Welcomes New Members at Westville Music Bowl

What a Sunday for a summer review in September. Trey Anastasio Band debuted their new lineup at Yale’s Westville Music Bowl in New Haven, CT. During its brief history, TAB has continued to add members, starting as a trio and evolving into an octet. New bassist Dezron Douglas said, “I’ve been familiar with his work with Phish since high school; I’m from Hartford, CT, so you can’t grow up in New England and not know about Phish.”

photo by Andrew Blackstein

Brooklyn saxophonist Cochemea Gastelum, filling in for James Casey, has worked with Aaron Neville, David Byrne and St Vincent, and collaborated with Soulive drummer Alan Evans. Cochemea is part of Brooklyn’s emerging afrobeat and soul scene and is a great fit with TAB drummer Russ Lawton and keyboardist Ray Paczkowski’s sound. Like Trey this summer with Phish, Soule Monde has been on the road supporting their new album Mimi Digs It, leading up to this East Coast TAB run. Insert Cyro Baptista’s full percussion sections and add Jennifer Hartswick and Natalie Cressman on horns and backing vocals and it’s a whole new groove.

A 6:30pm start time at the Westville Music Bowl allowed the whole crowd to be visible from the stage. Trey commented, “This place is pretty cool, I can see all of you.” They kicked it off and suggested to the crowd “to roll with the funk now and turn it around” during “Set Your Soul Free.” “Olivia” stayed Latin-funky, from Trey’s Horseshoe Curve album. Rolling with the funk now, the band then took on Phish’s “Ghost.” That saw Ray P stretching out on the clavinet. More fitting for a new band lineup is new material to debut, including “And Flew Away” and “Never Left Home” from Anastasio’s Lonely Trip record. Jennifer Hartswick’s voice carries across the Long Island Sound like water on the breeze during “Night Speaks to a Woman.”

The second set opened with one of the funkiest recent TAB songs, “In Rounds,” another groove Ray Paczkoswki can dig in on his clavinet. The late Tony Markellis‘ infamous groove to “Sand” kept his spiritual funk present with the new ensemble, one that Russ Lawton told NYS Music was a staple “still in the setlist after 20 odd years.” The afrobeat to “Curlews Call” allowed new saxophonist Cochemea Gastelum to also stretch out on stage. The variety in TAB’s catalog opened up another portal during “Quantegy,” off One Man’s Trash.

Photo by Scott Harris

As a full moon graced the stage, the band gave a nod to the skies and grooving audience that “we got the moon and stars above” in “Drifting.” Fans could hear the freeway calling as Natalie Cressman and Jennifer Hartswick provided amazing backing vocals on “Traveler.” The band closed with their infamous composition of exploration, “Mr. Completely.” Depending on the room, TAB has had made balconies shake since 2002 with this jam. The lyrics “Sunday morning shadows in the shade…” fit perfectly in the encore slot at the old Yale Tennis stadium with “Ether Sunday,” followed by the always welcome “First Tube” finale.

“First Tube” was played acoustically this year as tribute to Tony Markellis in Saratoga Springs, with Oysterhead at the Peach Fest and on Summer 2021 tour with Phish. It was appropriate for him to end the evening with this staple written by the original trio, to the new cast who can take it any direction on any given night.

The freedom in this music is that although it’s composed, there is room for every member to express themselves during the blended improvisational moments. Ray Packzkowski told NYS Music, “Yea it’s actually a beautiful thing,” regarding music in the moment that can’t be recreated: The band closes out this tour at the venerable Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan October 2 and 3.

Trey Anastasio Band – Westville Music Bowl, New Haven, CT – September 19, 2021

Setlist via Phish.net

Soundcheck: Just A Touch, Evolve (this soundcheck may be incomplete)

Set 1: Set Your Soul Free, Olivia, …And Flew Away, Alive Again > Ghost, Liquid Time, I Never Left Home, Night Speaks to a Woman

Set 2: In Rounds, Camel Walk, Sand, Curlew’s Call > Quantegy > Drifting > Traveler > Mr. Completely

Encore: Ether Sunday, First Tube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJe0AN32uoc&t=64s

September 21, 2021
Trey Anastasio Band Announces 2021 Fall Tour, New Bassist Dezron Douglas

Trey Anastasio Band (TAB) is returning to the road for a fall 2021 tour, complete with a two-night stand at Radio City Music Hall. TAB is also introducing new bassist Dezron Douglas. Douglas joins the band in the wake of original member Tony Markellis’s recent passing.

The fall tour begins September 17 at Thompson’s Point in Portland, ME and will close out with the two shows at Radio City on October 2 and 3. The complete list of dates is below.

Presale begin Wednesday, July 14 at noon ET. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Friday, July 16 starting at 10am ET. For complete details, please visit trey.com/tour.

Douglas’s addition to TAB is huge news for fans and for Anastasio himself, who released an official statement outlining his excitement.

I’m thrilled to welcome the incredible Dezron Douglas to TAB. A longtime friend and collaborator of virtually every member of the band, Dezron is a master of reggae, funk and jazz bass. Russ, Ray, Dezron and I had some deep jams in the city recently, and Dezron’s playing is pure flow, heart, spirit and soul. We all can’t wait to get out on the road together. Thank you Dezron, Welcome to the Band! See you all soon!
Trey Anastasio

Dezron Douglas

Last year saw Trey Anastasio Band release a new live album, Burn It Down, a three-dimensional sonic time capsule that captures the eight-piece band on their January 2020 tour. Produced and mixed by Vance Powell (Phish, Chris Stapleton, Jack White), the 15-song collection shows TAB at the peak of its powers, combining their trademark tight musicianship with unbounded performances. Burn It Down is digitally streaming now and the vinyl will be available on August 20 (now available for preorder).

TREY ANASTASIO BAND FALL TOUR 2021
SEPTEMBER

17 – Portland, ME – Thompson’s Point

18 – Boston, MA – Leader Bank Pavilion

19 – New Haven, CT – Westville Music Bowl

21 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met

22 – Charlottesville, VA – Ting Pavilion

24 – Wilmington, NC – Riverfront Park Amphitheater

25 – Charlotte, NC – Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre

26 – Asheville, NC – Rabbit Rabbit

28 – Columbus, OH – Express Live Outdoors

29 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE Outdoors

OCTOBER

1 – Washington, DC – Anthem

2 – New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall

3 – New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall

July 13, 2021
Infamous 2002 Trey Anastasio Band performance at Stanley Theatre in Utica released

One of the most raucous shows in Stanley Theatre history has finally gotten an official release. The October 25, 2002 performance of Trey Anastasio Band in Utica, best remembered for fans dancing so intensely that the balcony was visibly bouncing, causing the band to cease amplified performance late in the second set.

This gig was originally scheduled to take place at Utica’s Memorial Auditorium, and then was later rescheduled for the Stanley Performing Arts Center

On the Osiris Network series ‘Alive Again’, Anastasio recalled in Episode 2 the intensity of that night’s performance, and how he and the band reacted to the balcony visibly bouncing up and down.

The show itself was a true rocker. In addition to the debut of “Perhaps,” the unique opener “Javier Cinakowski” was followed by an 18-minute “Night Speaks to the Woman” which set the tone for the evening. During a late Set 2 “Mr. Completely,” clocking in at 28 minutes, pieces of plaster were falling from the balcony. Unbeknownst to the band at the time, who kept playing and feeding off the energy of the audience, road manager Brad Sands had to go on stage and tell the band to stop playing.

The balcony was going up and down and then these plaster pieces started falling on people’s heads. The balcony was shaking so much that it started breaking the plaster. Everyone’s panicking as people are animalistic dancing..
Trey Anastasio on ‘Alive Again’

For the rest of the evening, songs without amplification were performed as a safety precaution. Prior to the encore, an audience member shouted “Free Bird!,” which prompted Anastasio to share two stories (after declining the request), including Phish offering up an a cappella rendition of “Free Bird” for a Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute album that was ultimately turned down.

Phish would perform their own memorable show at the Utica Aud in October 2010. Download the TAB show from 10/25/02 now at LivePhish.com.

Via RJ Bee

Trey Anastasio Band – Stanley Theatre, Utica, NY – October 25, 2002

Setlist via Phish.net

Set 1: Javier Cinakowski, Night Speaks to a Woman, Acting the Devil, The Way I Feel, Mozambique, Perhaps ^[1], Last Tube

Set 2: Curlew’s Call, Windora Bug, At the Barbeque, Mr. Completely, Ray Dawn Balloon ^[2], At the Gazebo

Encore: Pebbles and Marbles^[2]
[1] TAB debut.
[2] Trey solo acoustic.

June 25, 2021
Soule Monde speaks on New Album ‘Mimi Digs It’

Russ Lawton and Ray Paczkowski ended 2020 with an eight week residency in New York City as part of the wonderful cast for Trey Anastasio’s Beacon Jams. Outside of TAB, the duo operate as the highly funky Afrobeat-influenced group Soule Monde.

They started 2021 ablaze, rehearsing before going into the studio for their fourth album release Mimi Digs It. The eight-track album digs an even deeper trench of grooves. The landscape of the recording comes from Central Vermont’s Sugarhouse Sound Studio on Mad River Road in Waitsfield.

Mimi Digs It is simple: Russ on the Gold Gretsch drum kit and Ray on Wurlitzer, Clavinet, and howling B3 Hammond organ. After just three days, the material was sent to Concrete Sound in Brooklyn for the finishing touches. For more insight on the new album the dynamic duo took some time in between a new session at Sugarhouse to speak with NYS Music for a lunchtime chat.

Matthew Romano: Hey guys. Thanks for taking the time to speak with us today.

Ray Paczkowski: Hey it’s Ray.

Russ Lawton: We’re open. We’re here for the afternoon rehearsing and appreciate your interest for the interview.

MR: I was able to listen to the new album this week on a road trip from Key West to New York State.

RL: Oh cool, yea its got that cruising kind of vibe to it.

MR: Biggest question on this project’s recording since it sounds so off-the-cuff is how much of this is improvisation and how much is composition?

RP: There’s composition and basically Russ will come up with a beat or I’ll come up with a melody or some chord progression and we put it together. We do the parts and sections of the songs. But then on any given night it can totally change… it can go in any direction. So when we went in the studio we kind of had a sense of how the structure should be. Then we would improvise.

RL: The perfect example of composition improv is the song “Gateway Drug.” It’s got the two sections and breaks down the middle. After we recorded that, we should have had a little bit of an idea. But that’s totally what we just did that day. It will probably never be that same way again. Ya know what I mean?

MR: Absolutely. This kind of music sounds so soulful in the moment that it can’t be recreated for what you’re feeling at the time. If that’s what ends up on tape then so be it.

RP: Yea its actually a beautiful thing.

RL: I think about “Tinyland.” It was the last thing we worked on before we went into the studio. Matter of fact, one of the sections was two days before and when Ray came up with that organ line in the beginning we were in the control room like, yea use that. It stays in my head everyday now (laughter).

MR: I wanted to ask you about your influences on Soule Monde’s sound but you guys are already in a unique category with a drummer/keyboard duo like this. Do any artists stick out?

RP: It’s pretty much straight my music. What I’m feeling. I would say as far as influences, that it’s more “the sound” players get. Not so much what they’re playing. Although, Someone like Jimmy Smith, those guys… Thelonius Monk, it’s amazing. They have their own melodic harmonic concepts going on. But really what I listen for is “the sound” that they’re getting. Like with Jimmy Smith, the sound of his organ. I had the privilege to open for him years ago and snuck up to his gear after soundcheck and was looking at all the settings. That’s what I’m interested in. “The sound” that comes out of that machine in a way.

MR: Funny you mention Monk. I passed along the Monks Tips for a Gig to Trey, Russ, and Tony at the Beacon Jams. Tony was quoted about your playing Ray. “He’s brilliant. I mean his playing is unlike anybody, he’s kind of playing like Monk in a rock setting that nobody does and he makes it work.”

May 2011: Ray, Russ, and Tony covering Monk

RP: (Laughter) Oh that was you? Ok alright.

RL: (Laughter) Yeah that’s great.

MR: Yea, Ray you turned me on to Brian Blade with Chick Corea and Christian McBride at Beacon Jams. They ended up winning the Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Album this year. I was able to speak with Steve Gadd last month about his work with Chick Corea and he mentioned a story about Chick jumping behind drums to work something out. Have you ever jumped behind the kit Ray?

RP: I don’t play drums at all but I’ll have sort of a basic kind of rhythmic idea. Like “CC’s Dream,” that song. I hear this sort of reggae thing but I wouldn’t even know what to call it, but I hear this rhythm in my head. I show Russ the rudimentary and he took it from there and made it into something cool.

RL: It’s called collaborating. No matter what it takes to get the idea across because sometimes you don’t totally know what is in somebody’s head. I played with these African percussionists for a long time and man we would put this stuff together. Talking about influences that’s on a lot of Soule Monde still is this band I was in, Lofty’s Zzebra. Afrobeat sound mixed with a rock edge influence. But even with me, certain snare things, I’m like yea that’s John Bonham. Even the first song “Tinyland” my daughter said sounds like Bonham in the beginning. Also, Art Blakey kind of sounds are an influence. I got to see him one time which was amazing.

Lofty’s Zzebra

MR: Is it safe to say this album compared to previous ones has a little bit more straight funk grooves over Afrobeat?

RP: Yea this seems more of a funk base. There’s a tune called “Ollie ’88” we worked hard on for a long time. That kind of informed some of the rhythms on this album. But I think you’re right. Ya know in the past, “Take My Hand” and “Mina” were definitely more Afrobeat-based.

MR: How about the funky title track “Mimi Digs It”? Wasn’t it inspired by one of your chickens, Ray?

RP: Yea when we were rehearsing for the recording. We have a bunch of chickens here, one in particular named Mimi. Ya know it gets loud in the barn when we play and all of the chickens would run away except for Mimi. Ya know I think maybe she was deaf or something (laughter). She would like to get up on the keyboards and were like, “Oh Mimi Digs it” and that became the name of the track and then the record.

MR: Could have also been a nod to Mimi Fishman who was a great artist.

Mimi Fishman Art, Eggplant Diner Syracuse

RP: I’m waiting for Jon Fishman to call and say, “What are you making a record about my mother?” Yea our friend Pappy Biondo from the band Cabinet did the cover art for the album.

RL: Yea he’s a good friend of ours that lives in Vermont. He did our album cover for our last Christmas song too.

MR: I was able to get through on the Beacon Jam streams to revisit an infamous Trey Anastasio Band show from Utica’s Stanley Theater in October of 2002. The crowd was rocking to the beat of the humanity and plaster fell from the balcony. Trey, Tony and Cyro spoke on it. What do you remember about that infamous gig?

RP: We were watching it from the stage and, ya know, started commenting, “Man, that balcony is really moving!” The local fire marshal is always at a show. Then Trey’s like, “You see that balcony moving!?” And then he calls, if I remember right, “Sand.” Ya know because it was gonna be a heavy groove and then the fire marshal came on stage “No No No!”

RL: The fire marshal is like can you play something more mellower? We’re like “no” (laughter).

MR: I know you guys were in the middle of “Mr. Completely” before it all came to a halt and went acoustic. Did a fire marshal also come on stage for Valentine’s Day in Red Bank, New Jersey 2010 during “Sand” as well that prompted the house lights on mid-jam to a quick conga line by you guys through the crowd back to the stage?

RP: No that was because someone pulled the alarm. They were ejecting someone and he grabbed the fire alarm on the way out

MR: What is it about “Sand” that is the ultimate groove to get everyone in the house moving?

RL: It’s still in the setlist after 20 odd years.

RP: That’s Tony’s bass line

RL: That’s Tony man, oh my god.

Tony “The Meaning of Life” Markellis

The best way to listen to the band’s new record is from their Vinyl option that includes a signed copy and even a batch of Ray’s homemade syrup from his farm. The duo will play live to start the Summer concert series in 2021 at Sugarhouse where they recorded the album on May 29. Make the trip to Central Vermont and watch these guys lay it down for yourself. You can grab tickets here.

May 7, 2021
In Memoriam: Bassist Tony Markellis

Tony Markellis, a Saratoga Springs resident for more than four decades, and co-founding member of Trey Anastasio Band, has died. Markellis’ death was noted in a Facebook post by his nephew Cory Markellis. The cause of death has not been shared.

Tony with Trey Anastasio Band, February 19, 2011, Palace Theatre, Albany

Born in Helena, Montana, Tony began playing bass in third grade and never looked back. Living in Saratoga Springs for 45 years, as a bassist, he had a wide range. Over his 47-year career, he played blues, folk, jazz, rock, country and bluegrass with musicians including Anastasio, Paul Butterfield, The Mamas & the Papas, Johnny Shines, David Bromberg, David Amram, Paul Siebel, Rosalie Sorrels, Eric Von Schmidt, Ellen McIlwaine, Mary McCaslin, Railbird, Jo Henley, Russ Lawton, Ray Paczkowski, Jennifer Hartswick, Natalie Cressman, James Casey, and Floodwood.

Tony was a founding member of the groundbreaking Vermont-based jazz fusion group Kilimanjaro, as well as the Unknown Blues Band featuring Big Joe Burrell. At the 2017 Grand Point North Festival, Anastasio revealed that Tony was the reason he eventually decided to go to UVM.

I went into this bar, I had just gotten off the plane, I was 18-years-old. Hunt’s, this used to be a great club and I went in and I saw this band that to this day I would say is my favorite band of all time. I was completely floored by the musicianship and the coolness and that was the moment that I wanted to move to Burlington was when I saw these guys. And of course, that band was Big Joe And The Unknown Blues Band.
Trey Anastasio

Tony was the first member brought on for Trey’s solo project, which began with 8 Foot Flourescent Tubes, evolved into a trio with drummer Russ Lawton, who Tony suggested to Trey, and eventually into a 7-10 piece band over the course of 2001 through today. He was part of Anastasio’s introspective 2019 album and band, Ghosts of the Forest. Markellis would also help develop songs with Anastasio for the Broadway musical, Hands on a Hardbody.

Tony gained fans once again during the Beacon Jams in the Fall of 2020, where his presence, humor and bass playing anchored an incredible run of 8 weeks of musicianship. “You can spatchcock just about anything” went from a backstage comment by Tony to Trey, to an onstage banter and meme among fans.

photo by Jake Silco

Tom Mitchell, whose first record was produced by Tony in 1976, said on Facebook, “He was the bass player that made everyone sound better.”

Read a 2011 interview with Tony Markellis

Markellis leaves behind a legacy that includes co-writing Phish staples “Sand,” “First Tube” and “Gotta Jibboo,” the latter of which he would join Phish for at Saratoga Performing Arts Center on June 20, 2010. At the final show of Trey Anastasio Band’s inaugural summer tour on August 5, 2001 at SPAC, Trey held up a sign that said “We’re on Tony Tour,” a photo of which Tony proudly displays on his website.

More recently, Markellis published a book of short stories, titled Life…Real & Imagined, published by Vermont’s Shires Press. He very recently contributed to Marcus Rezak’s album Truth in Sound, released on April 30, 2021, on Color Red Music.

Trey Anastasio shared his thoughts on his friends and bandmate on social media.

Tony Markellis passed away yesterday. He was a truly remarkable human being. He was kind and had a sweetness to his personality, and he was the baddest bass player I’ve ever heard. I loved Tony, and I always will. I’m having a hard time processing this. Tony was the heartbeat to so much of my life, and to the lives of so many others. He played bass for my first dance with Sue at our wedding. We wrote First Tube and Sand together, and played so many years, so many memories.
I was very lucky to have had a very long phone conversation with Tony only a few days ago. We talked for almost two hours. We caught up on family, friends, and funny pandemic thoughts. It wasn’t often that we talked on the phone like that. I had no idea it would be our last conversation. Now it feels like it happened for a reason.
I’m so grateful today for those hours, and for all of the years together.
Tony, we’ll all miss you. Thank you for the gifts you brought to all of us.
RIP my friend.
Trey Anastasio

May 1, 2021
22 Years Later: Trey Anastasio Band makes Landmark Theatre Debut

Thursday, February 22, 2001 was a frigid night in Syracuse, yet Armory Square was alive and well. With no Phish for the foreseeable future, and no New Year’s Eve performance that past December, the energy this evening was unmistakably palpable as Trey Anastasio Band made their debut performance at Syracuse’s Landmark Theatre.

Only their second show of 2001’s Winter Tour, Trey Anastasio Band (TAB) offered fans a glimpse of what was to come from this new yet familiar cast of supporting musicians joining Trey, and how the void left by Phish’s hiatus would be filled by the band leader.

Trey had originally played with drummer Russ Lawton and bassist Tony Markellis in 8 Foot Fluorescent Tubes in 1998, making the trio the core of a band that continues to perform today, even through the pandemic. Trey added in a three-piece horn section alongside Russ and Tony, bringing in Andy Moroz (trombone), Giant Country Horns member Dave “The Truth” Grippo (saxophone) and Jennifer Hartswick (trumpet/tuba). The sextet was an early version of the TAB lineup Trey has modified over the years, and did not yet include soon-to-join members Ray Paczkowski, Natalie Cressman and Cyro Baptista.

The night began with the Chuck Berry number “In the Wee Wee Hours,” a perfect way to start an evening where the setlist was anyone’s guess. The first original of the night, “Push On ‘Til the Day” would follow, and when the horns stepped out into the light, the crowd roared with approval. “Push On” segued neatly into “Tube Top Flop” (later Tube Top Wobble), and then the emotion-heavy “Sunday Morning” (later “Ether Sunday”).

“Mozambique” was raucous, a funky tune with a big band-meets-Salsa sound; the prize in the early versions of these new compositions was how they allowed for room to improvise both individually and collectively. Althought not played this night, “Last Tube” would serve the same purpose in 2001 for TAB’s cohesiveness.

The first Phish cover of the night, “Gotta Jibboo” included Trey’s signature ‘whale call‘ making an appearance early in the song and continuing on a loop as the band found a groove to tuck into for nearly 12 minutes. In the final two minutes of “Jibboo,” listen closely and you can hear the band hinting at the song to follow, “Burlap Sack and Pumps,” soon to be a funky fan favorite.

To close the set, Trey dispatched the band and brought out his acoustic guitar for “Guyute.” With the audience whistling along, the attention focused on the Bad Lieutenant sitting center stage.

After a 43-minute set break, Set 2 began with a snare beat that perked ears up, signaling the start of Bob Dylan’s “Rainy Day Woman #12 & #35,” which the audience ate up and sang along to. An 18-minute “Sand” followed, with horns chiming in and Trey on keys, both soon to be staples of TAB shows.

The Band’s “It Makes No Difference” felt especially touching, as did Bob Marley’s “Mellow Mood,” a cover debuted by Phish just a few months prior in Albany, and which Trey admitted the band had only practiced once prior to the show. Dedicated to sound engineer Paul Languedoc, “Happy Coffee Song,” off Trey’s initial solo album One Man’s Trash, stayed true to the original recording and worked nicely for the larger band format.

Listen below, and if “Nothing But an E Thing” sounds familiar, that’s because it eventually came to be known as “Pebbles and Marbles,” debuted here as a fully instrumental piece, with horns taking turns on what amounts to the current “Pebbles and Marbles” intro section.

Rounding out Set 2 was another One Man’s Trash track, “At the Gazebo,” later outfitted for performance with orchestras and string quartets, and “Drifting,” which included band intros, notably for Tony “the Meaning of Life” Markellis. An encore of Billy Preston’s “Will It Go Round in Circles” would close the night, one that saw the start of Trey’s next musical venture, one that continues to evolve and grow, 20 years later.

Listen to a recording of the show here.

Trey Anastasio Band, Landmark Theatre, Syracuse, NY – February 22, 2001

Set 1: In the Wee Wee Hours [1], Push On ‘Til the Day > Tube Top Flop, Ether Sunday, Mozambique, Gotta Jibboo, Burlap Sack and Pumps, Guyute [2]

Set 2: Rainy Day Women #12 & 35[1], Sand, It Makes No Difference, Mellow Mood[1], Happy Coffee Song [3], Nothing But an ‘E’ Thing[3], At the Gazebo [4], Drifting

Encore: Will It Go Round in Circles

[1] TAB debut.
[2] Trey solo acoustic.
[3] Debut.
[4] Trey acoustic.
This show at the Landmark Theatre features the debuts of Happy Coffee Song and Nothing But an ‘E’ Thing, and the Trey Anastasio Band debuts of In the Wee Wee Hours, Rainy Day Women #12 and 35, and Mellow Mood. Gotta Jibboo contained Burlap Sack and Pumps teases. Trey performed Guyute solo acoustic. The Happy Coffee Song was dedicated to sound engineer Paul Languedoc. At the Gazebo also featured Trey acoustic.

After the show, fans headed out into the cold night around Downtown Syracuse, with plenty of bars and restaurants to choose from. Over at Armory High (also known as Styleen’s Rhythm Palace) Strangefolk was playing a post-show to a packed crowd. Trey stopped by around 12:15-12:30am, and joined the band for a jam in the song “Neighbor” before taking off. Give a listen here and read below for Strangefolk guitarist Jon Trafton as he recalls the night.

That was such a fun night. The story behind Trey’s sit in is that a good friend of ours was Trey’s daughters’ nanny for several years around that time, and she put the bug in his ear leading up to that night. TAB was playing in Syracuse and the timing worked out perfectly because he was in a theater, so his show ended around 11 pm. We were in a bar with a 1 or 2 am curfew so it just lined up. We knew he might come by, but it was one of those things where we weren’t expecting it to happen. It was cool to look up mid-song and see him standing by the side door. I think we were already into our song “Neighbor,” which has a nice open jam section, so I waved him on. (Guitarist Luke) Patchen graciously switched to acoustic so Trey could play his Fender Strat, and off we went. My recall of it was that we stayed in kind of a mellow groove. I was sort of hoping we would launch into the stratosphere but we had a nice little floaty thing going for a little while. Then, just like he appeared, he was off again into the night.
Jon Trafton, Strangefolk

Strangefolk guitarist Luke Patchen Montgomery performing at Armory High, February 22, 2001. Photo/clipping via The Daily Orange

Although Trey was only on stage with Strangefolk for a few minutes, the memory and record of that night is one fans and band members alike have not forgotten. After the jam in “Neighbor,” Strangefolk worked into a “Norwegian Wood” jam, as Trafton puts it, “a way of saying, ‘Wow, that happened, and now he’s gone, this bird has flown.’” That tip of the hat from Strangefolk saw Trey take off into the night and head downstate for the next night’s show at Roseland Ballroom in New York City.

February 22, 2021