{"id":464,"date":"2021-05-01T02:53:30","date_gmt":"2021-05-01T02:53:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.nysmusic.com\/2021\/2021\/05\/01\/in-memoriam-bassist-tony-markellis\/"},"modified":"2021-05-01T02:53:30","modified_gmt":"2021-05-01T02:53:30","slug":"in-memoriam-bassist-tony-markellis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.nysmusic.com\/2021\/2021\/05\/01\/in-memoriam-bassist-tony-markellis\/","title":{"rendered":"In Memoriam: Bassist Tony Markellis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Tony Markellis, a Saratoga Springs resident for more than four decades, and co-founding member of Trey Anastasio Band, has died. Markellis\u2019 death was noted in a Facebook post by his nephew Cory Markellis. The cause of death has not been shared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tony with Trey Anastasio Band, February 19, 2011, Palace Theatre, Albany<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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,<\/a> Anastasio revealed that Tony was the reason he eventually decided to go to UVM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I went into this bar, I had just gotten off the plane, I was 18-years-old. Hunt\u2019s, 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.<\/p>Trey Anastasio<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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photo by Jake Silco<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Tom Mitchell, whose first record was produced by Tony in 1976, said on Facebook, <\/a>“He was the bass player that made everyone sound better.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read a 2011 interview<\/a> with Tony Markellis<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a>. 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<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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