Last night (Monday, March 15th) the 25th annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony took place at the Waldorf Astoria in New York, NY.  Among the inductees were Jimmy Cliff, Abba, Iggy and the Stooges, and Genesis.  PHISH, who have long been open fans of  Genesis were on hand for the event.  Not only did the 4-piece perform in tribute to their inspirations, but frontman, Trey Anastasio was even honored by being chosen to personally induct them.

The following is a quote from Anastasio, regarding Genesis as musical innovators:

“Every musical rule and boundary was questioned and broken. It’s impossible to overstate what impact this band and musical philosophy had on me as a young musician. I’m forever in their debt.”

You may recall that Genesis‘ The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway was listed as one of the 99 possible cover albums for PHISH to perform last Halloween.  In fact, Lamb was even one of a handful of finalists that were recognized with campgrounds titled in their honor at Festival 8.  PHISH did two separate live performances at last night’s induction, paying tribute to both the work of early Genesis, as well as the post-Peter Gabriel era.

[Please enjoy footage of each performance after the jump]

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[Scroll to bottom for MP3 Download of 11/19/94 "Parking Lot show"]

Years ago, when I lived in Olympia, Washington, something odd happened.  I couldn’t receive any television stations, so I attached a set of bunny ears to achieve a  few of them.  One day I decided to move my furniture around, which included plugging my TV into the outlet on the other side of the room.  When I did that, I lost all of my stations but, when I disconnected the bunny ears, a whole bunch of extra stations came through for the first time.  One of the benefits from this was that I wound up with two different PBS stations and PHISH was scheduled to be featured on Austin City Limits.  I was excited to watch the program, but I had a birthday party to attend, so I set my VCR to record it and blasted out to the soirée/BBQ.  When I returned home to check the video, I was treated to an unexpected surprise.  Although I had successfully recorded an episode of Austin City Limits, it wasn’t the episode with PHISH on i.  Apparently, at the exact same time, the WILCO/Bela Fleck Bluegrass Sessions episode was airing on the other PBS station and I had recorded that one.  Bela Fleck was performing with Tony Rice, Sam Bush, Vasser Clements, etc and the error turned out to be a blessing in disguise.  Over the next year or so, I watched that footage excessively and it became one of my favorite things to space out to in awe.

Tonight, while my sister was visiting, something equally as fortunate took place in reverse.  She has recently become increasingly interested in Bluegrass music and, after her ringtone of a bluegrass breakdown went off, I decided to search out the version of “Salty Dog” that Fleck and his crew had performed on ACL all those years back.  To my surprise, after typing “Bluegrass Sessions” into a YouTube search, I found a PHISH video instead and this whole scenario came full circle.  Many of us are aware of the Vermont 4-piece‘s remarkable ability to transition through various genres and their penchant for busting out favorites like “Uncle Pen” and “Old Home Place” but, although they had demonstrated those influences in the past, this video displays a time when the quartet truly began to focus and venture seriously into such Bluegrass territory.  Posted by Youtube user jlaughli, the clip is from 1994 and was the first part of a 9 part “documentary”.  Fans of the group should really enjoy viewing this home footage, which features Mike on banjo, Page on upright bass, and even drummer, Jon Fishman playing the mandolin.  The youtube poster did not create the documentary, it was filmed by Rev. Jeff Mosier, but we’d like to give him huge props because, it is really nice to finally see it all in one place and so easily accessible.  To make it even easier to locate and view in it’s entirety, we have provided all 9 parts of the full documentary footage below.  Seeing as yesterday marks the 15 year anniversary of when the recording of this footage originally began, I feel that there is no better time for us to put this up, than now.  Enjoy! (more…)

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Neckties are, arguably, one of the most pointless and unnecessary garments ever created.  Thin strips of fabric tucked under a collar, don’t exactly provide a shield from the elements and, if anything, they create a potential hazard with their risk of strangulation.  Think about all of the countless folks out there suffering from Pnigerophobia (fear of choking), who are discriminated against and turned away from fine dining establishments, simply due to their inability to adhere to rigid dress codes.  You won’t catch Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad experimenting with any sort of neck-wear, because he’s aware of the tremendous likelihood of someone creeping up and trying to choke a mother fucker out.  Ties are played out as Father’s Day gifts and are usually given in some novelty form that, no matter how entertaining, Pops couldn’t take to the “office” anyway.  The aesthetic value placed on the necktie over the years is ridiculous and, beyond that visual stimulus, they are pretty much worthless.  At least scarves have insulating properties.  The production of the silk tie adds the element of touch into the equation, but fondling and adjusting your tie consistently gives off too much a sexual deviant vibe.  With so many risks, it would be nice if the classic necktie could be less one-dimensional and updated for our space-age lifestyles.

What if there was a product out there that could retain that striking appeal, which would allow you to influence others, and combines it with the interactivity of a light-up magnetic backgammon tie?  What if you could keep riding that debonair steez with the added benefit of stimulating your auditory canal?  Now what if I told you that this technology actually exists?!  What would you be willing to pay to get your hands on this modern day miracle?  4-hundred-thousand dollars?  A crate of Klondike bars?  The remaining balance on your EBT card?  Drown a neighbor’s kid in a plastic pool?  Take a hot rail of bathtub crank, blow the smoke in a raccoon’s face, and try to force-service it manually?  Burn down a Hollywood video?  Tase a cop?  Break into a Rite Aid pharmacy in a luchador mask and hoop a stolen prescription of someone’s Estrogen?  Sit through a Kenny Chesney concert… sober?  Well, these miracle future ties do exist and are currently available for a bargain price (less than 100 American dollars!) (more…)

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Everyone has been waiting around to find out what was up with the Fall tour dates which, at this point, have really become much more like Winter Tour dates.  This morning, in typical Phish 3.0 fashion, the dates were introduced via a video on their website.  Most of you will be happy to know that the rumored dates that have been floating around for so many months have officially been confirmed as legit.  The real surprises are the two additional dates added to that list; one in Syracuse and another in Portland, Maine.  The Portland show is scheduled to take place at the Cumberland County Civic Center and will easily be one of the hardest tickets of the year to get your hands on.  The “C4“, as I have just decided to start referring to it as, is listed with a capacity of only 9,000.  What’s more is that the Syracuse show will be held at War Memorial at Oncenter (capacity 8,000).   ZOIKS!

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I just saw this video and actually laughed out loud over it.  I was in the middle of dealing with another post, but I had to drop everything to get this up here now, because:

(A) It’s relevancy is time specific

and

(2) I think people need to see it.

You may have seen the other similar versions of this video with different subtitles related to gaming, football, or even Michael Jackson.  It’s become a growing meme recently, but I feel that this PHISH-related video is still done particularly well.  If you’re curious about the original source footage, it was taken from a 2004 German-Austrian film titled Der Untergang (aka: Downfall).

If you’re feeling left in the dark, you can always check out a couple of our other Festival 8 related posts:

Last Record Left Alive : PHISH Festival 8 Halloween Musical Costume

Where the PHUCK is it Already?! [PHISH's Halloween Festival]

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DATES CONFIRMED!

CLICK TO LINK

Collectively, PHISH fans can be some of the most paranoid, presumptuous, and speculating mother fuckers around, but it’s not necessarily their fault.  The band has been feeding into their own mythology from the very first moment that there was ever a sign that they may able to get away with it.  Over their five year hiatus, the big question was about when and if they’d return.  The assumptions and apparent “evidence” throughout that time were like that of the self-proclaimed “experts” on the apocalypse.  “The Mayan Calendar is proof!“  “Just read the bible!” “Take a look at the fucking ice caps!“  “Nostradamus foresaw this!” ….and such similar bullshit.  The obsession actually seemed to grow when they weren’t even performing as a unit anymore.  People were so focused that, when they suddenly announced their reformation quietly on their website, people were actually alert enough to notice it.  I want to reiterate that point because I think that it’s important: They had broken up for 5 YEARS, and people were still viewing their website every day!  After the reunion dates were set, the questions were, “When’s the tour?” and then “When’s the Westcoast tour!“  After that it was, “Where’s the 3-day festival gonna be?” and now it’s currently, “What album are they gonna cover on Halloween?“  They always have something up their sleeve for the future to keep people guessing continually.  Forums run rampant with this speculation to the point where there’s often a huge split between the cynical and overly certain and/or hopeful.  Everyone thinks that they have the scoop and it’s hard to know what information or sources are credible.  Sometimes, however, something pops up that’s so suspicious that it’s hard to doubt it. (more…)

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