Word: phish
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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While the crowd that filled the Orpheum Theatre looked like a combination of displaced Phish followers and graying Deadheads still mourning the death of Jerry, they brought a kind of enthusiasm that is only found in smoke-filled concert halls. As Victor Wooten, legendary bassist for the Flecktones, threaded his way through the masses outside the enterance unnoticed, I began to wonder if anybody knew exactly what they were there for, or if what they were smoking was really that good. Of course, it could have something to do with the fact that Wooten is about 5'4" and just...
...idealistic spirit that fueled the hippie music scene of the 1960s has survived into the skeptical '90s, one place to look for it might be southern Vermont, a region that has produced millionaire ice-cream philanthropists Ben and Jerry, a socialist mayor and, most interesting, the rock band Phish. Launched by guitarist Trey Anastasio and three buddies in a University of Vermont dorm room in 1983, Phish has built a hugely successful career as an underground band around the quaint notion that music can be used for building a sense of community, not just making money. As corny as this...
With eight albums under its belt and a ninth, the fine Story of the Ghost (Elektra), coming out later this month, Phish seems on the verge of breaking into the mainstream. Phish's musical essence resides more in its live shows than its discs. The band's concerts are known for their peaceable vibes and grand scale (one show drew 135,000) as well as for marathon, free-floating jams that range across rock, jazz, blues and whatever inspiration the moment brings. Songs gather into easy crescendos that encourage audience self-discovery rather than catharsis. For Ghost the band culled...
...conspicuously eclectic but plainly rooted in the familiar bedrock of Americana, the blues and jazz. By introducing acoustic guitars and shifting tempos punctuated by violins, penny whistles and other flourishes of world music and jazz, the band has forged a cerebral yet commercially appealing sound, surpassing competitors like Phish. Onstage, the five band members seem more like a jazz combo than a rock band, playing tightly coordinated phrases that suddenly veer off into flights of improvisation. Matthews sings, plays guitar and projects an uncomplicated, populist charisma that dispenses with rock-star pretense...
...breakup of the Grateful Dead left a void in the lives of many fans that other, newer bands playing in the Dead tradition, like Blues Traveler, Phish and the Dave Matthews Band, have been unable to fill completely. Says John Connor, a 27-year-old fan from Chicago who has seen 28 Dead shows: "Dave Matthews has a lot of talent, but he's still a rookie on the hippie countercultural scene." Deadheads have been eager to see the Other Ones, but in a melancholy sort of way. Says Paul Wozniak, a 35-year-old fan who has seen...