If you’re a hardcore Deadhead that seeks out the best recordings of that band, odds are you’re familiar with the work of Charlie Miller. Over the years Miller has taped and transferred thousands of tapes and you know that when he’s involved, it’ll sound good. Grateful Dead scholar Blair Jackson said it best, “My own rule of thumb with Archive Dead shows is I look for Charlie Miller’s name, and if it’s attached to a recording, I’ll usually check that out first, since his name is synonymous with the highest quality transfers and upgrades.” With that in mind we were excited a few days ago when we saw Miller’s name attached to a number of uncirculated Phish audience recordings popping up on bt.etree.org, so we reached out to Charlie to talk about his new found appreciation for the Vermont quartet.

Miller grew up and lived in Long Island for 25 years before moving west. “I saw every band in the ’70s at the Garden or Nassau,” he explained. How old was Charlie when he saw his first Dead show?  ”I walked into the show when I was 15, when the show ended I was 16. They started the encore at five after midnight,” the recording/sound engineer told us about catching the Dead on his birthday in 1979.

• BT.ETREE.ORG: Charlie Miller Phish Transfers

Now that he has his sights focused on Phish, how did he pick which shows to transfer? “I was asked to sort through my friend’s Phish collection and [etree Phish admins] Terry Watts and Jason Sobel went through the list and gave me a color-coded excel spreadsheet that indicated what shows were in circulation and what shows had unknown CD generation(s) (involved in their lineage). Since I have a DAT I can do a better transfer.”

Miller focused on the recordings that haven’t circulated. Those who know Charlie know that for a long time he wasn’t into Phish. “I got into Phish about a year and a half ago which is kinda weird because I worked with all the [band members] before then, but I never quite ‘got it,’” Charlie said. Miller, who is a longtime employee of Steve Kimock, worked with Phish bassist Mike Gordon during Kimock’s time with The Rhythm Devils in 2006. “We had a week of rehearsals at Trey’s barn and after the last night of rehearsals we went over to Mike’s house for a dinner party. I have this map that Mike drew for me from The Barn to his house. It’s so funny, he drew trees on the side – it’s just a funny map. We’re in the kitchen chatting and we were talking about a song when Mike mentioned a Phish song. And I had this blank stare and Mike said, ‘you don’t know this song?’ So I said, ‘you know what, you guys are really nice guys and really talented, but I just don’t get it.’ His response was something along the lines ‘I can understand, sometimes I don’t get it either.’”

[Image via Dark Star Palace]

Miller actually attended Phish’s last performance before starting an “indefinite hiatus” on October 7th, 2000 at Shoreline Amphitheatre. Though he was turned off by the crowd, he had a much different experience when he attended 10 shows during the Summer of 2011 while he was working for The Heavy Pets. “It’s funny because The Heavy Pets are Phish fans, so they designed their summer tour to follow Phish tour so that they could do some after show parties. On the first day, at the Phish show, we had handfuls of free tickets. There were about 10 Phish songs at that point that I knew and really liked and that night they played like eight of them. We went a few nights later and they played the rest of the songs I liked. And I was like ‘wow, this is kinda fun.’ I was having a good time. Some of it I get, some of it I don’t. I’m listening to more and more of it and i’m appreciating more and more of it,” Charlie explained.

In appreciation for his experience that summer, Miller has started to turn his attention to transferring and mastering Phish recordings. “I was going through this list of DATs that they sent me on this excel spreadsheet. Then, last night, Jason Sobel and I were talking on the phone and I said, ‘pick ten for me to work on right now’ and I worked on them through the night,” he said.

Over the past few days Charlie’s transfers of tapes from Phish’s 1996 and 1999 summer tour have been winning raves from fans. Personally, I attended the group’s July 13th, 1999 show at Great Woods and have never found a recording of that night which suited the music. His transfer hits the mark and listening to it was a revelation. He’s also just unveiled transfers of legendary December ’95 performances: 12/9, 12/29 and 12/30.

As we spoke, Miller had his hands full, “Right  now I’m transferring a DAT to a compact flash of a Phish show, I’m transferring a Grateful Dead soundboard cassette master from a crew member to a hard drive recording, I’m mastering a Dead show on the computer and playing Bingo on my iPad.” When I mentioned his skill at multi-tasking, Charlie responded, “Multi-tasking is an understatement.”

[Charlie @ Merriweather For Phish - Summer '11]

You’ll also notice Charlie’s name attached to hundreds of Steve Kimock recordings both official and unofficial. He told us about how he got his start with the guitarist, “I was following Kimock around and I couldn’t afford to do it anymore because I went to every show for a couple of years. So I got on the payroll and [now] they pay me to go.” As previously mentioned, he also worked for The Heavy Pets. “The Heavy Pets gig lasted about 15 months. I loved working for them because I’d sit at the board and dance and have so much fun. They’re such great guys and I love their music. It was a great experience overall.”

Charlie explained the transferring process to us, “I transfer the DAT to either a computer or solid-state compact flash and then if it comes from an analog source I make MP3s and I put them on this FTP site for my friend. He has perfect pitch, so he plays along to the recordings that I send him and he’s got a guitar tuner. If he has to start bending the strings to hit the notes, it’s off pitch. His CD player has a pitch adjustment, so he can adjust and he emails me the pitch corrections. I then go into my software, correct them, master them, patch them and it’s a process. Believe it or not, it’s fun, you can see me doing this all day.” With over 2,000 of his recordings/transfers on the Live Music Archive, we’d sure hope so.

Since he’s transferred so many Dead shows from every era we wondered if Charlie’s running out of Grateful Dead recordings to work on. “Oh gosh no. No, no, no. Crew members and band members give me their tapes, so there’s always upgrades and new stuff is always coming out. Some guy contacted me a week ago and told me ‘I taped over 100 shows between 1985 and 1988, I’ve got my cassette masters do you want to transfer them?’ I said ‘sure’ so he sent me a box of cassettes. Another guy who emailed me yesterday told me ‘I taped a million GD shows between ’92 and ’95 can you transfer my DATs?’ I said sure. There will ALWAYS be stuff to transfer,” Miller said.

[Charlie's Mics at Phish]

It takes Miller anywhere between an hour and 24 hours to transfer and master a recording. “It all depends on the quality of the source,” he explained. We look forward to seeing what else Charlie has in his bag of tricks in the coming months. Be sure to head over to bt.etree.org and look for “charlie miller” under “seeded by” to sample his work.

[Originally Published: October 6, 2011]

On Saturday night at Higher Ground [2013 ed. note - this took place on October 1, 2011], Trey Anastasio and his solo band debuted a song written by Trey and Tom Marshall for which there’s been some confusion about the song title. At first, it was thought that the name of the song was Winter Queen before LivePhish.com’s official recording labeled the track as Glacier. Yesterday, Glacier was renamed Winterqueen on LivePhish.com bringing us back towards where we started [2013 ed. note - Surprisingly, Winterqueen/Glacier has yet to be performed a second time]

The reason we mentioned that anecdote is that sometimes Phish or Trey debuts a song with one name only to change the title later to something else. For this week’s B List, we look at nine cases where that happened. Keep in mind, we shied away from cases where wholesale changes were made to the song that led to the name change, such as Black Eyed Katy becoming Moma Dance and Taste becoming Fog That Surrounds (before becoming Taste again). With that in mind, let’s look at ten song title changes in Phish history (with lots of help from Phish.net Song Histories)…

1. Knife -> My Friend, My Friend
2. In an Intensive Care Unit -> NICU

The first two entries on our list were debuted at the Portsmouth Music Hall at Phish’s first show of 1992 on March 6. At that performance, Phish debuted six (if you include the “fast” Rift) songs, some of which would go on to be released as part of the Rift LP one year later. Trey Anastasio mentioned the titles of most of the debuts that night and referred to what we now know as My Friend, My Friend and NICU as Knife and In an Intensive Care Unit respectively.

3. Windham Hell -> Faht

The Jon Fishman original Faht, which appeared on the album Picture of Nectar, was first known as Windham Hell. This sound effect-laden track had its title changed without Fish’s knowledge when the album came out.

The Phish.net song history, written by Ellis Godard and Mark Toscano, explains…

Arguably a parody of new age music, Jon labeled the tune “Windham Hell,” alluding to new age distributor Windham Hill Records. Fish was on vacation as the Nectar liner notes were being scripted, and the other band members elected to resolve potential conflict (legal or otherwise) with Windham Hill by changing the song’s title. What to change it to? Well, in the November 1991 Phish Update newsletter, “Fish’s Forum” included a misspelling, whereby the intended mock-Southern phrase “raht tuh the front door” lost its reputed meaning when “raht” became “faht.” Fish was annoyed with this gaffe, and his band mates, ever trying to get Fish’s goat, decided to change “Windham Hell’s” title to “Faht,” claiming that Elektra had misspelled the title he had chosen.

4. Microdot -> Mike’s Song

Most tunes written at the beginning of Phish’s career were penned by Anastasio, so when bassist Mike Gordon brought a song to the band they simply called it “Mike Wrote That” or “Microdot.” Trey announced this original title from stage on October 17, 1985 and at some point shortly after that the title morphed to Mike’s Song. The rest, as they say, is history.

5. Minestrone -> Purple Hugh -> Minestrone -> Inlaw Josie Wales

And now the most interesting story on this list. Back at Trey Anastasio’s tour opener of his first solo tour in 1999, Big Red unveiled a new instrumental during his acoustic set. Trey mentioned he didn’t have a title and said he’d go with whatever name was assigned by the person who first posted that night’s setlist on the internet. Jesse Jarnow called in the first setlist that was posted on rec.music.phish…

“In the first set there was an untitled instrumental. Trey said that whomever posted the setlist first got to name it. In deference to aLi’s [McDowell] misreading of the word “instrumental” on my setlist, we hereby request that the tune be named “Minestrone“.”

The next night Trey dedicated the song to Jesse and Ali but told the crowd that he decided on the title Purple Hugh instead. A few shows later, Big Red told an Asheville crowd that he felt bad about not living up to his promise and wanted the name returned to Minestrone. Eventually, at a 2000 Carnegie Hall show, Anastasio renamed the song as The Inlaw Josie Wales and that title has stuck ever since.

6. Hall In Solace -> Paul and Silas

We couldn’t resist mentioning the tale behind Phish’s cover of the traditional song Paul and Silas on this list. When Phish first started covering the bluegrass song in 1990, they sung the tune as “Hall In Solace” having mistakenly thought that was the actual name of it. It took until 1992 for someone to correct the newbish band and they have been singing “Paul and Silas” ever since.

7. Dog Gone Dog -> Dog Log

This soundcheck favorite, and in-show rarity, was originally titled Dog Gone Dog on The White Tape. The name quickly shifted to Dog Log and its appeared on all official releases since The White Tape as such.

8. Bake and Boil -> Mountains In The Mist

Another tune debuted at Trey Anastasio’s tour opener of his first solo tour in 1999, Trey mentioned this song was called Bake and Boil that evening, but decided to change the name to Mountains In The Mist by the next show.

9. Trust Fund Baby -> Prep School Hippie

Known to be played only five times in concert between September 27, 1985 and December 6, 1986, Trey told a Burlington radio audience that this timely piece was called Trust Fund Baby. That name didn’t stick as the band’s notes moving forward (as per Phish.com) call it Prep School Hippie. Regardless, this is one we don’t expect to see hit a Phish stage anytime soon.

Those are the nine songs whose titles have changed while the tune itself has stayed the same that we’ve come up with. Got any more?

If you want me or any other critic worth their salt to take you seriously, then you can’t rely on the same tired ad hominem tropes that have been trotted out for twenty years by folks who are attempting to justify their frustration over something being successful that they don’t like. I love vitriol, and when it is practiced by folks like The Onion, it can elevate our discourse. But you are quite literally copy-pasting an OJ Simpson “the glove doesn’t fit” joke twenty years after it was first made. How on Earth can you find that funny or clever?

Here’s the thing you don’t understand: there are plenty of valid and salient ways to criticize Phish or any other band. I could spend days poking fun at the sniveling hipsters you find at Wilco, Yo La Tengo or xx shows. Talk about low-hanging fruit. But why? Would it be funny, clever, or original? Or would it put me in line with 12-year-old Facebook bully working out self esteem issues on an effeminate classmate? If that’s what you want to do, if that’s the level you want to be on, then you are “entitled to your own opinion.” But I fail to see how someone who claims to enjoy music would want to communicate about music with all the substance of Sean Hannity.

If you want me to take anything you have to say about music seriously, then first and foremost take a fucking class in logic. Not everything we say or do has to be logical, but if you are going to shit on something then you can’t rely on fallacious arguments. Second, read Jonathan Haidt’s The Righteous Mind.  Third: read this and this. Fourth: grow up. Part of being an adult is understanding the difference between you and others. Others are different from you, and they don’t like the same shit as you do.

And that right there, buckeroo, is what bothers you so much about Phish. They became wildly successful in the absence of radio play and massive marketing budgets. They are the most successful independent musicians of all time. They are the culmination of the indie movement, and you don’t like them. But instead of dealing with the fact, you whine like a toddler who has dropped his ice cream. Instead of getting on with your life, you broadcast your personal frustrations by insulting people you don’t know. Surely, you’re joking. Surely, you are trolling for hits. You can’t expect us to take you seriously, can you?

Twenty years ago tonight Phish played the Providence Performing Arts Center in Providence, Rhode Island as the second stop of their cross-country Spring Tour. It’s a show that I’ve listened to often since I received a crispy recording of this memorable performance. The quartet debuted Sample In A Jar that night, but my listening sessions often focus on two fantastic pieces of music from PPAC.

[Photo via Nedstalgia]

Towards the beginning of the second set Phish embarks on what would turn out to be a 25-minute sequence in which they worked The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday and Avenu Malkenu into the middle of their traditional Mike’s Groove song suite. Dubbed “The Man Who Stepped Into Mike’s Groove” by fans, it would be the second time since 1988 that Phish didn’t follow Mike’s Song with I Am Hydrogen following the Mike’s > Auld Lang Syne from New Year’s Eve ’92-’93. Not only that, the band worked a bit of Ween’s Push th’ Little Daises, which had just been released as a single, into Weekapaug. Guitarist Trey Anastasio and drummer Jon Fishman both mentioned their appreciation of label mate Ween in interviews that took place around this time. Here’s remastered audio of The Man Who Stepped Into Mike’s Groove from the first Faux The Archives compilation…

Phish also delivered an exceptional version of Harry Hood that evening…

For a first-hand account of Phish’s performance at PPAC on February 4th, 1993, be sure to read HT contributor Aaron “Neddy” Stein’s Nedstalgia piece on it.

Trey Anastasio will team up with the National Symphony Orchestra for a night of music billed as “NSO Pops: Trey Anastasio” on May 22nd at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall in Washington, D.C. The Phish front man perform tunes from both his solo repertoire and the Phish repertoire backed by the orchestra.  NSO Principal Pops Conductor Steven Reineke will conduct the concert.

[Photo by Benjamin Slayter / Slayter Creative]

Tickets go on sale this Friday, Feb. 15th at 10AM. Here’s more details from Trey.com…

NSO Pops: Trey Anastasio will take place Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at 8 p.m. in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. Tickets range from $36 to $85 and will go on sale to the public through the Kennedy Center box office and through Instant Charge at (202) 467-4600 on February 15 at 10:00 AM ET. Patrons living outside the Washington metropolitan area may dial toll-free at (800) 444-1324 or visit us online at www.kennedy-center.org. Tickets go on sale at 11:00 ET TODAY to Kennedy Center Members. For more information about the NSO Pops, please visit www.nationalsymphony.org.

You may have noticed that Phish bassist Mike Gordon has been responding to tweets from fans on Twitter with his typical dry humor over the last few months. Mike’s short and witty answers are reminiscent of his responses in the “Letters” section of Phish’s Doniac Schvice newsletters.

[Photo by Julia Mordaunt]

We’ve highlighted a few of Mike’s responses…

When asked about his favorite Phish song:

@novocaineskin Well… I used to say Waves. And Bug. And Undermind. I like Kill Devil. And Light. Half Way To The Moon. K… Ok?

Saturday, November 3, 2012 10:14 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@mike_gordon

Mike Gordon

Responding to fan who appreciated his solo band’s version of Mound:

@washuffizi216 I always had wanted to try expanding that song… Scott, Todd, Tom, and Craig do a great job of helping with that scheme :)

Monday, November 12, 2012 10:39 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@mike_gordon

Mike Gordon

When asked the status of his solo band:

@RsTner we r on hiatus in order to work on new material and other innovations

Monday, January 21, 2013 10:30 pm via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@mike_gordon

Mike Gordon

When asked his favorite time signature to play in:

@PhanArt @TheBabysMouth nine, as per round room and Green Pastures, etc. I think Drowning Witch is mostly in nine. Nuff said.

Monday, February 11, 2013 9:45 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@mike_gordon

Mike Gordon

When asked if he remembered a fan who was running as fast as they could to shake his hand at Alpine:

@AllinConderson I sure do! You were running shaker number #62

Tuesday, November 27, 2012 7:51 pm via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@mike_gordon

Mike Gordon

When asked if he knows any Metallica:

@TCarlino24 I went to a Metallica show with my compatriots. I also left the bass player a note, sharpied onto a dinner plate at Bader Field.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012 7:58 pm via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@mike_gordon

Mike Gordon

When asked why there’s no more “second jam” in Mike’s Song anymore:

Was there ever one? Are you talking about F#? We can skip playing that song if you want. “@APYanke: why no more F jam in Mike’s Song?”

Monday, February 11, 2013 9:46 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@mike_gordon

Mike Gordon

When asked whether he listens to his own music:

@SOAM311 i listen in order to know how to edit it, record it, change it, bt not usually for pleasure except by accident (driving to Monkton)

Monday, February 11, 2013 9:50 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@mike_gordon

Mike Gordon

When asked if he’s ever eaten possum:

@mullysalt I wouldn’t even eat the mock possum I keep seeing at the healthfood store.

Thursday, December 6, 2012 10:03 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@mike_gordon

Mike Gordon

When asked whether he’d play Access Me at the New Year’s Run:

@phish @mike_gordon This is my annual “Please Play Access Me During the New Year’s Run” tweet. Please and thank you

Friday, December 7, 2012 4:25 pm via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@YEMblog

YEMblog

@YEMblog @phish This is my annual reply of maybe.

Saturday, December 15, 2012 5:10 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@mike_gordon

Mike Gordon

When asked what strings he uses:

@REEVSTAR_TV still the ken smith slick rounds…

Saturday, December 15, 2012 5:18 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@mike_gordon

Mike Gordon

When asked why he uses hand signals on stage:

@phunkyplum It’s the only way to vary what I’m hearing out of my monitor – signals for the monitor mixer.

Friday, January 11, 2013 4:56 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@mike_gordon

Mike Gordon

When asked whether he could feel MSG swaying during the New Years Run:

@gypsystomper we always feel it go up and down – the stage is a big trampoline

Friday, January 11, 2013 5:01 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@mike_gordon

Mike Gordon

When asked the date of his interview for the Wetlands Preserved documentary:

@WaltersWH It’s gonna be hard to believe this one, but the interview was conducted in 1914, and was handled by a previous incarnation

Monday, January 21, 2013 10:16 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@mike_gordon

Mike Gordon

In a sweet moment, Mike gives props to his mother:

me mum “@TIROQ: Hey Gordo…Who is your favorite Fine Artist?”

Wednesday, February 13, 2013 2:12 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@mike_gordon

Mike Gordon

So shoot Mike a tweet and ask him anything you want. Maybe he’ll respond. Either way, we’re glad to see at least one member of Phish embrace Twitter and converse with fans.

As we wait for Phish to reveal details about how they plan to celebrate their 30th Anniversary, we use today’s Full Show Friday post to look at the band’s 20th Anniversary show. Phish honored the occasion in 2003 by performing a run of four shows on Thanksgiving Weekend with stops at the Nassau Coliseum on November 28th, The Spectrum on November 29th, the Knickerbocker Arena on December 1st and Boston’s Fleet Center on the actual 20th anniversary – December 2nd, 2003.

Not only is high-quality fan-shot video of both sets available on YouTube, but there’s also footage of the 20th Anniversary Montage featuring clips from throughout Phish’s career available on the site. Highlights include an outrageous Rock and Roll that opened the second set, arguably the best Maze in the band’s history, a fun take on Ya Mar that nodded to the Banana Splits theme song and deliciously bizarre and quick jaunts through Weekapaug Groove and Tweezer Reprise without the songs that normally precede them. Let’s take a look…

Phish – December 2, 2003 [First Set]

Phish – 20th Anniversary Montage

Phish – December 2, 2003 [Second Set]

Setlist…

Set 1: Harry Hood > Cavern, Birds of a Feather, Ya Mar^[1], Horn > Piper >Anything But Me, Water in the Sky, Down with Disease

Set 2: Rock and Roll -> Weekapaug Groove^[2] -> Tweezer Reprise^[3] >Frankenstein -> Kung -> Frankenstein, All of These Dreams, The Wedge, Boogie On Reggae Woman > Cities > Maze, Waste

Encore: Bug

 

[1] The Tra La La Song (One Banana, Two Banana) teases.
[2] Unfinished.
[3] Mike’s Song lyrics sung by Trey.

Notes: This gig commemorated the 20th anniversary of the first Phish show. In the audience, a section of seats were roped off to make way for a music stand. The music stand held a three-ring binder that contained lyrics from the Phish canon, but it did not play an active role in the performance. Ya Mar contained teases of The Tra La La Song (One Banana, Two Banana). At the end of Disease, a video screen descended behind the stage. As the house lights remained down, a 25+ minute video was played featuring retrospective highlights from throughout Phish’s career. Before the second set, Mike brought out a tray of desserts and shared them with fans in front of the stage. Highway to Hell was briefly teased by Trey before Rock and Roll. Weekapaug was unfinished. Tweezer Reprise included lyrics (sung by Trey) from Mike’s Song. Appropriately, the post-show house music was the Beatles’ song Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band (which begins with the lyric, “It was twenty years ago today…”).

[via Phish.net]

In 2011 Phish’s JEMP Records offered The White Tape for sale on vinyl at the group’s Super Ball IX festival and as part of Record Store Day’s Black Friday promotion. Last year, JEMP sold 5,000 copies of Junta on vinyl for Record Store Day. When we spoke with a representative of JEMP just before Record Store Day 2012 and asked why they released Junta, the response given was “Last year we started with The White Tape, this year we went with Junta…” leading us to believe Lawn Boy would be up next. According to Wax Poetic, a blog dedicated to all things vinyl with a good track record, Phish will indeed release Lawn Boy on vinyl for this year’s Record Store Day in addition to a Page McConnell album and a Trey Anastasio 7″ we posted about last week.

Wax Poetic says JEMP will put 7,500 copies (2,500 more than last year’s Junta release) of Phish’s second proper studio album, which was originally released in 1990, on sale during Record Store Day on April 20th. Each copy will be individually numbered featuring 2 180g LPs with an etched D side and will also include a download card. We look forward to Phish’s official announcement to find out what process the audio went through before it was pressed on vinyl.

While Phish releasing Lawn Boy on vinyl for Record Store Day might not be a big surprise, another listing on Wax Poetic is a bit of a shock. The blog lists a Page McConnell LP titled Unsung Cities and Movies Never Made will be released on 180g vinyl. Only 1,000 individually numbered copies of the album will be available. No word on what that album is all about yet [UPDATE: DETAILS HERE] but expect an announcement on that and every Record Store Day release soon.

• Previously: Record Store Day 2013 – Grateful Dead / Bob Dylan / Zappa + JEMP Talks To HT About Junta

[Hat Tip - Jay Kocyla]

Earlier today we told you about Wax Poetic’s report that not only will Phish issue Lawn Boy but that Page McConnell will issue a new LP called Unsung Cities and Movies Never Made for Record Store Day 2013. Now, we’ve got more details about the Phish keyboardist’s new album.

[Photo by Parker Harrington]

According to Shawn from our friends at Wax Vinyl, the new album will contain 10 tracks that are instrumental soundtracks for movies not yet made. Here’s the tracklisting and description written by McConnell from the promotional materials for the Record Store Day release of the LP…

1) Arbor Day

2) Ava Green

3) Late Edition

4) Yakima

5) Marfa

6) Barre

7) Candlestick

8) Altoona

9) Soul Etude

10) The Lemon Drop

“Movies never made, well, at least not yet.  A series of Soundtracks, maybe….can a soundtrack exist without a film?  Okay, future soundtracks, soundtracks-in-waiting, potential scores searching for a script.  In the meantime, hopefully the listener might develop their own plot lines and imagine a storyboard:  Soul Etude, a period piece; The Lemon Drop, A Psychedelic Coming of Age Film; Late Edition, A spaghetti-western; Candlestick, A murder-mystery (possibly an independent Canadian release); or even Arbor Day, a Lifetime Original made-for-TV-movie.  Sprinkled throughout are a few impressionistic interpretations of unsung cities; not to say these places have never been mentioned in song, but certainly not over sung.  Please enjoy these soundtracks as they float through time, a sort of phantom foreshadowing of films that lay in waiting and cities that, after this release, might be a little less unsung.” – Page McConnell

Tea Leaf Green bassist Reed Mathis shared the news that he, drummer Gabe Jarrett (Jazz Mandolin Project, Vorcza) and guitarist Adam Zimmon (Shakira) make up Page’s band for album. He also mentions that producer/engineer John Siket of Siket Disc fame was involved.  Mathis went on to say, “We made some amazing music and had some amazing times.” Reed told us that Phish bassist Mike Gordon was kind enough to lend him a pair of basses which he used for the project instead of his main instrument. We look forward to hearing what looks to be a most interesting release. Be sure to keep your eyes on Wax Vinyl for everything you need to know about what to expect on Record Store Day 2013.

• Previously: Phish To Issue Lawn Boy on Record Store Day + Page McConnell LP

UPDATE (6PM): Euro Phish fan @YomeNetSan advises us that four of the tracks from the new LP were first issued in 2010 on a promo CD titled Page McConnell Film & TV Sampler. From the looks of the photos, it appears the CD was distributed by music licensing firm Music For The Masses and includes an instrumental version of a McConnell-penned song Phish has performed in the past, Halfway To The Moon, as well as a track called Ode School which isn’t on Unsung Cities and Movies Never Made.

To follow up on our post from Saturday, Phish has officially announced that they will release their second studio album, Lawn Boy, on vinyl for Record Store Day. 7,500 individually numbered copies of Lawn Boy will be available at select independent record stores on April 20th.

 Today’s announcement explains how the new vinyl release was created…

This new vinyl release was created from the original 1/4″ stereo master reels with lacquers cut by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering. Each LP is pressed onto 180g audiophile grade vinyl and includes a free MP3 download of the entire album (transferred from the new vinyl master). Deluxe packaging includes an 8-page photo booklet, plenty of painted-Fishman outtakes, and an etched D-side.

The official announcement is worth reading as it goes into detail on Lawn Boy’s history…

On Record Store Day 2013, Phish will release Lawn Boy, the band’s second full-length studio album, as a Limited Edition Deluxe 2-LP vinyl set, available exclusively at participating independently owned record stores across the country. Lawn Boy marks the band’s third release in conjunction with Record Store Day (joining Two Soundchecks and Junta) and the first time Lawn Boy has been available on vinyl in well over a decade.

This LE Deluxe 2-LP vinyl set is limited to 7,500 individually numbered copies. Lawn Boy was recorded and mixed at Archer Studios in Winooski, VT in 1989 and 1990 on 16-track 2″ tape and was mixed to 1/4″ stereo reels. The band won the initial studio time with a first-place Rock Rumble performance on April 21, 1989 at a downtown Burlington, VT club called The Front. The Lawn Boy sessions that followed consisted of mostly live takes with a few effects and overdubs. Engineer Dan Archer acquired a baby grand piano specifically for the recording, Fish played his drums squeezed into a vocal isolation booth and the band utilized local musicians including members of what would soon be called the Giant Country Horns. Like Junta before it, Phish self-produced Lawn Boy on a hands-on level, surrounding the console for group fades without aid of automation.

Lawn Boy was initially self-distributed on cassette tape in 1990 and officially released on September 21, 1990 on Absolute A-Go-Go and Rough Trade Records on cassette, single-LP vinyl and CD (with CD bonus track Fee). The album was later re-mastered by Bob Ludwig and re-released on CD and cassette by Elektra Records June 30, 1992 and was eventually certified Gold.

This new vinyl release was created from the original 1/4″ stereo master reels with lacquers cut by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering. Each LP is pressed onto 180g audiophile grade vinyl and includes a free MP3 download of the entire album (transferred from the new vinyl master). Deluxe packaging includes an 8-page photo booklet, plenty of painted-Fishman outtakes, and an etched D-side.

This LE Deluxe 2-LP vinyl set was created exclusively for Record Store Day. Lawn Boy will be available in stores only beginning Saturday, April 20th. For a complete list of participating record stores, please click here.

Lawn Boy Limited Edition Deluxe 2-LP Vinyl Tracklisting

Side A

The Squirming Coil
Reba

Side B

My Sweet One
Split Open And Melt
The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony
Bathtub Gin

Side C

Run Like An Antelope
Lawn Boy
Bouncing Around The Room

[Via Phish.com]

Following today’s official announcement of Record Store Day releases from Phish and Page McConnell comes one from Trey Anastasio. As we reported, Anastasio will release a limited edition 7″ picture disc titled “Blue Ash and Other Suburbs” at select independent record stores on April 20th.

Blue Ash and Other Suburbs contains four outtakes from the Trey and Peter Katis-produced sessions that led to the release of Traveler in 2012. The tracks were recorded in Fall of 2011 and the picture disc features artwork by Micah Lidberg. We’re particularly excited to hear the Traveler Sessions version of Gone which Phish released on their Party Time disc of outtakes in 2009.

Blue Ash And Other Suburbs Tracklist…

Side A
Blue Ash And Other Suburbs (Anastasio)
Gone (Anastasio)
Side B
Tree
Can You See It (Anastasio)

From the minute Phish walked off the stage at Madison Square Garden early in the morning on the first day of 2013, fans have been clamoring for information on where the band would play next. Today, after nearly two and a half months of speculation, the HT faves have finally revealed their plan for Summer Tour 2013.

Phish will embark on a month-long tour that kicks off with a rare outdoor show in Maine at the Bangor Waterfront Pavilion and ends on August 5th at the Hollywood Bowl. Along the way the quartet will mostly visit venues they’ve played before with a handful of new spots thrown in for good measure. In addition to the tour, Phish will also return to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado for what’s turned into a Labor Day Weekend tradition.

Here’s a look at the full list of Phish Summer Tour Dates…

July 3 @ Bangor Waterfront Pavilion – Bangor, Maine
July 5 – 7 @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center – Saratoga Springs, New York
July 9 @ Molson Amphitheatre – Toronto, Ontario
July 10 @ PNC Bank Arts Center – Holmdel, New Jersey
July 12 @ Nikon at Jones Beach Theater – Wantagh, New York
July 13 – 14 @ Merriweather Post Pavilion – Columbia, Maryland
July 16 – 17 @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre – Alpharetta, Georgia
July 19 – 21 @ Northerly Island – Chicago, Illinois
July 26 – 27 @ Gorge Amphitheatre – George, Washington
July 30 – 31 @ Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harveys – Stateline, Nevada
August 2 – 4 @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium – San Francisco, California
August 5 @ Hollywood Bowl – Los Angeles, California
August 30 – September 1 @ Dick’s Sporting Goods Park – Commerce City, Colorado

A lottery for tickets is currently underway through Music Today. Tickets will go on sale to the general public beginning March 30th. Speaking of traditions, once again we’ve assembled lots of info about every venue Phish will play this summer…

Bangor Waterfront Pavilion

[Photo via WaterfrontConcerts.com]

Capacity: Approx. 16,000

Previously at Bangor Waterfront Pavilion: Phish will make their Bangor Waterfront Pavilion debut in July.

Seating Chart:

Skinny: Promoter Alex Gray started throwing shows at what’s turned into Maine’s premier outdoor venue during the Summer of 2010. In its first three years of operation, the Bangor venue has reportedly pumped $30 million into the local economy. Gray has big plans for this summer with the Pavilion offering its most diverse lineup yet and planning a “more pleasant” concert experience. Phish played Bangor on November 2nd, 1994 and delivered a 30+ minute Tweezer that was released on their first live album – A Live One.

Saratoga Performing Arts Center

[CC-BY-SA-3.0/Matt H. Wade at Wikipedia]

Capacity: 25,100

Previously at SPAC: 11 Shows – 07/27/1992, 07/10/1994, 06/26/1995, 06/19/2004, 06/20/2004, 08/16/2009, 06/19/2010, 06/20/2010, 07/06/2012, 07/07/2012, 07/08/2012

Seating Chart:

The Skinny: Opened in 1966, Saratoga Performing Arts Center, aka SPAC, sits in the middle of Saratoga Spa State Park in Saratoga Springs, New York. Phish made their first visit to SPAC as an opening act for Santana on July 27, 1992. They came back for a headlining gig on July 10, 1994 and then another show the following summer (June 26, 1995). Nearly nine years later Phish finally returned to SPAC for an epic two-night stand on June 19 and 20, 2004. The quartet has played this venue in 2009 and 2010, not in 2011 when they visited Bethel Woods, and came back in 2012 and now in 2013.

Molson Canadian Amphitheatre

[CC-BY-SA-3.0/Mikerussell at Wikipedia]

Capacity: 16,000

Previously at Molson Amphitheatre: 2 Shows – 7/20/1999 and 07/06/2000

Seating Chart:

[via MolsonAmphitheatre.net]

Skinny: Canadian fans have been chomping at the bit for Phish to finally make their return to Canada. It only took 13 years, but Phish is coming back to the Great White North at the only Canadian venue they’ve played this century. Phish last performed at the Molson Amphitheatre on July 6th, 2000 which is also their last show in Canada. The 2000 show was the band’s second in two summers, as they made their Molson Amphitheatre debut on July 20th, 1999. This venue features three levels (100s, 200s and 300s = 5,500 seats) of covered reserved seating, an additional level of uncovered reserved seating (400s = 3,500 seats) and a general admission lawn (7,000 capacity).

PNC Bank Arts Center

[Photo via Live Nation]

Capacity: 17,500

Previously at PNC Bank Arts Center: 9 Shows – 07/11/1992, 07/19/1992, 07/02/1994, 07/15/1999, 07/16/1999, 06/28/2000, 06/29/2000, 05/31/2011, 06/01/2011

Seating Chart:

[via Ticketmaster]

Skinny: One of the first amphitheaters Phish ever played back in 1992, the band returned in 1994 and then again for two-night stands in 1999, 2000 and 2011. Located approximately 45 minutes from New York City, at the top of the Jersey Shore, the shed is located right next to State Police barracks, so be careful in the lots. The 100, 200 and 300 section of the venue is covered, while the 400s are reserved but uncovered.

Nikon at Jones Beach Theater

[CC-BY-SA-3.0/R. Sullivan at Wikipedia]

Capacity: 15,000

Previously at Nikon at Jones Beach Theater: 13 Shows – 07/12/1992, 07/24/1992, 07/23/1993, 07/15/1994, 06/28/1995, 06/29/1995, 06/02/2009, 06/04/2009, 06/05/2009, 08/17/2010, 08/18/2010, 07/03/2012, 07/04/2012

Seating Chart:

Skinny: From a set at H.O.R.D.E. on July 12, 1992 through a two-night stand to mark the Fourth of July in 2012, Phish has played a total of 13 shows at Jones Beach. Located approximately 35 miles from Times Square, Jones Beach went Phish-less from a two-night stand in 1995 through a three-night run at the start of Summer Tour 2009. Though the group returned the next summer for the Summer Tour 2010 closers, at which a fan leaped from the venue’s balcony, they did not play Jones Beach in 2011. Phish came back last summer for the aforementioned two-night July 4th run. Bear in mind this venue is located in a State Park and patroled vigorously by rangers. Back in October the venue was ravaged by SuperStorm Sandy, but venue officials are planning to have the theater back in tip-top shape by the start of the summer concert season.

Merriweather Post Pavilion

[Photo via Merriweather Post Pavilion FB Page]

Capacity: 19,316

Previously at Merriweather Post Pavilion: 9 Shows – 7/17/1992, 08/08/1998, 07/09/1999, 09/17/2000, 8/15/2009, 06/26/2010, 06/27/2010, 06/11/2011, 06/12/2011

Seating Chart:

[Photo via Merriweather Post Pavilion Unofficial Site]

Synopsis: This Frank Gehry-designed venue, located approximately half way between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., opened in 1967. While the pavilion offers nice views and good sound, the lawn is notorious for poor sound and sight lines. In recent years, event promoters have beefed up the lawn sound system but you still want to be inside. Phish first performed at MPP on July 17, 1992 as the opening act for Santana and have returned each summer since reforming in 2009 with the exception of 2012.

Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park

[Photo by Chris Lee]

Capacity: 12,000

Previously at Alpharetta: 4 Shows - 7/3/2010, 7/4/2010, 6/14/2011, 6/15/2011

Seating Chart:

Skinny: This venue opened in 2008 and won raves from concert attendees immediately. Phish first played this shed in the summer of 2010 and the fans loved the neighborhood and GA floor. The band returned the next summer for a two-night stand, but surprisingly moved the 2012 ATL summer tour stop to the more urban environs of Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood. VZW at Encore Park holds a total of 12,000 fans, split into 7,000 under the roof and 5,000 on the lawn.

Northerly Island

[CC-BY-SA-2.0/Zol87 at Wikipedia/Flickr]

Capacity: To Be Determined

Previously at Lakewood: Phish will make their Northerly Island debut in 2013

Seating Chart:

To Be Determined

Skinny: Phish will return to the City of Chicago this summer for a three-night stand on Northerly Island. There’s much which isn’t currently known about the site as it is undergoing major renovations and supposedly the capacity will increase as part of a new configuration.

The Gorge

[CC-BY-GEN-2.0/YDHSU at Flickr]

Capacity: 23,000

Previously at The Gorge: 12 Shows – 08/02/1997, 08/03/1997, 07/16/1998, 07/17/1998, 09/10/1999, 09/11/1999, 07/12/2003, 07/13/2003, 08/07/2009, 08/08/2009, 08/05/2011, 08/06/2011

Seating Chart:

Skinny: One of the nation’s most gorgeous places to see a concert, The Gorge sits on the banks of the Columbia River. Phish first visited the George, Washington venue during their 1997 Summer Tour for a two-night stand and returned the next summer for another two-show run. The band returned early in their 1999 Fall Tour for another pair of shows. After skipping The Gorge in 2000, they made sure to visit during their first post-hiatus summer tour in 2003. Now, Phish seems to be on an “every other year” plan as they’ve performed two shows at the venue in 2009, 2011 and are set to play The Gorge in 2013.

Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harvey’s

[via APE Concerts]

Capacity: 7,000 – 7,200

Previously at Harvey’s: 2 Shows – 08/09/2011 and 08/10/2011

Seating Chart:

Skinny: During the second leg of Phish’s 2011 Summer Tour, the band made their first visit to scenic Lake Tahoe. The venue they played at was a glorified parking lot adjacent to the Harvey’s Hotel/Casino and the lake itself. Those with rooms on the right side of Harvey’s could even watch the show from their balconies. Tickets sold out quickly in 2011 and are expected to do so again this time around.

Bill Graham Civic Auditorium

 [CC-BY-SA-3.0/J. Ash Bowie at Wikipedia]

Capacity: Up To 8,500

Previously at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium: 3 Shows – 08/17/2012, 08/18/2012, 08/19/2012

Seating Chart:

[All Seating Charts via Ticketmaster.com Except Where Mentioned]

Skinny: A rare set of indoor summer shows, this marks Phish’s second summer playing a three-night stand at the venue named after famed impresario Bill Graham in a row. This venue was built in 1916 and has been used by West Coast promoters Another Planet Entertainment for concerts such as Phish’s three-night stand. Only two blocks away from a BART station, mass transit is a much wiser option than trying to find parking.

Hollywood Bowl

[CC-2.5/Matt Field at Wikipedia]

Capacity: 17,376

Previously at Hollywood Bowl: 1 Show – 08/08/2011

Seating Chart:

Skinny: Another iconic venue, the Hollywood Bowl opened on July 11, 1922 and has hosted a who’s who of musical acts from all genres over the last 91 years. Located in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles, Hollywood Bowl holds the distinction of the largest natural amphitheater in the United States. Phish made their Hollywood Bowl debut on August 8th, 2011 for a show that’s just as notable for LD Chris Kuroda’s jaw-dropping usage of the venue’s signature bandshell as for the music the band played.

Dick’s Sporting Goods Park

Previously at Dick’s:  6 Shows – 08/31/2012, 09/01/2012, 09/02/2012, 09/02/2011, 09/03/2011, 09/04/2011

Seating Chart:

[via Venue Website]

Skinny: Apparently the band felt the same way about the past two years’ Labor Day Weekend run of shows at Dick’s as the fans did since Phish will return to the soccer stadium for their third three-day run in a row. Last year’s three-night stand was among the best of the era and featured one highlight after another, while the 2011 Dick’s run wasn’t too shabby either. Home to the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer, Dick’s Sporting Goods Park opened in 2007.

Next Friday night, March 22nd, Page McConnell will team up with three members of legendary New Orleans band The Original Meters, aka The Meter Men to perform at the elegant Grand Ballroom in New York City. The quartet features the Phish keyboardist along with bassist George Porter Jr., drummer Zigaboo Modeliste and guitarist Leo Nocentelli from The Meters.

Page and The Meter Men first visited NYC just after SuperStorm Sandy hit, limiting transportation options for some of those who were looking to attend. Those who did make it out caught a pair of memorable performances that were heavy on funk and otherworldly musicianship. From the looks of the videos we shared from the group’s first 2013 set, they are picking up right where they left off.

As part of our Everybody Wins When We Plug Something And In Return They Offer Us Free Shit To Give Away program, we’ve got a pair of tickets to see Page McConnell and The Meter Men at Grand Ballroom on March 22nd to giveaway. Simply leave a comment below telling us about your favorite Meters song. We’ll pick one entry at random at 3PM ET on March 18th. You can enter a second time by leaving a similar comment on the Hidden Track Facebook Page and a third time by following @hidden_track and tweeting the name of your favorite Meters song at us. You must include both @hidden_track and #htpagemeters in your tweet.

Here’s the fine print…

• To enter, leave a comment below telling us your favorite Meters song
• Enter a second time by leaving a similar comment on the Hidden Track Facebook Page
• You can enter a third time by following @hidden_track and tweeting the name of your favorite Meters song at us. You must include both @hidden_track AND #htpagemeters in your tweet
• Your comment(s) must be left by 3PM EDT on March 18th
• Anybody entering more than once a piece on Facebook, Twitter and at the bottom of this post will be disqualified, tarred and feathered
• Each winner will receive one pair of tickets for the March 22nd performance
• HT staff members are not eligible to win

Tickets for Page McConnell and The Meter Men at Grand Ballroom are available via Ticketmaster.

This past Sunday CBS Sunday Morning aired a profile on Phish front man Trey Anastasio that focused on his participation in Hands On A Hard Body. The program just posted a web extra that features Anastasio talking to correspondent Anthony Mason about Phish and Phish fans.

Anastasio discusses the “S Show,” his “persnickety fans” and how much fun he’s having…

CBS also posted another interesting “web extra” where Anastasio discusses Phish’s 2004 breakup…

For their New Year’s Run in 1996, Phish started off with a pair of shows at The Spectrum in Philadelphia on December 28th and 29th before celebrating the 30th and 31st at the Fleet Center in Boston. Shortly after the shows fairly high-quality fan-shot video from the Philly performances started to circulated among fans. Most of the copies were VHS and the quality degraded each time you’d make a copy. Back then, before the digital age gave us YouTube and torrents, if you’d buy a bootleg VHS Phish tape, there were good odds it was far removed from the quality of the original recording.

Yesterday, clips containing the highest quality video of the Philly ’96 shows I’ve ever seen surfaced on YouTube. Now, unfortunately the clips aren’t synced with taper audio, but they are still well worth checking out in their hi-def (720p) glory for the video upgrade. All that’s missing from both shows is the start of the first set on the 28th. The highlights are many and include outstanding versions of Mike’s and Weekapaug on the 28th and a ridiculous second set on the 29th that saw a “rotation jam,” Tom Marshall emerge during Harpua for a cover of Champagne Supernova by Oasis and a killer David Bowie.

So we’ve compiled the Philly ’96 videos for your viewing pleasure. We highly recommend clicking on the symbol that resembles a gear at the bottom of each embed to increase the quality to “720pHD.”

December 28th:

Set 1: Runaway Jim, NICU, Wolfman’s Brother, It’s Ice, Billy Breathes, Ginseng Sullivan, Split Open and Melt, The Mango Song, Frankenstein

Set 2: Makisupa Policeman^[1] -> Maze, Bouncing Around the Room, Digital Delay Loop Jam -> The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday > Avenu Malkenu > Mike’s Song ->Strange Design > Weekapaug Groove^[2], The Star Spangled Banner

Encore: Johnny B. Goode

[1] Key words: “Stink, Stank, Stunk”
[2] Ended with long Page solo.

Notes: Makisupa Policeman included the cryptic lyrics “Stink, Stank, Stunk,” which may have been a reference to the theme song in The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. Weekapaug Groove ended with a long Page solo. The Star Spangled Banner was dedicated to Kate Smith, who used to sing God Bless America at Flyers’ home hockey games.

December 29th:

Set 1

Set 2

Set 1: Poor Heart > Caravan > Cavern > Taste, Guelah Papyrus, Train Song, Rift >Free, The Squirming Coil^[1], La Grange

Set 2: David Bowie, A Day in the Life, Bathtub Gin -> The Lizards, You Enjoy Myself -> Rotation Jam > Sixteen Candles^[2] > You Enjoy Myself^[3], Harpua^[4] -> Champagne Supernova^[5] -> Harpua

Encore: Rocky Top

[1] Sesame Street theme tease from Page.
[2] Phish debut; performed solo by Mike on piano.
[3] Vocal jam.
[4] Harpua, Poster, and Jimmy were cconfronted by the “Über Demon” and the “evil sound of hell.”
[5] Phish debut; Tom Marshall on vocals.

Notes: Squirming Coil contained a Sesame Street theme tease from Page. Mike performed the Phish debut of Sixteen Candles solo on piano. Tom Marshall contributed the vocals to the Phish debut of Champagne Supernova as Harpua, Poster, and Jimmy were confronted by the “Über Demon” and the “evil sound of hell.” This show featured the breakout of Caravan, which had been shelved since December 2, 1994 (160 shows).

[Setlists Courtesy of Phish.net]

The new Broadway musical Hands On A Hard Body officially opens tonight after weeks of previews. To promote the premiere, HoaHB’s creative team of Trey Anastasio, Amanda Green and Doug Wright visited MSNBC’s Morning Joe. While most of the discussion focused on the musical, John Heilemann asked a question that many Phish fans have pondered – when will Phish start recording a new album?

[Photo via @gidplot]

Anastasio’s off-the-cuff response was “tomorrow.” In many interviews about the musical Trey has talked about how much work he put into Hands On A Hard Body throughout the multiple year process that led to tonight’s opening. Even as the musical was in previews, both Anastasio and Green have worked hard getting the song order down and have even added a tune in recent weeks. Now that the musical is set, it appears Anastasio is ready to turn his focus back on to Phish.

For you Phish fans: @treyanastasio tells @JoeNBC & @jheil on @morning_joe that @phish is starting an album "tomorrow." #morningjoe

Thursday, March 21, 2013 8:53 am via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@Morning_Joe

Morning Joe

Whether he was being flip in saying “tomorrow” isn’t known, but it does appear the quartet will enter the studio shortly. We’re hopeful that Phish will have plenty of new material by the time they kick off their summer tour on July 3rd. Watch the entire interview…

Earlier this afternoon the Chicago Plan Commission held its monthly meeting. Among the topics discussed was a plan by the Chicago Parks District to expand the concert pavilion at Northerly Island. The project has been approved by the CPC and the work is expected to be done by June 1st, leaving plenty of time before Phish visits the venue for a three-night stand on July 19 – 21.

According to P. Swanton, who attended today’s meeting, after the project is completed the capacity of the venue will increase from below 10K to 30,600. Swanton also reports that the orientation of the venue will change so that all seats will have stage and skyline sight lines. There will also be improved restrooms, backstage facilities, pathways and concessions.

Swanton contributes to the Online Phish Tour site where you can read more about the meeting.

UPDATE: This afternoon the Phish Tickets page has been updated with the following information:

The Chicago Plan Commission has approved a reconfiguration of Charter One Pavilion on Northerly Island that will allow for the creation of a General Admission lawn area by opening the venue into the park adjacent to the existing venue.

GA Lawn tickets will be $45.00 ($120.00 for a 3 Day Ticket) and will be available for sale through Ticketmaster when the shows go on sale Friday, March 29th at 10:00am Central.

The tickets available via Phish Tickets are only reserved and GA floor. The GA Lawn tickets are not included in the allotments sold through Phish Tickets.

Yesterday, writer Tim Saccardo posted on both Reddit and Phantasy Tour about Thursday evening’s episode of the NBC comedy Community. Saccardo, a longtime Phish fan, wrote the episode and wanted to alert fans that he sneaked some references to the Vermont jam band into the show.

For those paying close attention, you may have noticed three Phish references among Magnitude’s list of potential new catch phrases. Take a look…

Community is currently in the midst of its fourth season which consists of 13 episodes.

I was blown away this morning when I was doing my daily search of Phish videos on YouTube and came across a series of mind-blowing videos uploaded (and shot by?) Lawrence Blumenstein in which the cameraman shadows legendary drummer Buddy Miles as he meets and then performs with Phish at Madison Square Garden on October 22, 1996. All in all there are six clips of differing lengths that any Phish fan is going to absolutely love featuring unbelievable backstage footage.

In the first part we see Phish’s manager at the time, John Paluska, rapping with Buddy Miles about Trey’s love of Hendrix and how Buddy came to work with Jimi while in the background you can hear Phish playing It’s Ice for the MSG faithful. In the second part we see Buddy heading towards the stage and then talking with the band during the setbreak and discussing the song selection. For the third part, we see Jon Fishman talk about how much meeting with Miles means to him and we see Buddy pitching Trey on a hip-hop version of All Along The Watchtower.

Part Four brings us into Phish’s backstage practice room where Buddy is teaching Phish and Merl his version of Watchtower. This is the real gem of the series as we get an intimate look at Phish jamming with their heroes and the Watchtower they lay down backstage is almost better than the one they delivered on stage. Then, Part Five puts us right on the tip of the stage for an interesting view of the performance itself that differs greatly from the clip that was unearthed back in December. Finally, as if these videos weren’t incredible enough, Part Six takes us backstage for a heartfelt discussion between Buddy Miles and Trey and Mike. I’ll tell you, in the six years I’ve been doing this I’ve come across some amazing gems people have shared on YouTube, but these videos right here might take the cake. Enough from me, clear out about a half an hour and check out this video playlist…

One of my favorite parts of Phish festivals are the From The Archives shows broadcast over each event’s radio station that feature amazing segments from the band’s archive. These programs, hosted by Phish archivist Kevin Shapiro, have been a staple of the group’s festivals since Clifford Ball. Last summer, I decided to put together a compilation of tracks I’d choose if I ever got to host an episode of From The Archives. I shared these choices with our pal KernelForbin who downloaded the segments from the Phish Spreadsheet and lovingly remastered them for the first installment of a series we’ve dubbed “Faux The Archives.” Today, we present Faux The Archives Volume 4.

[Graphic by Brian Levine]

We’ll debut Faux The Archives – Volume 4 in ThePhish room on Turntable.FM starting at 2PM ET this afternoon. Once we’ve finished running through the tracks, a download link will be posted here.

Our fourth installment kicks off with one of only two versions of Letter to Jimmy Page that wasn’t delivered in the middle of Alumni Blues. This second set opener from Jones Beach ’94 leads into a great David Bowie, complete with Jessica (Allman Bros.) jam. Next up we bring you the Phish debut of Sweet Virginia (Rolling Stones) from the band’s most recent show in New Orleans. Now that we’re warmed up we’ll dive into a twisted Down With Disease from Japan ’00 that approaches the 25-minute mark and a gorgeous, Type-II heavy Tweezer from Dayton ’95 that slyly segues into Makisupa Policeman. A What’s The Use? that was played as the sun set behind Great Woods in 1999 gives us a breather before we jump back in to an outstanding take on You Enjoy Myself from St. Louis ’93. Dude of Life helps out on a most interesting Mike’s Song from the quartet’s final show at The Front that leads into an I Am Hydrogen which finds Page McConnell utilizing a cheap Casio synth. The Mike’s Groove finishes with a highly underrated Weekapaug from Kansas City ’95. Finally, we end the compilation with the first and only Phish version of Rhinoceros by Smashing Pumpkins.

07/15/94 – Letter to Jimmy Page > David Bowie (19:36)
09/26/99 – Sweet Virginia (04:30)
06/10/00 – Down With Disease (24:13)
11/30/95 – Tweezer -> Makisupa Policeman (26:29)
07/12/99 – What’s The Use? (08:41)
04/14/93 – You Enjoy Myself -> Spooky Jam > You Enjoy Myself (24:53)
05/12/91 – Mike’s Song > I Am Hydrogen (09:03)
10/19/95 – Weekapaug Groove (13:11)
08/03/98 – Rhinoceros (06:43)

Total Time: 2h 17m
V0 MP3 @ 44.1KHz

• Download Link: Faux The Archives #4
• Previously: Faux The Archives #1, Faux The Archives #2, Faux The Archives #3