Sunday, May 2, 2010

Phish

I would like to preface this by saying that I am first and foremost a fan of music, as I think it is one of the purest forms of expression we have available to us when utilized correctly.

Personally, I am a massive fan of the rock band Phish. For me, they blend music genres better than any band I've ever listened to and if you wish to enlighten me on a band that does this better I'm all ears...or rather, eyes. Phish began small (their first gig was at an ROTC dance in 1984, and everyone hated it). They slowly made their way to the top of the live music scene on a journey that spanned from the mid 80's to the millennium. They continue to play, though for the greater part of this decade were on hiatus. Their music consists of a blending of virtually every musical genre including classical, jazz, bluegrass, country, funk, rock, folk, a capella, barbershop quartet, avant-garde, blues, folk, progressive rock, and psychedelic rock. They have been heralded by their fans as treating every show as its own unique experience, independent from the rest of their shows. The band engages in a signature style of improvisation which, when they are at their best, leads to a cohesive movement of the band through many themes and feeding off both each others' thoughts and energy as well as the audience's.

Unfortunately, Phish is often scrutinized and 'hated on' by a vast number of people. I am writing to address these criticisms and meet them with counterexamples and points, although I personally think people's hate for Phish is a direct result of an encounter they had with someone who was either a) wearing a Phish shirt; b) mentioned Phish in some way; c) liked the Grateful Dead

Many critics of Phish compare them to the Grateful Dead. Some critics view Phish's music as simply copying the Grateful Dead. This is not true. The only similarities lie in the fact that they jam, and in the culture of the band and it's relationship to it's fans. Generally, when people criticize Phish, they say something along the lines of, "Phish sucks, I hate them," or, "I don't get them," or, "it's un-BEAR-able." Basically, people seldom give solid, factual reasons why they dislike the band, and often times their hate is a result of the fan base. While I agree that there are many-a douchebag Phish fans, the fans I am friends with are kind, intelligent, and well versed in music.

Ok, on to more important matters: My argument for the genius of Phish's music, using my limited understanding of music composition.

I'm not sure if you've ever listened to the songs Reba or Divided Sky, but both those songs make use of polyrhythmics and Divided Sky contains a musical palindrome, which means that it is the same (or at least, eerily similar) played backwards as it is forwards. It also contains a section which switches between 7/8 and 6/8 (I think those are the signs). Reba is fugue-like in its composition, and has segments in which the guitar and keys 'chase' each other, in a sense.

Trey (red-head guitarist with a humorously bad voice) was intensely mentored by composer Ernie Stires. Trey wrote the majority of his compositions, such as Reba, while learning under him, and his influence on Trey's music is supposedly apparent in Trey's compositions, which include, but are not limited to, The Curtain (With), Harry Hood, You Enjoy Myself, David Bowie, Fluffhead, and the two mentioned before. Now, I cannot personally speak on the exact influence, as I did not know Ernie, but many of these songs resulted from assignments Ernie gave to Trey. Ernie died in 2008, and in 2004, his violin concerto was premiered at Carnegie Hall. Carnegie Hall don't lie (a la Rasheed Wallace). So, I find it difficult, unless you can dissect each of these compositions and prove why they are a result of poor musicianship, that you can state, as a fact, that Phish either lacks musical cohesiveness or is not talented.

Their lyrics, often criticized as being meaningless, are, in my opinion, simply difficult to understand. They have flashes of nonsense, but more often than not, are incredibly deep. Their lyrics are, for the most part, penned by lifelong friend of Trey, Tom Marshall. Here is a sample from some of my favorite lyrics of any song, not just Phish:


It's Ice

Lyrics by Tom Marshall

I press on the elastic sheet, I'm breathing through a slice
'Are they worms? or are they serpents?' bubbles through the Ice
The source was quite invisible, the ever present voice
While skating, both legs tracing different shapes I made my choice

I'm mimicking the image in whose radiance I bask
I'm tied to him, or him to me, depending who you ask
Nonetheless reluctantly reflections tumble in
I slide with all the others on the wrong side of the skin

He's fallen on the ice it cracks
will he plunge in and join me here?
he meets my eyes, to my surprise
laughs in full light of my frown
my double wants to pull me down




This poem is about a guy who is skating on a pond, battling with his reflected image on the ice. The poem gives vivid and ambiguous imagery into the experience of the man. The lyrics are give a sense of moral ambiguity in that we really can't tell whose perspective we are getting.

Musically, the song perfectly matches the lyrics, with several themes punctuating the story.



A lot of people think Phish fans are simply people too stoned to listen to 'good music,' or are only in it for the drugs. I could not disagree more. I can't tell you how many people I have met that have been turned onto Phish by an older cousin or older brother. One of my friends at college used to listen to a lot of Phish, and respects the hell outta them. His brother introduced him to the band's music. Both of them are punks at heart, and his brother is in a punk band. Personally, I was at a CD store, and saw the album Farmhouse (which was the only song I knew by them). It was 4 dollars, and some random guy next to me said, "Hey, get this one," and handed my Lawn Boy. I have two friends that are twin brothers and are in a progressive metal band, and both like Phish, one more than the other.

You don't have to listen to the jams, cause I will openly admit that they can be abrasive to some ears, but for purely educational value I hope you at least give some of those a listen. Also, I would like to mention that Phish accomplished essentially everything they have accomplished with little to no help from the media and/or the music industry. In fact, they did their best to stay away from it, because they wanted to do things their way. For their penultimate show on the eve of the new millennium, they amassed 85,000 people to a Seminole Indian reserve in Florida on December 30th and 31st. The show was the largest millennium eve concert of that night surpassing shows by Aerosmith, Billy Joel, Eric Clapton, The Eagles, Kiss, Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Elton John. The band played their marathon set from midnight to 7:30 am, without stopping. They had portopotties on stage, and security guards to ensure the band didn't wimp out.


And just because I'm curious, what are the last three shows you have been to?

The last three shows I saw were the Allman Bros and Levon Helm at Jazz Fest - It was rather surreal seeing Levon Helm on stage with so many great musicians (Allen Toussaint, Ivan Neville, Dr. John, and Stanton Moore) was magical. My only experience of him playing live is in the masterpiece concert film 'The Last Waltz.' The Brother(s) were on fire, pulling out all their best songs for a beautiful day in New Orleans. Derek Trucks has a broken foot, but it did not stop him from playing what was perhaps the most soulful guitar playing I have ever witnessed. I missed the Whipping Post, but that was in order to be on time for.....


Les Claypool on the Creole Queen Riverboat - Best show of my young life, hands down. Nothing I have ever been to could match the atmosphere of that show, and coupled with Claypool's mastery of the bass, it was simply euphoric.


























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