Renaissance
Like many of you we’ve spent the past few months reliving the tremendous 2012 Summer Tour. Capped off by three glorious nights at Dick's in Colorado, it’s hard not to conclude that this most recent tour was the best stand-alone tour since the 1.0 era. And what’s more, the trajectory Phish carved out for themselves upon returning to the stage in 2009 has now, like a sculpture in relief, revealed itself. “This time is gonna be different” WIth regards to the impending New Year’s Run at MSG we fully expect it to be a rousing success, picking up exactly where Dick's left off and erasing any lingering disappointments over last year’s run. If this New Year’s run is anything like what we expect (and hope) it to be, Phish will have polished off this mesmerizing year and set the stage for a tremendous 30th Anniversary in 2013. It is now undeniable, except to the most jaded of fans, that Phish is entering a Golden Age; they are on the very cusp of a new peak.
The Legacy of Big Cypress Phish’s everlasting ambition is to create the most inspiring and transcendent musical improvisation possible; “their intent is our delight.” This occurs best when they find themselves in an environment of emotional stability, technical brilliance, and creative freedom. This is what occurred at different moments throughout the 90’s, and what reached its zenith at Big Cypress. Big Cypress was the peak event both in Phish’s history and their musical evolution. They have yet to surpass it. The fundamental allure of a Phish show is the assumption that Phish is capable at any moment of outdoing what has come before. This unspoken promise forms the basis of a contract between the band members and their fans. It is why we all keep coming back for more. If either the fanbase or the band itself felt the improvisational evolution had slowed or was otherwise arrested, that contract becomes forfeit. This is why Phish ultimately had to take their first hiatus, their ship had lost its moorings. What had been a carefully and painstakingly plotted course, onwards and upwards, maintained for nearly two decades, was suddenly adrift. It is no wonder that the enterprise quickly collapsed and that the harmful externalities Phish had been so successful at keeping at bay for most of their career crept into this vacuum. Recapturing 1.0 What has been hinted at throughout 3.0, and what Summer Tour ‘12 proved beyond a doubt is that Phish has now firmly re-attached those strands of “cumulative linear evolution” that were so present towards the end of the 90’s, climaxing at Big Cypress. What is different now, and why we believe Phish is on the cusp of another Golden Age, is that the band has added more humility and maturity to the mix as well as attained a level of health and sustainability that they’ve never had before. This has fundamentally changed their improvisational programme. Their songwriting, a point of contention within the community, has drifted towards a simpler more reductive style, but has had the added benefit of engendering a renaissance in their improvisational abilities. They jam differently now; their ideas develop quicker, they pivot faster, and they are more in tune with what one another is playing. To be sure, their best jams lay ahead, and not behind them. The members of Phish now know what it is to be without Phish, something that they never knew in 1.0. They are all completely engaged with their project again in a way that they have not been since its’ earliest iteration. Having parted ways twice before, the fear of what that entails is no longer paralyzing. Third time’s a charm! Phish’s great ambition was to fuse the genres we now know as progressive and classic rock with improvisational jamming. This was one of the great innovations and achievements of our musical generation. What we have seen from Phish’s most recent successes tells us this project is not over, by any means.
The Dead’s Gift to Phish
Trey and his merry band of cohorts were as deeply influenced by the sonically colorful Prog Rock of the 1970’s as The Grateful Dead were by folk music and Americana. The same could be said for Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix with the Blues. All of these musicians informed Phish and in particular Trey’s education. The Dead also bequeathed Phish one very important gift (besides the belief in near-constant touring) and that was a commitment to “Type 2” or full-band simultaneous improvisation. The Dead seemingly derived this style of jamming while performing as the unofficial house band for Ken Kesey and the Merry Prankster’s Acid Tests. The Dead (then The Warlocks) were given carte blanche to create sonic madness. Combined with Jerry Garcia’s interest in American jazz musicians, The Dead’s exploratory nature was a critical influence on Phish. But whereas The Dead’s “Type 2” jamming was comparatively disjointed, seemingly random, and more than a bit like acid jazz, Phish’s best Type 2 jams cohere and illustrate intention. This isn’t to say The Dead weren’t great improvisers; they were, and their more “in the box” jamming style is a major part of their legacy. Many free jazz pioneers such as Sun Ra, Cecil Taylor, Eric Dolphy and Coltrane in his later years, were also crucial influences for Phish, if not in song selection or virtuosity, then for how well they executed this kind of full band improvisation. The Ultimate Test Phish had set out to attempt the ultimate fusion; combining progressive rock with jazz improv in a rock and blues context. As complex as early Progressive Rock music was, most of the the bands that created the genre (Yes, Genesis, ELP, Rush, Pink Floyd, King Crimson) did not see improvisation as an essential element to their music and thus tended to play their studio-written solos live or compose entirely new ones for their tours. In fact, Prog-Rock musicians, especially in the live setting, were concerned first and foremost with technical precision, a consequence of the sophistication and speed necessary to the effective delivery of their music. For Prog-Rockers, the creativity (the heart, soul and passion part) happened at home and in the studio while composing, NOT on tour. Their songs were emotive and sophisticated. Their solos however, were pre-arranged things. King Crimson’s “In the Court of the Crimson King,” and Genesis’ “Selling England by the Pound” are both incredible albums that any Phish fan would instantly recognize as influences to Phish’s early writing. Yet in a live context, these bands lacked the thrill of spontaneous creation that is the central attraction of the Phish experience. At their best, Phish simultaneously composes and performs in real-time the emotion, sophistication and technical brilliance of the best progressive rock. Phish is playing at that level today and now has the capacity to take their project even further.
Zappa: The Missing Link
Despite the above musical influence, Trey’s most important teacher was Frank Zappa. This idiosyncratic musician, composer, philosopher and counter-culture icon pointed Trey in a very specific direction. Within his extensive catalog, Zappa fused Prog-Rock writing with Jazz improv, though usually not in the same song. In fact, he rarely even mixed the two on the same album despite having the talent and innovative capacity to write in multiple genres successfully. The Live Zappa experience was one that might include any number of genres, from interpretations of classical pieces to acid jazz improvisations. Zappa showed Trey that one person could effectively write in a variety of genres and allow for some creative overbleed. But could such disparate styles exist next to one another in the very same song? And could they do so in a way that enabled experimental group jamming? We know these two questions were of paramount concern to Trey. One need only look at songs such as “YEM, David Bowie or The Divided Sky” (and later “Reba, Split Open and Melt, even Stash”) to understand that this was a crucial question Phish set out to address. Trey Writes His Masterpieces The aforementioned songs exist simply because they had to be written, this was the leap that Trey made, creating songs that had no direct antecedent. Binding together jazz, rock, tightly-composed sections and classical motifs even into a coherent, pleasing whole they nevertheless maintained windows for experimentation. Standing on the shoulders of Zappa, Trey pushed the needle further. Writing the songs was one thing however, effectively delivering and improvising upon them in a live context was another. The trick would be in playing with a band sophisticated, sensitive and sufficiently aligned with his vision to nail the first sections of, for example, “You Enjoy Myself” and then, on a dime: (Boy, Man, God, Shit) plunge into open waters, jamming over a starkly contrasting style to the composed section. For “YEM” that meant the most basic jam imaginable: a funky 1 - 4 chord progression (Gm to C9) in 4/4 that any fan could get down to. Complex song, simple jam. The simplicity of the jam works against and as a counterpoint to the complexity of the earlier sections. It’s one of those ineffable effects which results in such emotionally powerful music. With the Complex Song, Simple jam motif in mind then, let’s consider the Dick’s “Light,” one of the greatest single jams that Phish ever played. The entire last 15 minutes is basically an experimental jam that sounds, feels and was played, as if it were composed. This is the apotheosis of Phish. They are at a point in their career now, where they can take a rather simple song rock song and develop it, over time and through many iterations, into an incredibly complex jam. Simple song, Complex Jam.
Writing For The Road In the modern era, Phish writes for the road. Songs like “Steam, Undermind, Light, Waves, ASIHTOS, Seven Below” were made and crafted with the understanding that their success or failure as Phish songs would depend on how they developed in a live context. This point is illustrated by comparing “Steam” and “Light.” Both date from around the same time. But for one reason or another, “Steam” has yet, and may never, develop as a staple in the rotation because its jams have failed to take root. “Light” on the other hand has become the preeminent jam vehicle over the past year, developing in a sequential fashion. Each subsequent version was built on, evolved from and was otherwise in dialogue with most previous versions. This is what kept “Light” in heavy rotation, not only was it was clicking with the band members (and the fans) along the way the jams that were crafted suggested further routes of exploration, Certainly by Bill Graham, if not sooner, it was clear that “Light” was THE song of the Summer and would be given center stage at Dick's. And we all know how that turned out. Phish always wrote for the road of course, but today, Phish is armed with the foreknowledge of their own, now greatly expanded capabilities. Their more recent songwriting (generally from Hoist forward) is without a doubt much simpler, reductive and minimalistic. The band itself has said as much in interviews and documentaries. They have become Beckettian, not Joycean. What the success of “Light” means for the future of Phish’s songwriting is anyone’s guess. But if it is true that Phish worked this simple song, complex jam trend to its apex (just as they once did the opposite) then it stands to reason, as committed as the band is to that constant change, that any new batch of music is likely to up the ante on the complexity scale. Since it has been some time since Phish released new material we don’t have much to go on. But Trey’s recently released solo album “Traveler” suggests a direction, particularly the track “Scabbard.” which we believe will be debuted during this new years run. The song hints at a return to the more intricate and challenging style of compositions that initially drew us to Phish. The lyrics too, at once deliberate and yet ambiguous enough to resist pinpoint meaning, “There can you see it?” are perfectly Phishy, the song’s relaxing coda (Hood-like even) acting as a perfect counterpoint to the cacophonous layering and rhythmic drive of the earlier sections. If there were ever a moment for a now triumphant Trey to take on the task of writing complex material, this is it. It would absolutely bring his career full circle. What would David Bowie sound like if it were written today, with everything that Trey has learned, the struggles he’s overcome, the knowledge he’s gleaned? We don’t know, but before this is all said and done, we expect to find out.
Trey’s Renaissance
Throughout 3.0, many fans, bloggers, podcasters, tweeters, Turntable Dj’s and other interested parties, have noted Trey’s more cautious posture. It is a testament to the depth of thought in the online Phish community that this stance has been described in any number of ways: 1) newfound maturity on Trey’s part 2) an inability to lead effectively due to advanced age 3) a signal to Mike, Fish and Page that he wanted them to lead more 4) an inability or unwillingness to let loose, plunge into the depths of jams, truly “surrender,” shred, etc. We’d like to offer an alternative hypothesis. The Democratization of Phish 3.0 has been marked not by Trey’s sonic leadership, but his willingness, his need really, to allow Mike, Fish and Page to step up and lead. Trey knew that in order to reconnect to his innate ability to lead he would need the full trust and support of his band. He promoted that trust by holding back. In light of the collapse of 2.0 and Trey’s personal struggles with particularly odious substances and critical personal problems, this trust was going to take some time to rebuild. When the band reformed in 2009, there was no guarantee at all that they would make it this far. In fact, there were most likely low expectations, for once allowing the band to relax and just have fun playing music together again. The whole enterprise could have gone off the rails as it did in 2004. But it didn’t and won’t because Trey democratized Phish, giving each member the time, attention and support they needed to know that he was back for good. That this band of theirs was truly and equitably theirs. Will It Go Round in Circles Throughout their career, Phish’s development has come in fits and starts. On a macro level, the band members evolved continuously together, forging their skills and abilities on the road, in the studio and in their lives together. Remember, these are four best friends, not just bandmates. But on the micro-level, the individual members of the band often their biggest personal leaps in phases when the others remained more static. It’s easier to explore one’s own musical role while the other players are sticking to theirs. Overall 3.0 has seen the biggest gains from Mike. Fishman has become increasingly responsive and metronomic to the point where much of the time his presence is nearly transparent. Mike’s gains, fueled by Fishman’s tighter playing, are of rhythmic, harmonic and tonal nature. Alongside Fish’s translucency and a restrained, patient Trey, Mike was free to innovate without the fear of clashing with the guitar.Towards the end of Summer tour and particularly at Dick’s, Trey began to assume an older, yet more customary role, that of frontman and lead guitar in a rock band. From San Francisco’s Light through to St. Louis’ Limb by Limb, Charlotte’s Tweezer and concluding with the absolute clinic at Dick's (Carini, Chalkdust, Runaway Jim, Undermind, Light, Sand). Every single one of these songs’ jams saw a patient, methodical Trey diligently picky his moments of re-entry. And every time he did, he came to the fore with coherent melodic phrases. As the band instantly coalesced around him, the jams were launched into the stratosphere.
The Retirement of Ripcord Red 3.0 has also seen the emergence of a rather misunderstood epithet in “ripcord red,” the term that half-jokingly pokes fun at Trey’s willingness to cut jams off mid-stream. We do not see “Ripcord Red” the way the majority of the community sees. In fact, the only thing “Ripcord Red” tells us is that the speaker suffers from an acute form of 90’s bias. People simply miss Trey’s domination which we understand and sympathize with. But they fail to consider, let alone understand, why Trey was acting in this way. Not many ripcords at Dick's. Not many ripcords at all during the entire second leg in fact. If the reward for suffering through all those ripcords and aborted jams of 3.0 was Dick’s, the upcoming New Year’s Run and the next few years of Phishy goodness, wouldn’t it have been worth it? We think so. Izabella We’ll know Ripcord Red has been retired the moment Izabella returns. For Trey, the embodiment of the guitar god, full of swagger, technical mastery, confidence and innovative capacity is, and has always been, Jimi Hendrix. Another of the greatest Phish jams, 12/6/97 (recently released as an official Live Phish offering, interestingly enough) has at its heart an epic Tweezer > Izabella. And in case you missed it, Izabella reared her raucous head not too long ago, over the summer within Jones Beach’s “Sand.” The unmistakable tease was a wink of the eye, Trey telegraphing us to “wait just a little while longer, it is coming.” We’re still waiting. But not, perhaps, for very much longer.
