15! Phish—Comprised of Trey Anastasio on Guitar and Lead Vocals
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Phish—comprised of Trey Anastasio on guitar and lead vocals; Mike Gordon on bass and vocals; Page McConnell on piano, keyboards, and vocals; and Jon “Fish” Fishman on drums and vocals—formed at the University of Vermont (UVM) in the early ‘80s and became one of the most successful rock bands ever. Their success story is built upon a rare combination of raw talent, strategic business acumen, and various moments of rock and roll serendipity. An abbreviated synopsis of Phish’s formation helps to place their trajectory and subsequent press coverage in context. Recognized as the first Phish gig, Anastasio, Gordon, Fishman, and brief member Jeff Holdsworth played as Blackwood Convention at a UVM cafeteria on December 2, 1983. In late 1984, they adopted the name Phish, reportedly in homage to Fishman. Through this period in the early-‘80s they were also joined by brief member Marc “Daubs” Daubert on percussion and occasional guest Steve Pollack, “The Dude of Life.” In May, 1985, nearby Goddard College student Page McConnell joined the band for the first concert collaboration of what would eventually become the four constant Phish members. McConnell was invited to join the band permanently in September that year. In spring of 1986, Holdsworth graduated from UVM and left the band. With the departure of Holdsworth, Phish’s current four-member lineup emerged (Mockingbird, 2004, p. 5). Gehr (1998) explained that “Phish had covered several Dead tunes during their first couple of years together but soon dropped them to avoid the onus of being pigeonholed as yet another Dead cover band” (p. 116). From the beginning, the Grateful Dead’s influence on Phish was clear in their music, although debatably not much more than any other act. In the late-‘80s, childhood friends John Paluska and Ben “Junta” Hunter were college students in Massachusetts. Upon discovering Phish at a Vermont gig in 1988, a relationship with the band followed and in 1989 the pair formed Dionysian Productions. With the sole purpose of ! 15!.