Ah, here we are, less than a week from Phish at the Greek. While Justin swears that he’ll listen to all the shows I selected for last week’s Phish Friday before the band takes the stage next Thursday, I thought I’d pile on some more homework for all you intrepid readers out there. Based upon all of your comments on last week’s post (and thanks for those by the way), you clearly know your old-school Phish. Hopefully the list below will remind you of some old favorites, inspire some debate, and maybe, just maybe, give you one or two jams that have never graced your ears.
For reasons I’m not even sure of, I’ve decided to split this list into two sections: 25 jams included on the infamous “Best Phish Jams” spreadsheet, along with 10 others that (for whatever reason) have been overlooked or not yet added to this master list. It goes without saying that the spreadsheet is an incredible resource, but clearly, it’s not infallible.
For your aural pealsure, we’ve included two of the best from the list for you to stream and/or download to help get you through your Friday afternoon. And finally, in an attempt to mix it up and keep it fresh, I’m not including any jams from any of the shows listed last week, so please don’t get all up in arms when you don’t see, for example, the 12.30.99 Melt -> Catapult, the 4.3.98 Roses, the 9.14.99 AC/DC Bag, the 12.31.95 Mike’s, or the Halloween ‘95 YEM included below. Just know this: whichever jams you seek out (whether from my list or the spreadsheet), they’re all sonic gold and you’re in for a treat. Happy listening! READ MORE
I’ve been excitedly following the updates from Nathan Moore’s spontaneous tour through Northern California, dubbed the Hippy Fiasco Tour. What started with two iPhones and a lack of proper cell phone reception has turned into a High Sierra family reunion of sorts, with the crew getting treated to custom t-shirts, beer from Lagunitas Brewery, and a wonderfully welcome vibe from the fans in the area that are making sure that Nathan is staying busy and hopefully recouping some costs from his festival jaunt out here in the first place. When I first heard of this I immediately thought best to help out wherever possible, and the first thing that came to mind was that I really want to pack the Connecticut Yankee tonight when the tour rolls back through San Francisco. READ MORE
Photo © Dave M. Benett / Getty Images / MSNBC.com
For many of those who embrace the wonders of psychedelic/exploratory music, it starts with Pink Floyd and ends with the countless musical spawns they have subsequently inspired in the the years that have followed since the 1967 release of the seminal Piper At The Gates of Dawn debut record. Whether a friend or sibling introduced you to Dark Side of the Moon when you were a musical tabula rasa effectually awaiting the tipping point where music became an important factor of life, or you experienced some other casual encounter with the band’s material inspired a lifetime of fandom, everyone seems to have had a “click” point at some point with the band’s material and chances are, if you took a liking to the strange sounds, your music tastes never were quite the same thereafter. READ MORE
It’s not surprise that social media has really changed the way many artists can make a living these days. Take for instance the case of Nathan Moore, the solo artist and frontman for Surprise Me Mr. Davis — the man has been able to organize a Bay Area “tour” in the matter of 36 hours after he flew out to California to play the Mystic Garden Party…
From JamBase…
When he flew in to perform at an established festival in California this past weekend and discovered most of the main artists had pulled out for fear of not being paid, he did what Nathan Moore does best – he jumped in with both feet. “I think they need me,” he told his manager when discussing the options. So, he went, knowing that like most artists struggling to make ends meet on tour he risked losing money yet again. The festival meltdown illustrates the impact of hard times on festivals, musicians and fans alike, and Moore’s attitude shows he takes his role as everybody’s troubadour to heart.
I love the spontanaiety of it all and it’s cool to see Nathan has some friends up here in the Bay Area to help him stay busy this week and recoup some of his plane ticket and transportation costs coming out West. I’ll be at the Yankee on Friday night barring any unforeseen changes in that plan.
Hippy Fiasco Rides Again: A Spontaneous Nathan Moore Tour
Tuesday, July 27: The Downlo, Chico CA, 7:00-? $7
Wednesday, July 28: 8240 Bodega Hwy. Sebastapol CA (park on the left) 7:00 $10
Thursday, July 29: McNears, 21 Petaluma Blvd N, Petaluma CA 8:00 free plus DoughNation
Friday, July 30: Connecticut Yankee, San Francisco CA, 10:00 $10
Saturday, July 31: private affair
Sunday, August 1: A semi private party at the compound in Oakland, call hot line for details, Doors 4:00, Music 6:00, $10 Donation.
Monday, August 2: TBA, working on it- Santa Cruz CA beach party? Tea and crumpets in San Jose? Anyone? Call the hotline!
This blog post by zzyzx over at Phish.net got me thinking, and we regularly get asked to provide an update to the fans on the latest and greatest rumor mill nonsense surrounding the band. I asked our friend @phortin to write up some of his thoughts… –Editor
We are less than ten days away from Phish’s continuation of Summer tour — AKA Leg 2. The band and the community will descend on the Bay Area, more precisely, The Greek Theatre in Berkeley for the only three-night run of Twenty-Ten (so far…)
That “so far” is what keeps the community abuzz in between tours apparently. Just as we follow Twitter for set list updates during tour, some, many, follow the rumors of future touring. With a community of Phish fans usually rocking the “living in the now” mindset, you would think that their futures market would be relatively carefree. Instead we agonize and try to predict where the “All-Request-Band” will go next, even if it’s five months in the future!
So what is the rumor mill swirling with this time? Well, not much coming from Captain Reliable (and herein lies the problem)…
Extensive Fall tour, West Coast only? October dates in Vegas at the Thomas & Mack? Three of a Kind flashbacks? Better to move it down the block to the Capshaw friendly MGM Grand? Does Texas get more than just a two hour festival set or is the tour galloping into Broomfield, CO for a stay at the AEG hyped 1st Bank Center?
But wait, what about Halloween? Are they taking a year off after the acclaimed Exile Set in Indio or donning another costume in Providence, no wait, scratch that, I mean Albany? The rumors don’t stop there. In November, do you know where your turkey and cranberry sauce are coming from? I sure don’t, but word is the Phish might be skipping Grandmother’s house for the Hampton Coliseum. Surprisingly, the dates that are the farthest away seem to be the most reliable: Madison Square Garden for NYE. But is it too early to mention a weeklong residency.
Oops, I just did.
(Hat tip to Mr. Miner for the rumor graphic)
Influential post-rock band Mogwai is streaming their live concert film, Burning, right here on LMB starting live at 12pm PDT today (about five minutes from press time). Hang out and wait for the film to begin, featuring an introduction of the film by Stuart from the band and Vincent Moon the director followed by the screening and then ended with a question and answer session with any of us that decide to get social on the widgets below. READ MORE
