Episodes
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This week's guest is J L. I met Jackson in high school, where we immediately bonded over our love of music and Phish.
JL's first show was at the Gorge in '09 and since then he has seen the band 84 times.
JL and I reminisced about the "Live in Brooklyn" cd set that we would listen to over and over while we skipped class and drove around town. We also break down JL's favorite year of Phish, the song he is chasing, and some fun stories from tour.
To be on a future episode send an email to [email protected].
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This week's guest is Roy Donk AKA @good_baklava!
We talked about how Roy discovered Phish, His first show at Randall's Island in 2014, and how slinging Baklava on Phish lot turned into a business.
To be on a future episode send an email to [email protected]
*As I post this I am realizing that I was confusing Randall's Island with Northerly Island when I was referring to The Wedge having a "Paradise City" tease.*
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Missing episodes?
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This week's guest is Bill Stadler! Bill first saw Phish when they opened for and played with Santana in '92. But the first time seeing Phish on their own was on April 22nd, 1993 in Cleveland, OH.
Bill and I talked a lot about how Phish has progressed and changed over the decades as a band. Bill also shared some of his favorite jams, what song(s) he is chasing, and why he would like to see Phish bring back some jazz tunes.
to be on a future episode send an email to [email protected]
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This week's guest is Lonny G! Lonny first discovered Phish while at Summer camp with his friends, but Phish didn't immediately grab him. He had a few songs on his iPod here and there but after a handful of years in he decided to dive in and see his first show, at the Bakers Dozen! Lonny did 9 of the 13 shows and after that, it was on! Since then he has seen 104 shows.
We talked about Lonny's favorite years of Phish, why his favorite jam is the Went Gin, and what song he would be okay with never hearing again.
Lonny also plays guitar in Sarah Elaz's Almost Phish (SEAP) Check their socials for upcoming shows!
To be on a future episode send an email to [email protected]
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This week's guest is FJ! @tatseofyourcreation
FJ first discovered Phish in high school and remembered having Billy Breathes, and listening to tapes his cousin shared with him. At that time things never worked out where he could catch a show, and by the time he was in college, the band was on hiatus. But finally, 3.0 started and FJ caught his first run of shows at Jones Beach in '09.
We talked about FJ's first show experience, his favorite years of Phish, what song he would like to see Phish cover, and shared some fun stories from the road.
To be on a future episode shoot an email to [email protected]
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This week's guest is Greg Sarafan!
Greg's first Phish show was in Albany '09. It took Greg some time to have that "aha!" moment for Phish to click, but it finally happened with some help from his husband.
We talked about Greg's favorite year of Phish, his favorite jam of all time, and heard controversial opinions on what bands should or shouldn't be classified as a "jam band".
to be on a future episode shoot an email to [email protected]
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This week's guest is Sarah Elaz! Sarah was introduced to Phish early in life through her older sister, but she never really dove into the music until her first show on 8/5/2010 in Berkeley.
In this episode, we talk about why Sarah's favorite jam is 'Drowned' from 10/26/2013, Phish show etiquette, and why she would love to see Phish cover more of The Talking Heads.
Sarah also plays bass in Sarah Elaz's Almost Phish, "SEAP". Keep an eye out for their upcoming shows and check them out!
To be on a future episode shoot an email to [email protected]
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This week's guest is Alex Glover. Alex plays guitar/vocals for the band "Weird Phishes" "Weird Phishes is exactly what it sounds like - the iconic melancholy rock songs of Radiohead completely reborn as danceable, crunchy jams."
Alex first started seeing Phish in 2018, with his first shows being the 3-night run at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL.
We talked about some of Alex's favorite jams, what song he would like to see Phish cover, his favorite years of Phish, and his "controversial" take on the Providence Bowie.
To be on a future episode shoot an email to [email protected]
And be sure to check out Alex's band Weird Phishes! www.weirdphishes.com
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This week's guest is Ian Zigel! Ian's parents are Grateful Dead fans, so while growing up he had always been aware of Phish but never really dove in or sought them out. That all changed in 2018 at MSG when Ian went to his first Phish show at MSG, and he has been obsessed ever since.
We talked about how Ian got into Phish, some of his favorite jams, what songs he would like to see phish cover, and shared some cool stories from the road.
To be on a future episode shoot an email to [email protected]
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This week's guest is Shane Nelson! Shane is From Atlanta Georgia and has been seeing Phish since 2014. His first show was on 8/3/2014 in Alpharetta GA.
We talked about Shane's journey walking across America, how he got into Phish, his favorite years of Phish's career, and his favorite jams. Check out the full episode here, and to be on a future episode send an email to [email protected]
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This week's guest is Mike Taylor and man what a story he has!
Mike's Phish journey started in 1994 and came to an end in 1999 when he decided to change the course of his life and join the Army.
Mike's Phish journey didn't end there though, after spending 8 years in the Army, Mike found his way back to Phish in a healthier way.
Mike also shared his favorite jam, the song he's chasing, the song he'd like to see Phish cover, and shared some really cool stories from the road.
To be on a future episode send an email to [email protected]
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This week's guest is Megan Glionna! Megan is a co-host of the Helping Friendly Podcast.
Megan first discovered Phish in high school with the album Rift, and it wasn't long before she got her first show under her belt in Grand Rapids MI on 11/14/1994.
Megan shared some really cool stories about seeing Phish in Europe and explains why the Tweezer from 12.30.19 is her favorite jam.
To be on a future episode send an email to [email protected]
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This week's guest is Taylor Oshel! Taylor's first exposure to Phish was hearing A Live One, and he was immediately hooked. Shortly after, he saw his first show at Alpine Valley in '04.
Taylor and I talked about some of his favorite jams, his epic bachelor party and some highlights from the Dicks run.
To be on a future episode send an email to [email protected]
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This week's guest is Peter Mall! Pete is one of my good friends who I met in college back in Oklahoma.
Pete and I have seen numerous Phish shows together, including his first show back in 2012 at Alpine Valley!
Pete and I talked about how he got into Phish, some of his favorite jams, and some fun memories from past shows.
To be on a future episode send an email to [email protected]
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This week's guest is Scottie King! Scottie discovered Phish in 1994, and after 4 years of collecting tapes and studying the band, he got his first opportunity to see them in 1998 at Lemonwheel!
This episode is packed with great stories that Scottie shared from traveling around seeing Phish all these years, one of which led him to a small bar in Toronto to meet the band!
To be on a future episode send an email to [email protected]
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This week's guest is Philip Skinner! Philip discovered #phish in the 2.0 era and got to see his first show on 7/26/03 in Atlanta Georgia.
We talked about how Philip discovered Phish, his first show experience, and some of his favorite experiences from being on the road with Phish over the years.
To be on a future episode send an email to [email protected]
at 35:06 I say I95...I meant I35 lol
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This week's guest is Allison Black! Allison first discovered Phish when she was 10 years old when one of her friends had her listen to Fee. A few years later Allison saw her first show at Lakewood Amphitheatre in Atlanta, GA on 6/23/00.
We talked about Allison's first show experience, her favorite jams, the song that she wants Phish to cover, and why she would be okay with never hearing Guyute again. To be on a future episode send an email to [email protected]
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This week's guest is Tim Bangert! After a few failed attempts by some friends to get Phish to stick in Tim's ears he finally took the plunge and went to The Great Went, and the rest is history! After The Great Went, the majority of Tim's Phish shows fell into the years of '98 & '99.
We talked about Tim's First show experience, some of his favorite jams, the songs he is chasing, and what member of Phish he would most like to meet. To be featured on a future episode, shoot an email to [email protected]
Tim summed up his trip to The Great Went in an essay that you can read below.
How did I end up in Limestone, Maine, in August of 1997 to see a band in which I had relatively little interest? I will start the tale of my first Phish show a few years prior to that. I did know a little of the band and had a few friends loan me their music telling me how great they were, but even with all the music I chased down in used music stores and played on a weekly college radio shows, Phish was abarely part of it.
The first time I recall hearing the name of the band was in 1992 in a local radio ad for a Santana concert. Funny story there is that the announcer said, âwith special guest Phish,â over Santanaâs âAll I Ever Wanted.â I only knew the few Santana songs in K-SHE 95âs rotation (âBlack Magic Woman,â âOye Como Vaâ), so my brain immediately associated âAll I Ever Wantedâ with Phish. Thinking about it, that might be a fun cover for Phish to play. Phish obviously wasnât getting played on local commercial stations in St. Louis, so that was that.
The following winter in college a guy named Joe who lived across the hall from me told me I had to listen to Phish. He handed me a copy of A Picture of Nectar. I am not certain how much of it I listened to, but I think I thought it was too goofy and underproduced as it jumped from the manic âLlamaâ to gentle âElizaâ and so on. I still think itâs goofy and underproduced but in a much more endearing way.
A short while later my cousin came to visit me at school. She was a senior in high school and brought a copy of Junta along. I remember hearing âFeeâ and once again thinking what a goofy band this was. Why were people recommending them to me? What was I missing here?
Later that year she made me a mix tape that include The Mango Song. A strange one to hand anyone to say, hey, listen to this band! Somehow it wound its daft way into my brain with every listen. I think I thought the piano had a bit of Vince Guaraldi's sound from all the Charlie Brown specials.
In the fall of 1994, a fellow RA named Matt asks me if I play any music by Phish on my weekly college radio show. I tell him I had heard a bit, but they never did it for me. He hands me a copy of the just-released Hoist and says to give it another shot. I immediately liked the opening track âJuliusâ and played it on my show. I recall liking âDown with Disease,â âSample in a Jar,â and possibly âWolfmanâs Brotherâ enough that I dubbed the whole thing and had it on a steady rotation in my carâs cassette deck. There were a few songs I always skipped past. âLifeboy,â âDog Faced Boy,â and âDemandâ come to mind. Iâm still not big on them and oddly enough they are the three that I have never seen live (âRikerâs Mailboxâand âYerushalayim Shel Zahavâ notwithstanding).
Jump ahead to spring of 1996 and Andy Rosenhack, who worked in the dorms with me and showed me how to run the board and queue up songs at WRBU, returned to Peoria for Senior Walk (thatâs a whole different story). We were out to lunch with a group of friends and he starts telling me about going to see Phish and how great it was. His first show was the 12/7/95 Niagara Falls show. He was also talking a lot about seeing DMB and how great they were, which I think steered the conversation because by that point DMB was pretty big on the radio. Iâm pretty sure I was evangelizing for Wilco around that point in time, which seemed pretty not-Phish.
That summer I moved out to Colorado for a short time. Phish was in the news, as their four-night stand at Red Rocks was marred by the weird clashes taking place in Morrison by fans unable to get tickets to the shows. I was nowhere near it and Phish still was not really on my radar. I moved back to Illinois inearly 1997, bounced around looking for work, and ended up with a contract job in the suburbs of Chicago. It was a pretty dreary time and I was looking for a way to get out of the rut that was surely forming in the 8-to-5 world of I.T.
Andy contacts me and says I should come see Phish with him. Where are they playing? Why, in Maine! Itâs a festival! I tell him sure, why not. I've been at my job a few months and deserve some time off, right? He sent me two 90-minute cassettes to prep me for the show. The first was set 2 of the first night of the Clifford Ball 1. Itâs an interesting set covering a wide range of styles. The second tape was a doozythat probably made me say âWhat the hell is this?â It was the Bomb Factory Tweezerfest set. Really, is that what you hand somebody when you want them to listen to live Phish for the first time? It was out there.
We wrangled another college friend Bill Korbecki to come along for the road trip. Bill lived near Chicago, so I had company for the drive to Rochester. If I recall correctly, we drove the northern route through Detroit and Niagara to get to Andyâs place in Rochester, New York. Ah, for the days when crossing intoand out of Canada didnât require a passport or a lot of suspicion.
We didnât head straight up to the show, though. Andy was working as a day camp counselor that summer. Bill and I tagged along to help out, as they were making tie-dye t-shirts that day. I made mine out of a Sugar 1994 Tour shirt 2. That evening Bill and I hung out at Andyâs place because he had ticketsto take his girlfriend to see James Taylor.
When he returned from the JT show we took off for Maine. It couldnât be that far, right? Itâs just getting to Massachusetts and then through a sliver of New Hampshire. Ha. Little did I realize how remote this concert would be. The route couldnât be easier. Take I-90 east until it hits I-95 outside Boston. Head north on I-95 until the final exit before New Brunswick. Hop off and go north on US-1 and follow the traffic jam to the decommissioned Loring Air Force Base. I remember hearing on the radio local kids in Arastook County were out of school for potato harvest. The residents in the area were curious about the parade of cars winding northward, but they were gracious nonetheless.
Getting to the lot the morning of the show we were parked far back on the right side of the runway. The scale of it was overwhelming. Where the heck was the stage?
Attempting to piece together the first day of music here. The walk to the concert grounds was far but did not feel that way. Too many interesting people and too much interesting merchandise being hawked. I donât remember much of the festival area. Andy did paint on one of the wooden planks flanking the area. Those planks would become part of the sculpture that evolved on the scaffolding tothe right of the stage. I think Andy met Page in that time, too. I had no clue who any of the band were.
1 Split Open and Melt, Sparkle, Free, The Squirming Coil, Waste, Talk, Train Song, Strange Design, Hello My Baby, Mikes Song, Simple, Contact & Weekapaug Groove. 2 I canât believe I did that. My apologies to Bob Mould.
The show started late that afternoon. âMakisupa Policemanâ holds the honor of the first live song I saw Phish play. Keyword? âGoo balls.â Me being the neophyte I am, I thought Trey said âblue balls.â Ha. I had no idea the significance of the partial âHarpuaâ that followed. That day warped me for how long an opening set should be at around 100 minutes. I later learned listening to the tapes that the first fewsongs were a de facto soundcheck. Looking back itâs strange to think I got a daytime YEM (itâs hard to think of it without the lights) and a beautiful solo to end âSquirming Coil.â Pageâs words after his bow? âStick around.â
I knew only two songs they played that day. âWolfmanâs Brotherâ to open the second set and âJuliusâ to close it out. That helped keep things familiar for me. I was worn out late in the third set and told the guys I would meet them back at the car, so I listened to the encore from afar. Not knowing much of anything, I obviously missed the late-night DJ set the band put on in the disco tent.
The next morning was crisp and bright. Flyers had been circulating requesting participants for a mass photo shoot. The catch? It called for folks to doff their clothes. Anyone hearing this story would think I was the one who had to be dragged into such an event, but the opposite is the case. I told Bill and Andy that we should be in the photo. They thought I was bluffing and said if I was in, theyâd be in, too. So sometime late that morning I led them to the staging area to sign waivers, drop our clothes near some bike racks, and parade out onto an empty stretch of runway in our birthday suits with 1,100 other people. It was not as nerve-wracking as I thought it might be. For our participation, we were supposed to be sent a copy of the photo, but unfortunately, I was bouncing between addresses at the time and mine never made it to me. Andy did receive his. The photo is rather morbid in my eyes. Itâs monochrome and looks like a thousand corpses lined up on pavement, which completely belies the festive atmosphere of the shoot. While I did not receive the poster, there is proof of me in one of the pictures in 1998âs The Phish Book. Yep. My caveat for anyone seeing that page in the book is that northern Maine mornings are chilly. ;)
We meandered about that day. I was amazed at all the vending taking place, though I was still too green to understand references to songs or other cultural touchstones. I did buy a lot shirt, though. It was tie-dye, had a Phish logo with Summer Tour 97 around it, and on the back a faux Maine license plate withGR8-WENT. It cost me $5 because it had some rips in the front and was the last of the vendorâs lot. I donât think I ever wore it, but itâs still stowed away too cherished to be thrown out.
I remember much more of the second day of music. I loved the song âThe Wedgeâ the moment they opened with it. Limestone blocks so large, indeed. After the set we wandered a bit for food and water. Getting back into the concert area we ended up about 20 to 25 rows back Page side. The place was buzzing as the night and cool air creeped in.
One anomaly of this show that I did not realize was Fish not wearing his trademark donut dress. He was in jeans that weekend. For the second night he had on a fleece adorned winter hat. Trey also had on a warm striped beanie for the second set. They kicked off the set with âDown With Diseaseâ which I knew from good old Hoist. The song raged on for twenty minutes and then dropped down to a simple little guitar and bass conversation between Trey and Mike, as Page and Fish stepped to two easels on the stage. We could see the two of them painting on shaped boards, similar to those Andy had painted on in the festival area.
Trey played the chords of âBathtub Ginâ as Fish found his way back to the drum kit. The song was new to me, but itâs so catchy. The cadence of lyrics at first reminded me of Bob Dylanâs âSubterranean Homesick Bluesâ and of course was familiar with its Gershwin quotes throughout. Something clicked for me right then and there. Little did I know this would be one of the signature live jams of the bandâs career, but I did know something special was happening. Itâs a version that never loses steam and never grows stale on repeated listenings. Thereâs a group on Facebook called âThe Great Went Bathtub Gin Changed My Life.â I did not start the group, but I certainly understand why it was created. The song is 20 minutes of inspired playing and improvisation. As Gin wound down and melted into the quick bluegrass fix of âUncle Pen,â we were only halfway through the set. The next 45 minutes would be just as inspired.
The next song was just as familiar because Straussâ âAlso Sprach Zarathustraâ is embedded in the DNA of anyone alive after 2001: A Space Odyssey. More painting, this time Trey and Mike stepping to the easels while Fish and Page keep the jam going. Whatâs up with all this painting, anyway? As 2001 fades intowhat becomes known as âArt Jamâ on tapes, Trey tells us about creating art with the audience. The bandâs planks are crowd surfed over to the scaffolding where all the planks painted by festival-goers hang in one crazy pile. The spotlight is on the newly created sculpture as the band kicks into âHarry Hood.â Another new one for me, but itâs a glorious swell.
As âHoodâ drops into the post âThank you, Mr. Minerâ jam, Trey asks Chris Kuroda to cut the lights because the moon is bright and the sculpture is growing in beauty with every passing second. With that, the air begins to fill with colored lights. A glowstick war breaks out. Without the usual concert lights to dampen things, the sticks take on an epic feel. The jam seems to rise and fall with the number in the air. It was exhilarating. I couldnât imagine being anywhere else. As âHoodâ ended Trey tells the crowd to go get more of those things because they look amazing. 90 minutes had gone by in what seemed like 9. The crowd was floating. And we still had another set to go.
Over the course of the second set the crowd grew more dense. We had nowhere to go between sets. I remember gallon jugs of water being passed around the crowd. I was so thankful for a few sips. It sustained me through the end of the show in an incredibly cramped space.
The final set was not as epic, but introduced me to a few more facets of the band. I remember each song, but specifics of only a few. We were still pinned in with the crowd and hadnât had a chance to sitdown in hours (maybe we did? I remember standing the whole time). Iâm sure a lot of people took âDirtâ to be a chance to rest after the intricate âGuyute,â but it hit me just right. Combined with the cold air, Treyâs whistling and the simple guitar line were an emotional high point for me. The same goes with the set closing âPrince Caspian.â
I was thrilled hearing âWhen the Circus Comesâ as the encore, since I am a big fan of the old Los Lobos tune. I didnât realize its lyric âthe day I burn this whole place downâ would soon become a reality as they tore into âTweezer Reprise.â A huge timber dressed up as a match was lit and tipped against the sculpture that an hour or two earlier we had been admiring during âHarry Hood.â The whole thing went up in an intense blaze as the encore raged. The crowd was going crazy. Wow. Is this what every Phish show is like? Maybe so, maybe not.
One of the great things about the fest were all the folks vending from their vehicles. I was famished after the nighttime sets. As we strolled back up the runway I hear a voice singing out â15 ingredient veggie burritos!â A burrito sounded like it would be perfect, so we stopped to grab one. As the woman is wrapping one up I canât resist asking, âSo, what are the 15 ingredients in this burrito?â Hereâs how Andy recalls her reply: âRice, 5 kinds of beans, cilantro, cheese, cilantro, rice, cilantro, 5 kinds of beans, cheese, rice, and cilantro.â Ha! Who am I to question that? It was delicious.
We took time to rest at the car and headed out of the base the next morning. Traffic was heavy, but moved pretty well. When we hopped on I-95 again one of the strangest things Iâve ever seen happened. Troopers were pulling cars over en masse. We were not among those targeted by the state patrol, but it was weird. The only other Maine thing we really did when we were up that way was a stop at the L.L. Bean flagship store. I bought a wool plaid cap that I recently passed on to my daughter.
The rest of the ride back to Rochester I remember mainly for Andy introducing us to the music of Ani Difranco. As the rest of the year went along, I got a bit more into Phish, but really sought out Aniâs stuff. Two completely different sounds, but artists who completely do things their own way.
The drive to Chicago is a bit of a blur to me now. Iâm guessing exhaustion was setting in and we were looking forward to getting home.
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This week's guest is Chris Vernarsky. Chris and his brother Brian created "Phish Just Jams" a website & IOS app that has taken all of our favorite jams and put them in one convenient place.
Chris and I talked about everything that went into making "Phish Just Jams", Chris's first show (10/24/95), his favorite years of Phish, and some fun stories from the road. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, and if you enjoy the show feel free to like, share and subscribe.
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This week's guest is Andy Michels. Andy is the operations manager and hosts a show on JEMP Radio every Saturday from 6p-9p. Andy's first Phish show was at the iconic return of the bad in Hampton '09.
Andy and I "nerded out" about Phish AND working in radio. We also talked about the song he is chasing, His favorite jam, and some fun stories from tour.
Check out the full episode here or wherever you get your podcasts. Also, if you enjoy the show please subscribe, like, and share. To be on a future episode shoot an email to [email protected].
If you haven't already...check out JEMP Radio at jempradio.com
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