jeff\_fox wrote:As cliche as it sounds, they're taking a risk by stepping onto the stage with next to nothing planned out ahead of time.NOT TO BE THAT GUY, but there's like a whole world of people who do that in music, in very compelling and engaging and sometimes nutty ways.

I love A Picture of Nectar and Lawn Boy but can t stand their live stuff for the most part. I feel like those studio albums get buried under their œreputation as a live band and that most people here would find a lot to like on them.

jeff\_fox wrote:Phish was never "put in front of" most people. You were in a unique situation where a friend forced them on you. Aside from a VERY brief period in 94-95 when they got a tiny bit of radio play, and a couple of appearances at bonnaroo (AFAIK, the only other big festivals they've done in recent decades have centered around them alone) you'd really have to seek their music out. Even as a fan, I haven't knowingly heard anything off their last 6 or so records, aside from when I've seen them live.Yeah, they have roadies. That's where the similarities to RHCP end. I'm willing to bet those douchebags play the same lame set every night of their tour, and the music isn't 1/10th as demanding as most of what Phish does. As cliche as it sounds, they're taking a risk by stepping onto the stage with next to nothing planned out ahead of time. They'll be the first to admit that sometimes it bombs (Fugazi says the same thing in Instrument).There were the times they played the H.O.R.D.E. tours. Even then, I'd imagine that they were playing in front of potentially friendly ears.That said, I'd imagine that they picked up about as many fans from those shows as Wilco did. Don't think I've ever heard a Wilco fan say that it was because they had caught them during those H.O.R.D.E. shows.That said, the entirety of my Phish exposure was from exactly what you are talking about. Folks who were already fans when they told me about them.

Get dog costumes wrote:This was about FM numberthirty's comparing Phish's independence to Fugazi's.There's a world of difference between a set of three-minute songs with no setlist, and a set including 20-minute songs by a jam band with specific props and lighting at designated times of those songs, whose guitarist has been thinking about the setlist all day, with no setlist.There's a world of difference between bands that are on the cover of Rolling Stone and bands that won't give them interviews. And between bands that have headlined Bonnaroo and bands that...did Fugazi play any festivals besides IPU and free ones in parks in DC? That's the RHCP comparison - it has nothing to do with music, or whether they chart. jeff\_fox wrote:You were in a unique situation where a friend forced them on you.Nothing of the kind. They were a well-known band everyone I knew was aware of from college on, because they put themselves out there. Fugazi didn't; I had to find them. And if I made an assumption like this of you, you'd flip.Dude, you just typed a lot of words to take such a narrow view of the big picture.

Andrew. wrote:Someone post audio from a cool guitar solo. I don't like Phish but I like guitar feedback.This is a good example of Trey playing a melody by riding feedback, from their first album:https://youtu.be/wJExiqyRwRA?t=407The link should start at 6:47, if it doesn't that's the part I'm talking about.

Hey, Jeff. Would like to know your opinion of Phish's Austin City Limits performance from 2000. I saw that coming up on tv years ago and thought, "hmmm, I'm going to give them an honest chance here and see what all the fuss is about."This might be the only example of being genuinely perplexed at what people are enjoying. Never been much of a fan of the Dead, but I get it. Over time I've come to even appreciate some of the recorded output especially the really country stuff (still can't get into the live recordings I've heard though). Same with Steely Dan. I didn't like it, but I understood the talent and why it was good (and I kinda like the Dan these days). And with Phish I still didn't get it. I found that performance comically awful in parts. Particularly the bass parts for some reason.Anyway, curious if you like that performance/sound. Conversely, another band I don't like (My Morning Jacket) I found myself actually really liking some of their Austin City Limits performance from around the same time.

projectMalamute wrote:Andrew. wrote:Someone post audio from a cool guitar solo. I don't like Phish but I like guitar feedback.This is a good example of Trey playing a melody by riding feedback, from their first album:https://youtu.be/wJExiqyRwRA?t=407The link should start at 6:47, if it doesn't that's the part I'm talking about.Thx for the link. This band is not for me.

Get dog costumes wrote:jeff\_fox wrote:You were in a unique situation where a friend forced them on you.Nothing of the kind. They were a well-known band everyone I knew was aware of from college on, because they put themselves out there. Fugazi didn't; I had to find them. And if I made an assumption like this of you, you'd flip.Get dog costumes wrote:My favorite Phish things I've learned are either 1) the Phish app on my work buddy Sloan's phone that as he entered the shows he'd been to would give him stats on what state he'd seen the most shows in and what songs he'd heard the most (by times played and by minutes heard), and 2) that they have a lyricist. I was once tempted to produce a podcast with Sloan, who on time off would follow them and text/taunt me with awful-sounding scene updates from the road, but then we realized that Analyze Phish already existed.There's a difference between 'being aware of' and 'hearing'. Are you telling me they were regularly on the radio/TV where you're from? They were possibly the biggest band in the world mid 90's so of course you're gonna be aware of them. But I never, ever heard them aside from when I or my friends put them on. I think I actually found Fugazi the same way I found Phish. Some dude in high school was wearing the (not a) T-shirt so I checked them out at the record store.