Photo by Bryan Welker © 2010 Phish

Photo by Bryan Welker copyright 2010 Phish

Hartford, CT, 6/17/2010

The Greek, 8/6/2010

Photo by Bryan Welker © 2010 Phish

ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE KINGDOM OF CASPIAN

To: The Mockingbird Foundation
Attn: Charles A. Dirksen

Dear Mr Dirksen et al:

We don’t know one another, however, it has come to my attention that you have bestowed upon me an unfortunate nickname. I’m not entirely certain what’s been done to incite such anger, however, if you’ll allow me to pontificate for a moment, I think you’ll find it most unjustified.

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The Stones went from being a band I really liked and admired to being my heroes in some ways now that they weren’t before. And not just because they made that album. Though the full thing, from cover to cover, is the most soulful, least mental album, and it sounds like the sound of fun. But as I’m getting older and I’ve been in a band now for twenty-five years, I look at the Stones with nothing but reverence. You understand why U2 is an opening band for the Stones.

To be in my situation, in a band that’s been together only twenty-five years, and to look at them, you go, “Wow!” They’re playing really well, and their values are in the right place. I feel like I can look to the Stones now as an example of almost everything to do right. There are so many examples of what not to do, and they’re all part of the boneyard. So, by deduction, it’s: I’m not gonna do what Hendrix did, and I’m not gonna do what the Grateful Dead did, and I’m not gonna do what the Beatles did…. I don’t want to fight about money, and I don’t want to sleep with anyone’s wife like Fleetwood Mac did, and I certainly don’t want to be the Eagles…. [laughs] Here are the pitfalls to avoid, but where’s an example of how to do it right? The Stones!

Jon Fishman, interview with Michael Parillo on the Modern Drummer magazine website (September 20, 2010 issue) at http://phi.sh/~aQo05g

I admit it: I’m a setlist snob.

I started formulating this realization on the field in Indio, when ZZYZX turned to me and said, without the condescension implied, “I remember when I was chasing bust-outs.” And my response was succinctly “If we’re going to hear a 10 minute jam, I suppose I’d rather have the jam be off of a song I haven’t heard before rather than one I’ve seen a dozen times.”

But as true as that is, it’s not the real story. The real story is that I am chasing bust-outs. Not just bust-outs, but “interesting-ness”. And “interesting-ness” changes with the seasons. I’m actually chasing anything at a show that makes me think “Interesting!”

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Making music has always been the single most important, enduring obsession in my life. I’m truly grateful for what music has given back to me in return for my attentions. Teaching others often reminds me how much i long to live in a world that values music as i do. I was raised in a “real folk” household where I saw music played regularly by my Dad and his friends… it helped me to form the understanding that music was created by real humans with practiced skills, as opposed to originating from the radio. Our culture often seems to send the message that the importance of music is found in the grandeur of the spectacle, the celebrity of the performers, or the number of units sold. I think this unfortunate message can be offset by passionate music professionals and teachers who kindle the flame, “pass the torch” to others to follow, and in the process build more discerning, “tuned in” audiences to play for. Here’s hoping it continues!

Paul Asbell, Trey's guitar teacher at the University of Vermont, in a foreword to the second edition of The Phish Companion

In our effort to continually add enhancements to the Phish.net website, we are pleased to announce links have been added to all Phish.net setlists to any soundboard recordings available through LivePhish.com (“LP”).

The LP links can be found on each setlist page for which there is a LP recording (every show since 2002 and previous LP CD releases ##s 01 - 20 documented on the Phish.net website here). Click on the “link” icon or the show date to bring you to the setlist page for the show where the LP link is (between the setlist itself at the top and the rating stars and show reviews underneath).

The Mockingbird Foundation (the fan charity which maintains Phish.net) is now a marketing affiliate of LP (which is a joint venture of Phish and nugs.net). We get a small fee from nugs.net when you buy a download by clicking on the Phish.net page links.

As the LP webpages already say, and phans already may be aware, the band already donates a portion of its LP proceeds to the Mockingbird Foundation (and has done so since LP went live in 2002).

If you appreciate the work of this several dozen volunteers who staff this site and keep the setlists, song histories, stats and other goodies coming your way, please consider using our links to buy from LP.