Phish release catches improvisational feel
The groove-based band
incorporates funk jams
with its old jazz and rock
themes in the new album
‘The Story of the Ghost’
By Amy Goldhammer
lor the Emerald
The band that can bring hun
dreds of thousands of fans to the
tip of Maine for a three-day festi
val of camping, arts and music
has successfully produced an al
bum out of a four-day improvisa
tional jam.
Phish has broken new ground
with its most recent album, “The
Story of the Ghost,” which was
released Oct. 27. The band uses
the album to display many of the
different musical styles it is
known for: improvisation and
spontaneity.
Jon Fishman’s inventive and
solid drum beats, Trey Anasta
sio’s technically dazzling guitar,
Mike Gordon’s deep, powerful
bass grooves and Page Mc
Connell’s use of piano, organ,
synthesizer and clavinet combine
to create the unique, funky
sounds of Phish. Each member
contributes equally on this al
bum, both vocal
ly and mstru
mentally.
i “We’ve
h been after
r getting to a
process
where
b y
the music that ends up on our al
bums is fresh and spontaneous,”
guitarist Trey Anastasio said in a
press re
lease. “What
you’re hear
ing on ‘The
Story of the
Ghost’ is
first takes,
first ere- .
ations, first
everything.”
“The Sto
ry of the .
‘The Story of
the Ghost’
Phish
TYPE: folk/groove
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bines Phish’s recent transition
into deep funk jams with their
more traditional style of jazz and
rock. Portions of the new album
are more subdued and pull lis
teners in acoustically and intro
spectively, keyboardist Page Mc
Connell said.
The band members used the
album to experiment with their
vocals, particularly in the mel
lower acoustic songs such as
“Fikus,” "Brian and Robert,”
“Shafty” and “Roggae.” Many in
teresting vocal parts interlock to
form an organized chaos in tracks
such as “Limb By Limb,” “Meat”
and “The Moma Dance.”
Phish is capable of playing any
style of music, from bluegrass to
jazz to hard rock whether on
stage or in the studio. Unlike
past studio al
Dums sucn
as 1994’s
“Hoist,” I
“The Sto- I
ry of the
Ghost” takes the band’s raw,
spur-of-the-moment jams to re
flect their true musical wizardry.
But in addition to the musical
meshwork in “The Story of the
Ghost,” it squeals like a pig.
“Guyute,” the story of a sadis
tic pig, is one of the album’s
longer, orchestrated songs. It in
cludes many of the different mu
sical styles heard in older songs
such as “Fluffhead” and “You
Enjoy Myself’ from 1988’s “Jun
ta." “Guyute” also incorporates
Phish’s distinctive jams filled
with tension and release that
keep the music energetic and ex
citing.
“When you listen to Phish,
there is always something new to
pick out of the music that you've
never noticed before,” Phish fan
Nick Patton said. “This is one of
the most interesting things about
the band.”
“The Story of the Ghost” has
been much anticipated since
Phish’s summer tour, where
many of the songs were intro
duced.
For three consecutive years
Phish has held weekend-long fes
tivals of Woodstock proportion
that draw thousands of fans from
all around the world.
Courtesy photo
Musicians (L-R) Trey Anastasio, Jon Fishman, Page McConnell and Mike Gordon compose the improvisiational powerhouse Phish.
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