Beyond The Pond

In Episode 050 we take a break from exploring the various bands and artists connected to Phish's music, and instead reflect on the Phish shows we've seen that have had the biggest impact on us. These are the shows that hit us the hardest in the moment, and that we've returned to most regularly since. This week, our 10–6 shows, followed next week, by our Top 5 Favorite Phish shows Ever. David's 10-...

In Episode 049 we visit June 1994 - somehow our first 1994 jam - to discuss the underrated, forward-thinking Run Like An Antelope from June 24, 1994 at The Murat Theatre in Indianapolis, IN. A classic 1994 jam, this is equal parts experimental, indulgent, confident and arrogant. Here, the band displays their prescient playing, foreshadowing the creation of the song First Tube some five years befor...

In Episode 048 we are joined by friend of the pod, Ben Greenfield ( @GuyForgetOPT ) to discuss Phish's 2018 Halloween Album - Kasvot Vaxt: "i rokk " - and then we break down the rest of the band's phenomenal Las Vegas Run. In a stunning move, the band debuted a new album of brand new material - for the third times in five years - here donning the moniker, Kasvot Vaxt, a fictional Scandinavian band...

In Episode 047 we focus on the second week of Phish's Fall 2018 Tour, highlighting two excellent jams - 10/24 Mike's & 10/26 Mercury - within the band's two night run in Nashville & three-night run at the former Rosemont Horizon, now Allstate Arena, just outside of Chicago. Two exciting jams from across their catalogue, these both encapsulate the continued high the entire community is curr...

In Episode 046 we focus on the first five shows of Phish's Fall 2018 Tour, highlighting two standout jams - 10/16 Tube & 10/19 Golden Age - and using them as a springboard to make our Halloween Album picks! Two vastly different jams, they both showcase the consistent highs of the tour, while proving that the band is clearly well practiced and focused heading into their tenth Halloween Cover Ru...

In Episode 045 we're joined by our good friend and musicologist, Jake Cohen ( @smoothatonalsnd ) to discuss one of the best Phish jams of all time: the 09/14/1999 "AC/DC Bag" from Boise, ID. A multifaceted excursion that seamlessly melded together 99-era bliss jamming with big techno beats, ambient soundscapes and 1.0 peaks, this jam has a bit of everything and showcases the impact of snooze-you-l...

In Episode 044 we're joined by one of our favorite music writers, Grayson Haver Currin ( @currincy ) for a wide-ranging conversation about music, travel, current festival trends, and how some of our formative songwriters can regain their past glory. While Grayson's work appears in a number of publications we admire: Pitchfork , NPR and Outside Magazine , among others, it was three of his essays he...

In Episode 043 we discuss two phenomenal segments of music from Phish's 2018 Summer Tour Closing Weekend at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, CO. Focusing on the "Ghost -> Crosseyed & Painless" from August 31 and the "46 Days -> Tweezer -> Golden Age" from September 2, we discuss the sleek shifts of music the band employed during the three-night run, but also, the larger mu...

In this Bonus Episode, we feature an interview Brian did with Joel Cummins of Umphrey's McGee just prior to the band's July 7 show at Red Rocks Amphitheater. In addition to the interview, Joel requested we showcase the band's excellent jam off "Divisions" from July 5, the band's first performance of the song in 66 shows. Umphrey's McGee is a band that took both Dave & Brian some time to really...

In Episode 042 we discuss four jams from the East Coast leg of Phish's Summer 2018 Tour. Selecting one from each stop: Alpharetta, Camden, Raleigh and MPP, we turned to Episode 027: Phish Pandora for inspiration in crafting this episode. Each jam we selected received its own Pandora-esque playlist, which further helps to shed some artistic light on the last ten days of Phish's Summer Tour. Alphare...

In Episode 041 we discuss not one, but two jams from the second week of Phish's Summer 2018 Tour. Focusing on the "Set Your Soul Free" from July 25th in San Francisco and the "Soul Planet" from July 28th in Los Angeles, we explore the inspiration the band has received through two of their newest songs, and the impact this is having on the band from an improvisational standpoint in the tour thus fa...

In Episode 040 we return to our roots and discuss the first Chalk Dust Torture jam since our very first episode. A heroic, D-Major jam to the heavens, the Chalk Dust from the first night of The 2018 Gorge run immediately set itself apart as one of the best jams of the young tour. Songs featured in this episode are: Deafheaven: "Honeycomb," Wild Pink: "Yolk In The Fur," Futurebirds: "Serial Bowls,"...

In Episode 039 we discuss the shimmering and blissful version Gumbo from July 22, 2003 at Deer Creek Amphitheater in Noblesville, IN. A 15+minute mid-first-set jam, this version diverges from the psychedelic-blues jamming they employed throughout much of 2003. An exceptional example of Trey's lead guitar, this version is sure to have you floating 2–3 feet above the ground. Songs featured in this e...

In Episode 038 we discuss the effect-heavy, funk-laden version of 2001 from Memphis, TN on September 29, 1999. The jamming peak of an absolutely packed show, we humbly argue that this, very well, may be the best version of 2001 the band has ever played. Songs featured in this episode are: Funkadelic: "A Joyful Process," Milt Jackson: "People Make The World Go Round," Albert King: "Crosscut Saw," M...

In Episode 037 we discuss the expansive, relentless, sometimes terrifying, others delicately beautiful, Runaway Jim from June 16, 1995 at Walnut Creek Amphitheater in Raleigh, North Carolina. An archetypical Summer 1995 jam, this sees Phish mess with noise and sonic walls of sound in effort to find a musical connection far beyond the reaches of melody and accessible music. Songs featured in this e...

In Episode 036, we look back on the first half of 2018 and discuss our favorite albums of the year so far. In addition to our Top Five Albums of 2018 so far, we've compiled a list of our Honorable Mentions and share some of our listeners Top Three Albums of 2018 so far. David's Top Five Albums of 2018 (So Far): 5. Screaming Females: All At Once; 4. Erika Wennerstrom: Sweet Unknown; 4. Preoccupatio...

In this Bonus Episode, we felt compelled to talk about the life, legacy, and personal impact of Anthony Bourdain, who died on June 8 at the age of 61. We also compiled a playlist that runs the last half of the episode featuring songs we know he'd love. Bourdain's suicide is a shock to many. As world travelers, foodies, and as two young fathers committed to understanding the world, being proven wro...

In Episode 035, we discuss the bass-driven version of Down With Disease from September 12, 2000 at Great Woods Amphitheater in Mansfield, MA. A true Mike-led jam, this version of DWD represents one of the archetypical jams of the band's Fall 2000 Tour, their last of the 1.0 era. Songs featured in this episode are: Darkside: "Paper Trails," Primal Scream: "Burning Wheel," The Walkmen: "The Love You...

In Episode 034, we continue our deep-dive into the history of one of our favorite bands, U2. Once again, we brought on one of our close friends, and U2-expert, Ryan Nichols ( @ryannichols7 ) to help us out. Approaching the band's history chronologically, we explore how U2 grew into the biggest band in the world, shifted in one of the most extreme manners for a mainstream Rock band, and has spent m...

In Episode 033, we deep-dive into the history of one of our favorite bands, U2. To do so, we brought on one of our close friends, and U2-expert, Ryan Nichols ( @ryannichols7 ) to help us out. Approaching the band's history chronologically, we explore how U2 grew into the biggest band in the world, shifted in one of the most extreme manners for a mainstream Rock band, and has spent much of the last...

In Episode 032, we’re joined by an excellent writer & podcaster, Steven Hyden ( @Steven_Hyden ) to discuss his new book, Twilight Of The Gods: A Journey To The End Of Classic Rock . A free-flowing conversation, we touch upon Steven’s Phish journey before discussing everything from Chris Robinson’s Grateful Dead cosplay, to the best Springsteen record of the 21st Century, to indie rock bands wh...

In Episode 031, we are joined by a close friend, and excellent photographer, Kathleen Hinkel (@vancityvisuals), co-creator of Mike Side Dyke Side (@MikeSideDykes) to discuss Phish’s performance of The Great Curve during the Remain In Light Halloween set on 10/31/1996. In order to fully celebrate this performance, we’ve built an episode off the line, “The world moves on a women’s hips” and focused...

We recently sat down with Kathleen Hinkel (@vancityvisuals), one of our earliest fans, as well as an excellent photographer, and the brains behind the Mike Side Dyke Side (@MikeSideDykes) organization. We covered a lot of ground with Kathleen & have a really special episode coming to you next week! In the meantime, we wanted you all to get to know Kathleen, her Phish Origins, and hear a bit ab...

In Episode 030, we discuss the dreamy and atmospheric version of Birds of a Feather from July 8, 1999 in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Only the second ever Type-II version of Birds, the jam leaves the song’s theme after ten-minutes of hose for an ambient section of 99-era bliss jamming. It’s then that Trey plucks the from If I Only Had A Brain out of thin air & inserts it into the jam, riding it t...

In Episode 029, we celebrate our One-Year-Anniversary, as well as the Twentieth Anniversary of the Island Tour, by focusing on the version of Piper from 04/03/1998 at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, NY. A brooding, dimly lit jam, this is one of the most unique versions of Piper the band has ever played, as well as an excellent example of the highly creative approach they took to the Island Tour. Son...