Piper and I have been spending most evenings going to bed listening to lots of cuts from Billy Breathes (Amazon link), the 1996 Phish album that cemented their status as ever growing, learning musicians.
On a personal level, it was the first album release that happened while I was touring with the band. After the amazing time I’d had at The Clifford Ball, I knew I was hooked. Phish played a mini-set of some of the acoustic Billy Breathes songs in Plattsburg that I was lucky enough to be very close to the stage for. It was the first “pretty” stuff I’d seen them do, and I had a feeling they were on to something special. I recall (fuzzily) my dad taking me to the mega book & music store in Hamburg to pick it up. I listened so closely for days. In particular Prince Caspian (a song I would later come to despise) caught my ear. But I was also enthralled with Free and Theme From the Bottom. Fall Tour ’96 started a few days later, and though I hadn’t planned on it, the Buffalo show was the first of 29 shows I’d see before the New Years run. It was a fantastic run of shows, and I have very clear memories of standing Page Side High watching CK5′s bubbly green lights during Theme and the swirling frenzied strobes for Free. I was so drawn to these songs, but I never really put my finger on it. Free rocks, don’t get me wrong…but why did it feel so real to me?
It was years later during a conversation with my wife that I finally figured it out. The majority of Tom Marshalls lyrics up until BB were about characters, feelings, abstract ideas. Listen to just about anything on Junta and you’ll get my drift. No one really thought Trey wanted to take them out for Dinner and a Movie. But Billy Breathes was loaded with personal songs. Lots of “I” and “you”. When I heard Trey singing “come waste your time with me…” it really felt like he was addressing me. Lost, bored, confused 17 year old me. And it felt nice. I belonged!
Now, at night, I put my daughter to sleep with these tunes. It’s really special to me…she’ll always remember (in her primal brain, perhaps, but nonetheless…) these songs as comforting. I’ll always remember them the same way, but with a new layer of love on top. Watching her eyes flutter closed during Talk is the most beautiful thing in the world.
I’ll be guest tweeting for YEMblog (twitter: @YEMblog) this weekend in Cincinnati, and I though a little introduction would be appropriate.
My name is Joseph, although for most of the people I’ll be seeing this weekend, I’m Tang. I spent a few years on tour from 1996-1998, and saw shows more sporadically after that. This Cinci run marks my 102nd and 103rd shows. I’m partial to long, composed Phish stuff, and machine gunny Trey. I currently live in Columbus, Ohio with my wife Tori, our two dogs and our 3 month old daughter, Piper Stone.
As far as Phish 3.0 is concerned…I’ve followed the whole thing with great interest. Someone mentioned on twitter the other day that a defining characteristic of Phish c. 2009 is that you can essentially “do tour” from your couch. With all the twittering, live streaming and next day downloads, a geek like me feels right at home. I’ve been doing just that, and I have to say that I’ve been really impressed for the most part. I can forgive some flubs in composed sections, and while you’ll hear me grumble about Time Turns Elastic and Light, I think Joy/Party Time is a pretty cool album(s). The summer found us preoccupied with Pipers impending arrival, but we managed to get out for a homecoming of sorts at Deer Creek. You probably know how that turned out. So in a way, this’ll be the first show I’ve seen of Phish 3.0. I’m really excited, and can’t wait to see some indoor Phish (always my favorite).
If you see me, feel free to say hi. You can also follow my usual twitter stream: @jeditang. See ya at the show!
Let’s start at the beginning. I left home for a hitchhiking adventure when I was 15 years old. Me and a couple of friends were headed up to Vermont from Buffalo to catch a Grateful Dead show. It took us a few days, but we made it up together, and I fell in love with America.
Fast forward a year. Jerry’s gone, and I decide to head out west to see some old friends and catch a few Furthur shows. After a crazy day at Fiddler’s Green, I make the call to hang out in Colorado for a while. There’s mountains. I like it here. Boulder, Colorado is one of those cities that just attracts traveling/homeless/adventuresome kids. I met some amazing people who took me in there, friendly and understanding. They also schooled me, taught me some things that I needed to know. As the summer was winding down, I began to hear talk of an upcoming Phish show at Red Rocks. Almost everyone I knew there was going, and I figured I’d tag along. I had heard some Phish before, and was intrigued. They reminded me of nuevo-Zappa, seasoned with Dr. Demento along with a side of some good ‘ol rock and roll. Some interesting things happened at that run, and I made some new friends. Ones with cars, and tickets. I was on the bus before I knew what was happening.
I saw just under one hundred shows (my count is now 101) from summer ’96 to summer ’98. I became the man I am today for the most part. I learned to thrive in parking lots, hotels and campgrounds. And I fucking LOVED every minute of it. Phish was my life for a few years. Then, as these things usually go, I fell in love with a girl and decided to slow down. I would catch a show here and there, and actively traded tapes, but Phish was changing too and I had no desire to follow them down the road they had chosen. I immersed myself in bluegrass and jazz for a while. I knew that they were on “hiatus” for a while. And I listened to their “last” concert, Coventry, live on XM radio at work. It was so bad, I sheepishly shut it off. I was completely embarrassed after having told so many co workers how great the band was. Coventry may have been emotional, but there’s a damn good reason you don’t see it on too many fans iPods.
Now it’s 2009, and after playing together at a friends wedding they announce a 3 night run at the Hampton Coliseum with a tour to follow. We were on the edge of our seats…could they do it? Would it be the same? Better? Different? Hampton turned out to be a barnburner, and I knew the tour would be steaming.
And so it has been. A few flubs here and there, but that’s only expected after so long apart from each other. They’re playing a handful of songs a LOT, but introducing new tunes and busting out some old goodies too. As a spectator, the biggest change has been the ability to watch the shows as they’re happening. I’m watching and listening to tonights set at Bonnaroo as I type. Cell phones have come a looooong way. When I was on tour, I had a pager.
Tori, Tiny E and I are heading to our old stomping grounds in the cornfields next week. This may very well be the last show I see at Deer Creek, and will certainly be the last time I see Phish before were a family of three. It’s gonna be a blast taking our unborn child to see so many friends, and four very special ones indeed.
As I fiddle around trying to get my Gallery2 install up and running here at IF@B, I am overwhelmed at the music that my wife is making on the couch next to me. She moved into the third trimester today (depending who you ask) and the symphony of noise erupting from her gastroesophageal tract is simply amazing. It’s a sort of new-age post-industrial composition; consisting of mellow groans and ambient belching neatly blended with a folksy sigh now and then.
We’re heading off to Athens, OH in a few hours to see Wilco! Hopefully I’ll have some pictures to share tonight, but for now enjoy this Colbert interview…
Thanks to @bayinghound for letting me know that there will be an Eco-friendly craft show next month in Clintonville! Fun crafts and live music at Whetstone park. Details here.
Tori and I will be bringing Tiny E to tonight’s DSO show at The Newport. I used my Decibel Club membership (finally!) to get free tickets to the show. If you don’t know, DSO recreates the music of the Good Ol’ Grateful Dead in an alarmingly accurate manner. They modify stage setups, band members and set lists to match the exact period they are recreating. In 2007, Tori and I attended Gratefulfest at Nelsons Ledges, and DSO performed flawlessly. The shows are not only a great time, but they serve as a meeting point for area Deadheads. I’ve talked to others about how it can be really difficult to connect with like minded people when you move around as much as we do, so the ability to boogie my ass off and meet new friends is always welcome. I’ve seen them maybe a dozen times, and always had a fantastic experience. If you’re in the Columbus area, come check them out tonight!
Hey everyone, it’s on! Since Tori will be 8 months pregnant, we won’t be attending, but I want to say again how much fun we had last year. Artist information hasn’t been announced yet, but I have a feeling that Phish will wrap up summer tour with a July 4th show in Michigan. I doubt I’ll be updating ROTHBURY Countdown this year and if someone is interested in picking up the traffic and willing to post regularly, I’d happily fork over the rothburyfest.wordpress.com account.
If you’re on the fence about taking in a US festival this year, I’ll give my whole hearted endorsement to the folks that put together ROTHBURY. It was an amazing freshman festival, and I’m sure this year will be even better!
I’ve been anxiously anticipating the development of our baby’s sense of hearing for a while now. For one thing, it’s the only interface that I’ll have for communication to Lil’ E until I meet him(/her). But I’m also excited to be able to play music in utero! I think it’s important to develop a sense of rhythm, groove, and melody as soon as possible. Our baby has ears now, but more specialized hearing organs will be present around week 22. Around that time I plan to present:
Brian Eno – Ambient 1: Music For Airports: I’m sure some of Eno’s subtlety will be lost in transmission, but I think that Music For Airports is the perfect in utero music. It was composed to be played in airports in a time when they were kept silent. Just something to cover the din of people rushing of to catch their flights. The womb is a noisy place, and I’d like to think that this album can help color the day to day swishyness that’s going on in there.
The Grateful Dead – One From The Vault (8/13/75): I really had to think about this one, and I’m stil not sure that this will be it. It has to serve not only as my child’s introduction to the good ol’ Grateful Dead, but perform some basic developmental function as well. Bear’s Choice or Harpur College? I dig the acoustic tip, but too much primal dead and sloppy rhythm. My personal favorite 12/29/77 or the perennial favorite 5/8/77? Pretty, for sure, but at times a little trippy for Lil’ E’s delicate brain. Nope, it has to be one of the damn prettiest shows played. A rare year, indeed, finding the boys incredibly focused. With new research showing babies have a solid sense of the beat as newborns, I have to presume the tight drumming would be appreciated. A nice mix of sharp jamming and fun tunes, just perfect for the hot summer days baby will have in utero.
Motown: I don’t have too many strong opinions on how folks should raise their kids, but I have to say that if you deny your child James Jamerson, you should go to jail. Children need rock solid groovable bass lines to learn and grow.
Yo-Yo- Ma, Edgar Meyer and Mark O’Conner – Appalachian Journey: Picking some American roots music is tough. Bill Monroe type bluegrass is just too fast and dirty. I’d like to find time to play some old South Carolina backwoods banjo music, but I have a feeling Tori will only stand for so much of me putting headphones on her pregnant belly! So I chose one of my favorite suites of music by virtuoso musicians. Guided by the spirit of the Scottish, British and Irish folk music that would become American roots music when it settled into Appalachia, this album really embodies melody for the little one. Since it’s based in folk music rich in simple petatonic scales, it’s like a Dick and Jane reader for melody.
Of course, I know that playing these albums isn’t guaranteed to help develop a musical sense in baby, but it doesn’t hurt to try!
