Phish and the Evolution of Jamming Essay Example

course, a barbeque at the dorms in which the and lived at UVM. The band was still learning about themselves, and the music reflected it. As a band interested in improvisation, the young guys decided to play a few Grateful Dead songs that night; one of the landmark jams of this time period was played that afternoon.

Seeming rather tame today, the 20 minute “Scarlet Begonias/Fire On The Mountain” segment was groundbreaking for the band. After a few more years of playing in the bars in downtown Burlington and parties at their friend’s houses, Phish decided it was time to take a trip out West.In 1988, Phish went to Telluride, CO to play 10 nights in the bars on Main Street. Overall, they made $1000 and forgot it on the table at the house they stayed in, but what was important about the trip was not the money (Phish, the Biography). Phish has always been a word-of-mouth band, and this trip definitely gave the mouths of the Telluride youth something to talk about.

Trading tapes of Phish shows became common practice among the college youth of the late 80’s. Six nights a week, Phish would play at Nectar’s in Burlington, and six nights a week, Phish was bringing something new to the table.It seemed as though this band of misfits and troublemakers was a force that could not be stopped. If Phish was playing the same show night after night, it would have gotten old, but with their always-improving improvisation, they kept the crowds coming back. The jamming in this period was certainly minimal in the shadows of what would be coming in the next decade.

In the

late 80’s, the jams were mostly in the structure of whatever song they were playing, which is called “Type I” jamming. (Phish. net) A guitar solo or keyboard solo would be extended for maybe 10-12 minutes, but that was the extent of it all.The jams were very high energy, and they showed the technical skill of each band member. This all culminated with what is called the “Speed Jazz” era of Phish. The “Speed Jazz” era of Phish can be summed up with one word, Fire.

When Phish moved out of small clubs and into theaters in the early 90’s, there was nothing more they wanted to do but to show the world just how damn fast they could play their instruments. Trey Anastasio, lead guitarist and primary songwriter for Phish, is the frontman for these kind of jams. Guitar solos that peel the skin right off your face were the norm.Pounding drums and furious keyboards drove the soaring jams to new peaks every single night. A personal favorite example of the “Speed Jazz” era is the entire 5/17/92 show at the Achilles Rink in Schenectady.

This version of “Possum” set the bar for the next year of jamming. Clocking in at 16 minutes, Trey takes us from quiet, sparkling guitar flutters to erupting energy and screaming guitar peaks. By 12/31/93 the band had become too big for theaters. Playing at The Centrum in Worcester, MA, Phish rang in the new year with some of the greatest jams they played in the early 90’s.The 12/31/93 “Harry Hood” is agreed upon by many as the “Best Hood Ever,” as well as many other songs from that run. After

New Year’s Eve, Phish had no place to go but up.

In 1994 and 1995, Phish played what people call “The Big Five. ” This refers to five versions of the song “Tweezer” that were played from Fall 1994 to Summer 1995. During the transition from smaller theaters to larger outdoor sheds, the music took on a new life. Starting in November of 1994, the first “Big Tweezer” was played.

This jam is 34 minutes long, and is utter chaos. By this point in their career, Phish was ready to do something they had never done before.More and more you would see huge jams popping up at shows. Throughout the years past, you would see maybe a 15 minute song at the longest, but that was all about to disappear.

According to long-time Phish fan Luke Ross, the “Big Tweezers” changed the way Phish approached the stage. “Every night there were 20-25 minute jams coming out of every song. The jams were almost always just noise, and they had no real melodies. What they did have was energy, and lots of it. The intense jamming from ’94 and ’95 was the sound of a youthful band that still had something to prove in the larger venues.

When they finally figured each other out on these bigger stages, it came time for another tour. Fall ’95 was the culmination of years of exploration within the band, and what happened was the first big peak in Phish’s career. ” When Phish rang in the New Year for 1996, they took a few months off to recharge before their next summer tour. This time around, Phish seemed like they were, once again,

looking for something new.

The jams seemed a bit lost at times, fierce at others, and often just downright strange. The music had a bit more of a Rock ‘n’ Roll type sound and it stayed that way until 1997.Very frequently 1996 gets looked at in a negative light, but without the long, strange trip that it was, the next stage in the evolution of their jams would not have occurred. Phish touched down in Europe for a small club tour in February of 1997.

This regression to the tiny venues of the past made this run of shows special for anybody to attend; Phish was no club band anymore. The small rooms on the Winter tour lead to a more relaxed and groove-oriented approach to jamming. On February 17th, the second set opened with a 3 song combo, clocking in at almost 50 minutes.The band was clearly elated with the sounds they were making, and wanted to take it even further. By the time Fall ’97 hit, the “Phunk” was in full force, and they were ready to take down America. Chad Bowers, a good friend of mine, was lucky enough to hit eleven shows on this tour.

He told me a bit about it. “Every night, the jams just got longer and longer. They were more about sonic landscapes and the full-band experience more than one person taking charge. The group-oriented jams became the new sound of this ever-changing band. The extreme of this tour was on November 29th.

The second set opened with the longest in-show jam the band ever played, the 59 minute “Runaway Jim. ” I remember in the middle of that jam, I

felt like the venue was going to lift off and shoot into space. More and more, the band wanted to stretch the limits on what they could take as players, and what the audience could handle as the listeners. You were literally exhausted after these shows every night. ” This trend continued into the Summer of 1998, leading to the next peak of Phish’s career.

Night after night, you would hear “That’s it. That was the best show they have ever played. It seemed as though they couldn’t top themselves anymore, and when 2000 rolled around after this constant climb in risk and fun, there was nowhere left to go. Phish decided to go on hiatus after they felt as though there was nothing left for them to achieve.

When they returned on 12/31/02, things were different. The jams were darker, even longer, and didn’t seem to go anywhere. There were little speckles of brilliance, but Phish was no longer on their game. The entire era of Phish 2.

0 is littered with heavy drug use by the band and a general lack of preparation for the shows.The jams sounded like a dying band, not a band once fueled by their audience and drive to be the best. When the band finally broke up in the Summer of 2004, the fans had lost all hope of hearing the band they once loved. Five years later, in March of 2009, the band announced that they would return to the stage and begin touring again. It seems as though they want to prove they could still melt our faces like they used to.

Now on the path of sobriety, the band

is playing sold-out tours across America again, with a healthy mixture of jamming and playing the songs we all missed.If I had to make a guess, I think the band will reach the next peak of their career very shortly. With their upcoming New Year’s eve shows, I will be seeing them at the greatest venue on Earth, Madison Square Garden. I think Summer 2011 will be the next big thing in the timeline of Phish.

Works Cited

1. Ross, Luke. Personal interview. 21 Nov. 2010.
2. Bowers, Chad. Personal interview. 26 Nov. 2010.
3. "Frequently Asked Questions. " Phish. Net: for Phans, by Phans. Web. 09 Dec. 2010. .
4. Puterbaugh, Parke. "Chapter 4. " Phish: the Biography. [Cambridge, Mass. ]: Da Capo, 2009. 80-82. Print.