What Is Phish Archives
Phish Archives consist of the historical collections of the band Phish, manned by longtime archivist Kevin Shapiro with the help of a world-class krewe of colleagues, friends and family. From the archives in Vermont the band's historical collections of everything from audio/video tapes, photos and art to stage props and memorabilia are preserved, documented and tracked. The archives also facilitate production of audio and video releases and provide support for the band's web sites, promotional items/events and merchandise.
Myspace.com/phisharchives provides a taste of Phish music straight from the band's vault. The tracks are rotated pretty regularly, and as many as possible are downloadable. You'll notice almost all of the music here is live. Phish has made some excellent studio albums, but the band's essence is defined by their live concerts. The intense energy exchange between the band and audience at a Phish show is unmatched, and they are among the most versatile, talented and insightful bands of our time. Their psychedelic sensibility conjures a funky mix of genres, all played surprisingly well. To top it off, Phish displays an unparalleled willingness to take risks, musically and otherwise. Phish shows are a high form of collaborative group consciousness and celebration of spirit. If you're interested in hearing more from Phish, visit the official download site livephish.com. There you'll find soundboard recordings of every show played since the band's hiatus (from 10/7/00 - 12/31/02) - from their return to Madison Square Garden on New Year's Eve 2002 through their last shows at Coventry, VT in August 2004. LivePhish.com also features ipod-ready live track-by-track video including vids from New Year's Eve 1995 and Live In Brooklyn as well as live shows by the band members' solo projects. Phish has released dozens of full, uncut landmark shows as part of the LivePhish series as well as several live albums, boxed sets and dvd's such as the legendary Island Tour and New Year's Eve 1995 and Live In Brooklyn DVD and CD, the 3-CD compilation documenting the band's first tour, Colorado '88 and most recently a limited edition CD/DVD box set, Vegas '96. All the music and more can be found at the band's merchandise company Phish Dry Goods.
A complete discography of physical audio and video releases is available at phish.com/releases. Since Coventry (and before) the individual band members have continued to make beautiful music in a wide range of solo projects. Links to their sites and information about Phish plus writings and galleries featuring the colorful cast of characters surrounding the band can be found within a few clicks at phish.com. For features on certain months in Phish history, check out This Month In Phish History a/k/a TMIPH. For a shorter form band history, visit the online bio.
In addition to this informal tribute to the band's history, there are a number of official Phish and band member web sites updated regularly. Trey's web site is trey.com, Mike's is mike-gordon.com and Page's is pagemcconnell.com. Page's recently-launched myspace site is myspace.com/pagemcconnell, Mike's is myspace.com/mikegordon and Trey's is myspace.com/treyanastasio. Other related projects include Rhythm Devils (for whom Mike plays bass), Touchpants (who enjoy Fish as their drummer) and Page's and Trey's respective super-trios Vida Blue and Oysterhead. Fish also occasionally joins the rotating cast of musical activists Everyone Orchetra. Without trying to list the myriad artists Phish and the band members collaborate with, a visit to any of those sites will reveal different branches of a rich family tree that's still growing in real time.
Phish's primary myspace site and a good place to hear some music from the Phish catalog for free is myspace.com/phish. LivePhish Radio - a streaming webcast of the material at livephish.com can be tuned in by opening the .m3u file that downloads when you click on LivePhish Radio. The band's official web site and the online headquarters for all things Phish is http://phish.com.
Myspace Videos
Rather than slow this site with embedded video, a clip shot during Phish's "New Year's Eve 1995" show is now available at myspace and is an example of the live videos available at livephish.com. This video was shot live at Madison Square Garden and can be added to your myspace profile. When you have eight minutes to escape, check out 12/31/95 Chalk Dust Torture.
A Note About This Site
Much of this site is in the first person to keep it interactive with features like blogs and messaging. While this is a place to share some content from the archives and some official information, opinions expressed here are mine and not those of the band, band members or management.
I have made a career of protecting this collection and the intellectual property contained within it as well as sharing and celebrating Phish history. I was blown away by Phish when I first saw them in 1991 and my enjoyment of the unique music and energy they create has been growing ever since. I moved to Vermont to officially help build the Phish Archives as we know it in 1996. As a fan, friend and part of the team I've learned time and again that amazing music, people and life experiences are the rule with this band. This grand experiment brought us together and I feel blessed to still be able to share it with you. Thanks to old and new friends for helping build the gumbo that is myspace.com/phisharchives and to the band for letting us simmer here. I'll add content as regularly as possible, including some older blogs and tracks you might have missed when they were first posted. Your comments, questions and banter are welcome and shape the character of what you see here so please join in.
Enjoy!
--ks
