Phish’s Abstract Moment

On October 31st, 1994, in Glens Falls, New York, Phish donned their very first musical costume covering one of Rock and Roll’s most significant albums; The Beatles’ “The White Album.” Two days later, in Bangor, Maine, Phish launched into a 30-minute “Tweezer” that inaugurated an entirely new direction for the band. This new dominant mode was “Abstraction,” and it would come to define the bands’ improvisational programme over the course of the next year.

Through the Fall of 1994, Phish explored their new territory with this “Abstract” focus, furiously producing a number of improvisational masterpieces: the aforementioned Bangor “Tweezer,” UIC’s “Simple,” the Bozeman and Fox Theatre “Tweezer’s,” the Orpheum and Providence “David Bowie’s,” and more. 

About that Blossom Release

In the summer of 1995, Phish was knee deep into one of their most ferocious touring schedules, playing over 180 shows between April 1994 and November 1995. Less than 2 years after they pioneered “Type 2” jamming in May and August of 1993 and then confidently expanded that programme throughout 1994, Phish would blow open their psychedelic scope in 1995. Summer ‘95 is one of Phish’s most unadulterated moments where their graduation into bigger summer sheds prodded the band towards an enlarged sound and alongside it, a new level of risk-taking. 

JEMP Records yesterday released a curiosity shop of a show, 6/20/95 from the Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, OH, that perfectly typifies Phish’s mid-1995 sound. The soundboard, audience matrix, mastered by Fred Kevorkian, is one of the greatest sounding official Live Releases we’ve heard thus far.

Can They Do IT Again?

Through all the daily chatter and murmurings, the endless blog posts and essays, the podcasts and the torrent of tweets, there is, in fact, only one question that matters. This is THE question that animates our community on a daily basis, underlying most, if not all, of our activities. It is palpable with every shared YouTube video, every tour date rumor and most especially in the logistical calisthenics we go through in planning our Summers and perhaps, Falls.

That question is simply, “Can Phish Do It Again?”

Can they do IT again? Can they capture us, can they enthrall us as they once did? Can they unleash themselves? Can they produce jaw dropping improvisation, night after night? Can they once again scale the heights of creativity? Can they inhabit that special place they once carved out for themselves?

Phish, Umphrey’s and the Generational Paradigm Shift in Our Scene

Last night I caught my first Umphrey’s show in Charleston, SC. For quite some time, Umphrey’s McGee has been a steady presence in conversations and chatter around my live music circles. I must preface this by saying that I have never seriously listened to Umphrey’s before. I’ve heard songs and watched videos of live shows here and there but I couldn’t tell you a single song of theirs. My preference for hearing live bands for the first time is to go in fresh, with little bias or background, enabling me to feel the music more, and analyze less. As clear and pure an audience member experience as possible.

As Umphrey’s came out on stage, John Williams’ “Jaws” theme welcomed them as the light show began; immediately I was impressed with their production. A very cool preface though I had no idea if this was common, either way a great way to hype up the crowd. Everyone was pumped as the band got to their instruments. I was instantly struck by their appearances; The band seemed so much more “hipster” than “hippy” to me which, based on their fan base’s more crunchy tendencies, came as some surprise.

Recent Charleston transplant and bassist Ryan Stasik, in his mannerisms and carriage onstage, had the best stage presence of the group. I’d seen him once before, playing with the Everyone Orchestra, along with Farag (also a Charleston new-comer) and was impressed with the great sense of feel they both so clearly possess. Very very tight players.

Right off the bat, Umphrey’s displayed an impressive level of musical proficiency. Their sound at first reminded me of Dream Theater meets Alice in Chains. The instrumental sections were decidedly progressive-rock featuring Satriani-esque shredding from guitarist Jake Cinninger. The vocal sections were likewise refreshing to me as a child of 90’s grunge rock. While some of the more diabolical sounding vocal melodies had that dark and angular sound that brought comparisons of Soundgarden, Nirvana (even further evidenced with their impeccable cover of “In Bloom” in the first set), Stone Temple Pilots, and even God Lives Underwater, some of their hooks were far more poppy in nature. At times they seemed to evoke the classic spirit of jingly-jangly 90’s rock hits by one hit wonder artists whose names I can not even recall.

Brendan Bayliss’s guitar-playing prowess, coupled with his sonorous voice was also very impressive. When he and Jake harmonized tapping licks it brought back childhood memories of Iron Maiden and 80’s hair metal. Both Bayliss’ and Cinninger’s soloing styles were succinct, “studio perfect,” while their boutique amps, effects, and premium guitars produced stunning, contrasting tones.

It was quickly obvious that Umphreys and I shared a huge number of common influences. They were more my contemporaries that the bands I grew up seeing in concert. (ie: Phish, Widespread Panic, the Disco Biscuits, Govt. Mule, the Allman Brothers, Santana, etc.) Quickly scanning the room I wondered if these young fans (some of whom were under 21) had any idea that this kind of music existed prior to this band.

It was comforting to see these music styles entering the “jam-band” mainstream. It may only have been a matter of time, but this reflects a generational paradigm shift. Umphrey’s has clearly studied classic rock but they’ve synthesized it with a modern rock and grunge sensibility, while somehow maintaining a psychedelic vibe. Compared with Phish or String Cheese Incident, their overall sound is likely more palatable to a younger generation, who might consider the former bands’ music too goofy or not abstruse enough.

Umphrey’s may also appeal to fans whose tastes have drifted closer to electronic music and DJ culture, as, lyrically and sonically, their music recalls radio’s more recent past. Bringing people back into the live music sphere and away from electronic artist is a laudable accomplishment; As a musician and music lover I salute them for this.

After a few songs I started to pick up a strong Genesis influence in Umphrey’s song-writing, particularly the chord changes. As a huge Genesis fan I’ve always appreciated the introspective nature of these tensions. It was awesome to experience these kind of tonal modulations in as different a setting than I would expect to see them in. Often the feel of the “jamming” sections brought memories of Level 42’s more fusion-leaning sound but just as often it resembled the more proggy overtones of Gambale, Hamm and Smith. I was truly overwhelmed by the range of styles this band could pull off.

This being primarily a Phish blog, it behooves me to explore how different, stylistically, Umphrey’s is compared with Phish. Although the two bands do share a near-encyclopedic knowledge of music and are both highly capable of successfully outputting these styles, the styles themselves are often unrelated.

The way I see it, bands are shaped so much by the musicians and artists who influenced their individual members. The musical constructs that resonate with them inform their writing, down to each musical choice, each note, each feel. Phish was far more influenced by music of the 60’s and 70’s, primarily because that’s what they grew up listening to. When Phish started playing in the 80’s they probably wrote off as too cheesy many of the popular bands playing on the radio (Flock of Seagulls anyone?) just as Umphrey’s may have found pop bands around the millennium such as Nickelback equally lowbrow.  

Though Umphrey’s have clearly allowed the influence of 60’s and 70’s music to seep into their own “voice,” those were influences they likely had to seek out. While Cinninger and Bayliss’s guitar gods as young players may have been Petrucci, Malmsteen, Eric Johnson, Slash, Zakk Wylde, and even Trey himself, Anastasio’s early idols were likely Jimmy Page, Santana, Rossington, Clapton, Allman, and Hendrix. This is all very clear in Umphrey’s songwriting and showcraft. While we’d never hear Phish cover “No More Tears, Let’s Dance,” any Nirvana song (except as a joke), or Pearl Jam, none of these would come as a shock at an Umphrey’s show. It should not then come as a surprise that most fans from the ages of 18 to 25 would find an Umphrey’s show to be more familiar to them stylistically than a Phish show might. Obviously if they grew up on classic rock they might lean more Phish-ward.

Which is not to say that Phish and Umphrey’s don’t share influences; They undoubtedly do. The Who, Pink Floyd, the Talking Heads, even Yes, Genesis, King Crimson, and Zappa all play their part in Umphrey and Phish’s music, yet there are many bands who have influenced Umphrey’s whose sound one would never detect in Phish’s music. In turn I didn’t hear much of a direct Grateful Dead, Bill Monroe, Beatles, or traditional jazz influence in Umphrey’s sound.

Even strictly from a guitar technique perspective Umphrey’s and Phish are very different. While Trey rarely taps or does 80’s metal style shredding, Umphrey’s guitar section employ these tricks through a large percentage of their material. Technically, Trey plays a more classic blues/ rock style guitar akin to the 60’s greats, making shorter forays into a more prog-infused technique. Cinninger and Bayliss on the other hand play more in the style of the prog-influenced guitar Virtuosi of the 80’s making infrequent excursions into bluesy stylings. Where Trey uses overdrive Umphrey’s uses distortion.

Another fundamental difference was the lack of improvisation. While I’ve heard Umphrey’s described as improv prog, I’m not sure that’s entirely accurate. Sure, there were solos played on the fly (smoking solos I might add) but I never got the sense that the band as a whole was improvising at any point. This is not necessarily a bad thing.

Culturally, we’ve become far less patient. The calls on our attention are just too overwhelming, and constantly accelerating. Twitter, Facebook, Texting, the web: ADD and ADHD diagnoses are growing at an astounding rate. We have become preoccupied with “getting to the point.” Most people just aren’t willing to wait anymore and enjoy the moment. An Umphreys fan may consider Phish to be boring, long winded, and hopelessly meandering just as some Phish fans once considered the Grateful Dead to be. In turn a Phish fan may find Umphrey’s to be rowdy, impatient, and lacking in “real peaks”. I see it both ways and believe there are pros and cons of each.

Full band improvisation requires a great deal of focus and patience both on the part of the listener and the musicians, whereas the traditional proggy razzle-dazzle regimen is delivered as an extremely intense experience to the listener, full of sharp peaks and valleys. The players too benefit from a near constant adrenaline and energy rush. Gratification comes easier, and faster, and more frequently at an Umphrey’s show. There are more peaks yet the these peaks may not individually seem as intense to long-time Phish fans - even though they actually may be.

By prolonging a musical or life peak you build anticipation for it. When that lofty height is reached and that release is achieved, its delay has injected an intensity into that moment. Having stored up more energy over a longer period of time, there is simply more to discharge.

When you have faster peaks and more frequent peaks, as Umphrey’s does, even if they are in theory equally as intense the overall energy released in each peak will be less because it lacks the anticipation. This is the same reason you feel better achieving something that you work hard for than if it comes easy to you. It’s the same reason your food tastes better the greater your hunger is. It’s the basic concept of delayed gratification.

I personally enjoyed Umphrey’s McGee’s  music and performance very much. I would love to check out more Umphrey’s shows and recordings and get into them more but ultimately I wonder if my obsession with Umphrey’s could grow as deep as my fixation with Phish.

I got the distinct impression that an Umphrey’s show contains far fewer opportunities for chance, randomness and even chaos to play a part in the action. I really love that feeling when you don’t know if the band can make it back to the song from a long and winding jam. Think of last year’s “Split Open and Melt” in San Francisco; a failed jam. Phish simply couldn’t land it, but the drama of hearing them try is part and parcel of their entire experiment. Sometimes experiments don’t work. Does Umphrey’s experiment in this way?

That excitement, that momentary fear, of being trapped in a racing mining cart whose wheels are wildly wobbling threatening to fly off the tracks. The exaltation when that ship is finally righted is more glorious than most any I can imagine. That feeling of safety in knowing that the music can go light-years out but that it will eventually return us home before the ride is over. This to me is indicative of and imitates the true nature of the cosmos.

Organized chaos is really more how I would describe the ride that is Umphrey’s and it does share some similarities with Phish’s ride. Umphrey’s McGee takes you on a journey across hyperplastic eons of crystal clear HD vistas, meticulously constructed and controlled. This is a stunningly invigorating and vivid experience. The floor at the show was more like a mosh pit in the late 90’s than the blissed out introspection often present at a Phish show.

The way Umphrey’s meanders from section to section and song to song is far tighter than Phish will ever be. Precision is their dictate whereas Phish embraced the mistake as an opportunity to expand randomness and stimulate ideas in jamming. Umphrey’s does not seem to maintain the same interest in chance. They are technicians with a keen eye for detail and an obsession with perfection. Phish also has an obsession with perfection but their quest has always been more to find it in the moment as opposed to “canning” it.

Umphrey’s McGee represents modern players and fans; The new generation of our scene. The players may tend to lean more hipster and practice face-melting runs in their spare time as opposed to the more earthy leanings of an earlier generation who practiced jam exercises and psychedelic rituals The fans of this new generation will find Dopapod, Umphrey’s McGee or Kung-Fu as a gateway to Emerson Lake and Palmer, Zappa, Genesis, Yes, or even Phish.

Rather than looking around for what the next Phish is going to look like we should instead turn our attention to the fact that the torch has been passed! The future is here. It’s not the same as the last era of our scene but it is irrefutable proof that this scene is here to stay.

The world is a much different place than it was in the more carefree 80’s and early 90’s when Phish was coming into fruition. We are dealing with deep social and self-inflicted wounds inflicted many generations ago. Attempting to find solace and mystery in a post-modern world is no easy thing. We are coming to terms with aspects of human nature that our forefathers could never have even imagined. We live in a world of instant gratification, in a time of exponentially accelerating discovery both in technology, and in our minds.

The current generation should be capable of expanding our scene more than ever. I believe that the worse the mainstream culture gets, the better the counter-culture becomes. That it is in fact strengthened by the weakness of it’s opposition. I think that in a short time there will be a more and more rapid influx of people into our re-blossoming “jam-band” scene. These people aren’t going to look like the scene members we’re used to, we may initially view them as “carpetbagger” hipsters with mistaken identities, but we must remember we too entered this scene from other scenes as outsiders.

We pride ourselves in being an alternative and open-minded culture yet sometimes our disdain for the mainstream causes us to more closely resemble that which we despise. I think by embracing this newer wave of bands with open arms we can more successfully retain the original values that this scene was founded upon: Acceptance, authenticity, goodness, positive energy, tolerance, a belief in community with our fellow travelers, and an appreciation for beauty in both the dark and the light.

Phish’s success often correlates with an expansion of the alternative mind on the earth and this time will be no different. As Phish regains their momentum so too will our noble scene. The ideals of the true counter culture will resonate and ring more purely and loudly than ever with this new generation, simply because with our overwhelming inter-connectivity and perpetual access to information it’s now easier to find our scene than ever before.

This is a mainstream world starving for depth and suffering from a deficit of meaning; incapable of patience and suspicious of profundity. As more and more people opt out of that cultural paradigm, they will find exactly what they seek in our scene.

They can find it in Umphrey’s and in Dopapod, they can find it in Tea Leaf Green and Soulive; as long as they find it we have won. Our goal is not to win over the mainstream. That kind of reductive zero-sum thinking is what ails the culture at large. We wish only to sustain our counter culture, tending to its health and rejuvenating qualities, year after year, generation after generation so that waves of wonder, peace, and kindness wash over all who are in need. Our scene is for all those who can appreciate and be enriched by true beauty in the universe through the live music experience. Our scene will be again what it always has been: a Haven in a Hostile world.

follow Billy Reuben AKA: Andy Greenberg on twitter @andy_greenberg