Beyond the Pond is a bi-weekly podcast in which Brian Brinkman (@sufferingjuke) and David Goldstein (@daveg924) use the music of Phish as a gateway to introduce the listener to many other bands, the vast majority of which are not jambands. An episode generally begins with a deep dive into a designated portion of Phish improvisation, and then can spin off to any variety of musical themes and other acts, the overarching purpose being introducing the listener to as many new and different bands as possible.

In this episode, we return to that most fertile of wells, June 1995. Since the very beginning of our podcast we’ve been looking for an opportunity to discuss the Runaway Jim from June 16, 1995 in Raleigh, North Carolina, and with summer tour on the horizon, this seemed like an ideal time in which to do it. This is an archetypal second set Summer 1995 jam, which is to say expansive, relentless, sometimes terrifying, and very long; the type of jam that many will either love or hate with minimal in between (see also: 6/28/95 Tweezer).

In addition to discussing 6/16/95 in general, we detail our favorite Type II versions of “Runaway Jim” as well as feature other albums in which the guitar is used as a means for interstellar exploration, and where a baby grand piano lead is prominent, as Page McConnell’s is in the waning minutes of the Raleigh Jim. We also discuss newer albums we believe the listener might enjoy, and talk about what we would consider to be our “dream box sets” from the Phish archives.

We appreciate you listening, and are certain that you will learn something new over the course of just over an hour. You can review and subscribe to Beyond the Pond on iTunes, or simply listen through the player below.

You can find us on Twitter at @_beyondthepond

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