BREATHE IN, BREATHE OUT
[This post is courtesy of fan Keith Eaton, @Midcoaster, who is still processing Trey's 2 ½ hour music drop that was Ghosts of the Forest one year later. A slow processor, it takes him some time to sort these things out. He first became obsessed with music when, in 1979, he sat in a darkened theater and watched Apocalypse Now. Nothing was ever quite the same after that opening sequence.]
Last spring (2019), I had a rare moment of synergy. It came while reading Michael Pollan's book How to Change Your Mind. I had blazed through the first four and a half sections at a record clip. This is no easy feat, for me, as a busy teacher. That reading streak was interrupted, pleasantly, by a couple of weekends of traveling to shows: Mike Gordon at The Sinclair, and then Trey's Ghosts of the Forest (GOTF) at the Portland State Theater. Surprisingly, the Trey show was profoundly connected to the experiences of patients in the guided psychedelic therapy sessions that Pollan describes, it just took me a while to see it.
Mid-April, a couple of weeks after Ghosts of the Forest debuted in Maine, I returned to Pollan's final two sections of the book. Reading about the use of psilocybin to treat depression and despair, even, in end-of-life therapy, I was struck by a passage where Pollan used Bertrand Russell's words to describe what it would be like to cultivate or prepare for an acceptance of death: "the best way to overcome one's fear of death 'is to make your interests gradually wider and more impersonal, until bit by bit the walls of the ego recede, and your life becomes increasingly merged into the universal life' " (355). Suddenly, I heard a melody.
It only took a second to recognize that I was hearing strains of Trey's GOTF composition "Wider." Following "Ruby Waves" and the instrumental "Shadows Thrown by Fire" (I'd had to look this up), I was suddenly struck by the fact that in his exercise of staring down Chris Cottrell's death, Trey's song cycle was mirroring the experiences Michael Pollan was detailing in his book. Most strikingly similar were the results of tests done with patients who had a terminal cancer diagnosis. The Venn diagram of loss, grief cycles, mystical ego death, and guided psychedelic therapy were suddenly overlaying my dawning understanding of GOTF in full.
MYSTERY JAM MONDAY PART 409
Welcome to the 409th edition of Phish.Net's Mystery Jam Monday, the final penultimate contest of March - thanks to MJM Hall of Famer @justino for crafting this puzzle! The winner will receive an MP3 download code courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. To win, be the first person to identify the songs and dates of all three mystery clips. Each person gets one guess to start – if no one answers correctly in the first 24 hours, I'll post a hint. After the hint, everyone gets one more guess before Wednesday at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. Good luck, and stay safe out (in) there!
MYSTERY JAM MONDAY PART 408
Howdy everyone, it's @wforwumbo back at the helm this week. I'm happy to welcome you all to the 408th edition of Phish.Net's Mystery Jam Monday, the third contest of March. The winner will receive an MP3 download code courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. To win, be the first person to identify the songs and dates of the three mystery clips. Each person gets one guess to start – if no one answers correctly in the first 24 hours, I'll post a hint. After the hint, everyone gets one more guess before Wednesday at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. Good luck!
Hint: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OukwGBpnuXE
Answer: Congrats to @serpent_deflector on win #6, leaving him just one short of the Hall of Fame! This week he joined the Garden Party and tracked down the three non-NYE MSG clips: 7/30/17 "Drowned," 10/22/96 "Scent of a Mule," and 12/3/09 "Down with Disease." Swing by Monday to see how clean MJM409 is.
MYSTERY JAM MONDAY PART 407
Welcome to the 407th edition of Phish.Net's Mystery Jam Monday, the second contest of March. The winner will receive an MP3 download code courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. To win, be the first person to identify the songs and dates of both mystery clips. Each person gets one guess to start – if no one answers correctly in the first 24 hours, I'll post a hint. After the hint, everyone gets one more guess before Wednesday at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. Good luck!
MYSTERY JAM MONDAY PART 406
Welcome to the 406th edition of Phish.Net's Mystery Jam Monday, the first and easiest of March. The winner will receive an MP3 download code courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. To win, be the first person to identify the song and date of the mystery clip. Each person gets one guess to start – if no one answers correctly in the first 24 hours, I'll post a hint. After the hint, everyone gets one more guess before Wednesday at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. Good luck!
PUBLIC PHILOSOPHY JOURNAL SPECIAL ISSUE, "PHISH AND PHILOSOPHY"
Are you a Phish fan interested in Phish and Philosophy? Are you curious about the developing field of Phish Studies and want to help in the creation of new research about your favorite band? If so, consider serving as a fan reviewer for a special issue of the Public Philosophy Journal about “Phish and Philosophy,” co-edited by Dr. Stephanie Jenkins (Oregon State University) and Charlie Dirksen (Mockingbird Foundation, Vice President and Associate Counsel).
Keeping in line with the PPJ’s mission to engage the public and community stakeholders in the research process, essays for this special issue are open for comment from the Phish community via The Current, the journal’s online submission and review system. The eleven essays currently under consideration for inclusion in the first-ever academic journal devoted to Phish are open for public comment until March 16th, 2020.
MEXICO4 RECAP: PESCADO EN FUEGO - WEVE BEEN DANCING HERE FOR DAYS
[phish.net kindly thanks you for your patience and understanding during the slight delay in getting these recaps posted. All of our recappers (and staff) are entirely volunteer; simultaneously taking on the tasks of our "normal" lives while also helping to maintain our great website and community. phish.net would like to thank user @peetasan (Instagram: @EpicFamilyFarms) for this recap. -ed]
Phish in Mexico is a singular experience. There is, literally, nothing to compare it to. Sharing the groove with the smallest crowd you’ll find, on the beach, with the Carribean Sea lapping the shoreline beside you (or around you!), in the middle of winter, in Mexico, after spending the day drinking mimosas and tequila, sunning on the beach, eating ceviche or strutting your best floaty at one of the many pool parties; it is nothing short of continually astounding that we get to do this. It’s apparent that the band feels this way as well, because they are consistently relaxed and in a fun, playful mood. The return of Fishman’s pink jacket and shorts (because how can you wear that only once??) on night 4 was an indication that the band was feeling loose and playful, with Fishman playing a rare set out of the dress.
I love this trip.
MEXICO3 RECAP: HEY MAKISEXY POLICE CRAB
[phish.net kindly thanks you for your patience and understanding during the slight delay in getting these recaps posted. All of our recappers (and staff) are entirely volunteer; simultaneously taking on the tasks of our "normal" lives while also helping to maintain our great website and community. phish.net would like to thank user @gr8phul, (Twitter: @gr8fuljonnyd) for this recap. -ed]
Sometimes it is hard to write about a Phish show, especially as good as the one played Saturday night. What do you say when you feel like everything has already been said about the band we love? Who knows, but as they say, on with the show!
MYSTERY JAM MONDAY PART 405
Welcome to the 405th edition of Phish.Net's Mystery Jam Monday, the last and hardest contest of February - thanks to MJM Hall of Famer @HarborSeal for his help crafting this puzzle! The winner will receive an MP3 download code courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. To win, be the first person to identify the song and dates of all three mystery clips. Each person gets one guess to start – if no one answers correctly in the first 24 hours, I'll post a hint. After the hint, everyone gets one more guess before Wednesday at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. Good luck!
MEXICO2 RECAP: AND THE OCEAN IS HELL
Author's Note: I usually write these reviews with the aid of extensive notes taken during the show. The Caribbean damaged my phone, temporarily broke my smart watch (messing up my timings), and destroyed a lot of my paper to take notes. We will soldier on anyway!
While Phish have played in Mexico before, this was my first year attending instead of watching on the couch. The one thing that most fascinated me as a spectator were the people dancing in the Caribbean Sea. The waves might have pummeled them, but they were having an amazing time splashing and cavorting. It was a beautiful, warm night in Cancun, and we decided that we would do the splashing ourselves, posting-up not far from the stage but surprisingly far from land... ok, about 20 feet from dry land, but that still is a somewhat abnormal perspective to see the band.
MEXICO1 RECAP: WE'RE ALL HERE TOGETHER AND THE WEATHER'S FINE
[Recap is courtesy of Silas Cole, user @ObviousFool (Instagram @nice_shades), thank you Silas! -Ed.]
As Phish fans, we are creatures of habit. We’ve got our pre-show routines, our standard spots on the floor, our myriad of ways we choose to gamble on the setlist. Despite the mystery of every night being different, we’ve become accustomed to certain elements of a Phish show that give it familiarity. But while we appreciate that familiarity, it is the rare and unique that we truly seek.
Aside from weather fiascos (Northerly 2013, Fenway 2019), Phish has only played one-set shows at special performances (Sessions At West 54th), festivals (Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits, HORDE Tour, Doctor) and as an opening act for Santana (’92, ’96). That means this is the first “regular” planned one-set Phish show. But there’s nothing regular about seeing Phish on the beach next to the Caribbean in the heart of winter.
With the late start time, folks had ample time to take advantage of the endless free drinks. And by the time we started heading for the venue, it showed. General sloppiness aside, spirits were high and the energy was palpable. We ran into fellow .netters @slinky and @slambomartinez and shared some speculation. What unexpected treats were we in for tonight? A 90 minute “Party Time”? A sit-in from a local mariachi band? Or would it just be a standard set of Phish?
MYSTERY JAM MONDAY PART 404
Welcome to the 404th edition of Phish.Net's Mystery Jam Monday, the third contest of February. The winner will receive two MP3 download codes courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. To win, be the first person to identify the songs and dates of both mystery clips. Each person gets one guess to start – if no one answers correctly in the first 24 hours, I'll post a hint. After the hint, everyone gets one more guess before Wednesday at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. Good luck!
MOCKINGBIRD AT THE SILKS / NEIGHBOR AT BRIGHTON MUSIC HALL
Please join The Mockingbird Foundation on Friday February 21st at The Silks & Neighbor show at Brighton Music Hall in Boston (Allston, MA), where we will be raising money for music education for kids and young adults.
To buy tickets, visit https://tinyurl.com/rbjrdfu, and for more information on Mockingbird, or to show your support online for the volunteers who operate phish dot net, please visit mbird.org/donate.
MYSTERY JAM MONDAY PART 403
Welcome to the 403rd edition of Phish.Net's Mystery Jam Monday, the second contest of February. This week's puzzle comes courtesy of MJM Hall-of-Famer @justino - thanks for the great clips! The winner will receive an MP3 download code courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. To win, be the first person to identify the songs and dates of both mystery clips. Each person gets one guess to start – if no one answers correctly in the first 24 hours, I'll post a hint. After the hint, everyone gets one more guess before Wednesday at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. Good luck!
MYSTERY JAM MONDAY PART 402
Welcome to the 402nd edition of Phish.Net's Mystery Jam Monday, the first and easiest of February. The winner will receive an MP3 download code courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. To win, be the first person to identify the song and date of the mystery clip. Each person gets one guess to start – if no one answers correctly in the first 24 hours, I'll post a hint. After the hint, everyone gets one more guess before Wednesday at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. Good luck!
Phish.net
The Mockingbird Foundation