Phish fans frequently get generalized-about, ignorantly, by the media. Are we a bunch of delinquents? Take this basic 15-question quiz to see if the media is right about YOU.

If appropriate, select multiple answers, because you get points for each answer choice other than (A).

If you cannot truthfully answer any of a question's answer choices, because you can't recall or otherwise, you get ZERO points for that question.

Please COMMENT with your (honest) scores so that we can demonstrate convincingly to all readers that at least online Phish fans are law-abiding, conscientious, and courteous citizens, who genuinely care about the public welfare.

A = zero points.
B = one (1) point.
C = two (2) points.
D = three (3) points.
E = four (4) points.

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Welcome... Power's back and so is the Mystery Jam here at Phish.net. As usual we will be playing for an MP3 download, courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. The rules haven't changed: you need to correctly identify the song and the date to win. Post your guess in the comments. One guess per person per day (with the second “day” starting after I post the hint). A hint will be posted on Tuesday (if necessary) and the answer will be posted on Wednesday. Good luck...

Before we go, I hope you'll indulge the Blog in a small plea for charitable donations. As most of you know, Phish.net is an all-volunteer project of the Mockingbird Foundation. While donations to Mockingbird are always welcome, if you enjoy the Mystery Jam (or Phish.net, in general) and can afford to, please consider making a donation to the Red Cross or one of the many other worthwhile charitable organizations helping families recover from the devastation of Hurricane Sandy.

Thursday Answer: Congrats to jmponder for being the first to ID the 7/29/98 "Buried Alive." Really makes you wonder why they never tried to jam that song out again. The Blog will return on Monday with another Mystery Jam...

The Lawn Boys, a Phish tribute band, will be doing a benefit performance for The Mockingbird Foundation, to support our mission of providing music education to underserved kids and potential emergency grants to replace musical instruments in schools ravaged by Hurricane Sandy (as we've done in previous disasters, as soon as worthy beneficiaries can be identified, a process that can take several months).

The show will be happening at The Canal Room in Manhattan at 285 West Broadway, NYC, beginning a bit earlier than the 10 p.m. time originally scheduled because of the venue rescheduling a storm cancelled show; The Lawn Boys will be starting around 8:30 p.m. and playing until about 11:00 p.m. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door.

Further information about The Lawn Boys is available on their Facebook page or website www.thelawnboysnyc.com. Further information about The Mockingbird Foundation is available at Phish.net's sister website at www.mbird.org.

If you can't make the show and would like to donate to the benefit and Mockingbird's disaster relief efforts, use the "donate" buttons on Phish.net or Mbird.org, put "The Lawn Boys benefit" or "Sandy Disaster Relief" in the PayPal comment box and we'll count your proceeds with The Lawn Boys benefit proceeds. (You'll also get a "Donated in 2012" achievement badge on your Phish.net user profile if you haven't yet donated to Mockingbird this year).

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The Mimi Fishman Foundation has launched a new on-line charity auction that features several New Years Eve ticket/poster packages as well as Phish memorabilia featuring a very rare kick drum head that was used by Phish in the 90's and has been signed by the band. The auction also includes a large number of Phish 2012 Summer Tour posters signed by the band and a very unique memorabilia package from the 2011 New Years run. Umphrey's McGee and the String Cheese Incident have kindly contributed New Years Eve ticket/poster packages as well.

The on-line auction is currently live with the bidding coming to close November 14.

To view and/or bid on the auction, as well as read about the charities the auction supports, please visit the Mimi Fishman Foundation Auction Page.

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Welcome to the Mystery Jam Monday Part 119 (Frankenstorm Edition!) here at Phish.net. The Blog was going to take another week off, but then it realized that it's times like this that we most need the Mystery Jam. So, assuming you have power, enjoy your 45 seconds of Mystery Jammy goodness. As usual we will be playing for an MP3 download, courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. The rules haven't changed: you need to correctly identify the song and the date to win. Post your guess in the comments. One guess per person per day (with the second “day” starting after I post the hint). A hint will be posted on Tuesday (if necessary) and the answer will be posted on Wednesday. Good luck...

Saturday Answer: Looks like ucpete is our winner with the 11/14/85 "Hurricane." After five days without power at Mystery Jam HQ, that joke doesn't seem quite as funny anymore. Nevertheless, the sweet nectar of electricity is back and that means the Blog will return with MJM120 on Monday...

Our friends from Screens 'n' Suds will be holding their fourth annual "Big Event" in Richmond, VA to benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and Galley 5 on Saturday, November 3rd from 4 to 9 p.m. at Gallery 5, 200 W. Marshall St in Richmond. Lovers of poster art and craft beers in the Mid-Atlantic region will flock to this unique event which has raised over $50,000 for Multiple Sclerosis research and other charities.

There's no cover charge and a suggested $5 donation, all ages, 21+ to drink. This year's event will feature Screens 'n' Suds "Inaugural Brew", a special collaboration between Hardywood Park breweries and Screens 'n' Suds. There will be a small amount of limited edition, signed and numbered bottles available at the event.

--

Jim Pollock commemorative poster available at event Poster courtesy © Jim Pollock 2012

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Phish fans correctly identify certain years or periods in the band’s history as “breakthrough” ones, moments when the band elevated its playing style, improvisation, sound, and song catalog to a new and higher level. Most commonly identified among these transition periods is August 1993, 1994, 1995, and 1997. Others rightly point to 2000, 2003 - 2004, and perhaps 2012 as seminal periods in the band’s musical development. 1988 is rarely mentioned in such company, but should be, and here’s why.

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In case you missed it, Phish.net user @LawnMemo has taken on the sizeable task of reviewing each and every ghost, in order, at his new project site "The Daily Ghost". Clearly a man who believes in showing this endeavour the utmost attention, Myke reached out to Brad Sands for some additional info on the unofficial first performance of "Ghost" at his house on June 6, 1997. Brad had this to add about how that gig came about...

Before the band was to head off to Europe they decided to
play a warmup “show” on the back porch at my house
where Pete Carini lived also. There was probably about 100
people there, (probably about 20 dogs) and most decided to
camp overnight. The band actually played 2 sets that night,
both of them being the same set. The tape that circulates is
the second of these 2 sets.

-Brad Sands

You'll also want to check out the full review for a nice cautionary tale from Brad on the dangers of actually having Phish play your backyard.

You can also follow LawnMemo on Twitter (@LawnMemo) and on Facebook

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Welcome to the Mystery Jam Monday Part 118 (Happy Hour Edition!) here at Phish.net. Pour yourself a cold beverage, sit back and soak in fifty seconds of Mystery Jammy goodness. As usual we will be playing for an MP3 download, courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. The rules haven't changed: you need to correctly identify the song and the date to win. Post your guess in the comments. One guess per person per day (with the second “day” starting after I post the hint). A hint will be posted on Tuesday (if necessary) and the answer will be posted on Wednesday. Good luck...

Wednesday Answer: Congrats to cerqs for being the first to ID the 11/8/96 "Simple," one of many must-hear versions of "Simple" from Fall '96. The Blog will return on Monday with MJM119.

To those curious or surprised by no Halloween show, unsure of a New Year's run, and passing along rumors (and even interviews) about fewer shows and/or longer breaks, some historical perspective...

While only one Phish pause was labelled a "hiatus" by the band - The Hiatus, from 2000-2002 - that wasn't their only pause from playing. (Needless to say, but, it wasn't their longest either, at 815 days compared to the 1664 of the "permanent" breakup from 2004 to 2009.) There was also the "needed break" for the first four and half months of 1995, the European vacation in 1985 (perhaps 114 days, ending 9/26), and, of course, the first extended break, the Heart and Hand Hiatus of 1984, covering Trey's expulsion from UVM and transition to Goddard.

That would make any immiment intermission the sixth such slack - except that there are at least ten more! In fact, pauses for an entire season or more have been nearly annual: Breaks of more than 90 days include those ending on 12/2/93 (after 96 days), 4/4/94 (94), 5/14/95 (134), 4/26/96 (117), 4/2/98 (92), 6/14/99 (175), 5/5/00 (136), 7/7/03 (128), 11/28/03 (117), 4/15/04 (106), and 5/26/11 (145), not to mention what may simply have been the Summer of Untracked Shows (perhaps 96 days ending 9/3/86).

The chart below shows the longest three pauses each year (excluding counts for the hiatus, breakup, and years off). Every year has had a gap of at least 40, and at least seven years have had a gap of nearly six months. So, no Fall 2012 tour isn't unusual - and taking long stretches off next year would be statistically normal.

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Welcome to the Columbus Day edition of Mystery Jam Monday here at Phish.net. As usual we will be playing for an MP3 download, courtesy of our friends at LivePhish.com / Nugs.Net. The rules haven't changed: you need to correctly identify the song and the date to win. Post your guess in the comments. One guess per person per day (with the second “day” starting after I post the hint). A hint will be posted on Tuesday (if necessary) and the answer will be posted on Wednesday. Good luck...

Wednesday Answer: Looks like we have a third member joining Rabeldy and Pauly in the faculty lounge. Congrats to Bl002e for being first with the Columbus 7/15/00 "Disease." What could be more appropriate this week than Columbus and Disease? In any event, the Blog will be hosting a Bl002e-curated Mystery Jam sometime soon. See everyone on Monday...