Saturday Music Club: 100th Follower Phish Phry

This is the third in a weekly installment of some of the music that I can't get enough of. I have been here since 2006, and I don't have American MTV or radio to go by anymore as far as new musical trends. I have yet to hear a single Lady Gaga, Jonas Brothers, Taylor Swift, or other modern day pop song. This is mostly intentional however because I've been able to let my personal musical preferences evolve with taste instead of trend. So every Saturday, I will be sharing with you some of the incredible music I've found myself drifting to without society and pop culture directing the current. I hope you like it!

100 Followers? Really? I didn't expect this to take off again so well when I started it back up! Thank you to all of my readers and supporters, you guys really make this effort incredibly worthwhile. So this week, I want to introduce to you (to those who don't already them) to my absolute favorite band of all time....

Phish

Hailing from Burlington, Vermont, this four man Jam Band "final boss" has been selling out almost every single live performance they've had since 1990. Their musical style has never been pinned down as it crosses genres so much, even within a single song. They are funk, blues, jazz, and bluegrass all at once. And with every single member of the band in possession of a doctorate in music from the University of Vermont, their live improvisational shows are some of the most intricate pieces of music you will ever hear. Their goofy onstage antics (like all simultaneously falling down in the middle of a song and pretending they are dead to playing a set while bouncing on trampolines) have also done alot to garner affection from their audiences. 

Having a Ben & Jerry's named after you should be enough to attest to your epicness....

In honor of reaching 100 followers, I dedicate this song to all of my fellow bloggers who have shown so much support over the course of me rebooting this labor of love. This is from their latest studio album, and the song is called simply: Joy

Next is from a live performance that I was at in 1996 called the "Clifford Ball" which was a two day outdoor event complete with carnival midway and camping. Because MTV was purposefully denied admission and permission to cover the event, the fact that it was the biggest live concert in 1996 went completely unnoticed. This song is called "Sample in a Jar" and it's about a man who gets abducted by aliens.....and falls in love....

 Phish took a hiatus from 2000 to 2002, and in 2004 it was announced that they would play together no more. No real reason was ever given for this, but it was stressed that there was absolutely no ill will between bandmates. Five years later, after several solo projects, they realized that the best music they had ever done was together. Here is an excerpt from their sold out in minutes reunion concert. It's is the final part of "Slave to the Traffic Light" which carried no real meaning other than to give a name to an incredibly beautiful and intricate jam...

I want to give thanks again to all my supporters and I hope you like this week's musical selection. The best way to hear Phish is incredibly loud and under the influence, but if neither can be achieved, it's still some of the best music you could ever hear.