I am happy to report that one of the most overrated bands in the history of music is breaking up. Trey Anastasio, the man who was almost responsible for ruining Primus by distracting Les Claypool with his highly talented form of boring rock and roll, has announced that Phish will be breaking up following their next tour. The band has one more album (that probably sounds like all their others) coming out on June 15th called Undermind. The band will tour in support of that album, further bleeding a fanbase that is too high on drugs to know any better.…
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26 - Smenkharon
Hopefully Trey will not be working with Les Claypool anymore either. I saw Oysterhead live with a major Phish fan and even he had to agree that Trey was the worst performer on stage and even sang worse than Les! I generally don't like jam bands and I can't stand the Dead but I will say that early on Phish did some things that caught my interest a little. That has not continued though and they are smart to end it at this point before becoming completely redundant. I do agree with Mike's point that losing them as a touring act that could influence younger acts to shape their careers similarly, will be the biggest blow caused from their retirement. Hopefully their business sense will outlast their music legacy!
27 - Chris B.
Grasshopper:
I'm coming in late here, but I will just say this: are you not well? Do you think you are the class clown here? I believe that may be the case.
Music is about a lot of things, Grasshopper, not just your limited understanding of it. Most musicians don't give a crap if you like our music or not. We do it because it's what we are here to do. My taste in music spans decades, genres, techniques, but there are some that I haven't yet learned to appreciate. Beatles, phish, Bach, Miles Davis, Neil Young, Peter Gabriel, Nirvana, all have something to offer us - and the list goes on and on and on. The only music I dislike is music that is imitative, irrelevant or corporate crap.
Grasshopper, how has phish damaged you to the point where you feel it necessary to be mean to other people? Just because I don't love Primus doesn't mean that I feel it's necessary to bash them or their fans. I am respectful to them because they are people, just like me. I can usually find something to like about someone's music. But then, I actually try to understand the music on a musical level, as opposed to the mere fashion or scene of it. As a musician, I personally appreciate the level of musical interplay that happens when great musicians actually play their instruments and take a melody or groove to a new place. In fact, I would argue that that is the absolute point of music. I'm sorry, but Wilco, Primus - not doing it for me in that department. But they do write pretty pop songs.
Our lesson ends here, Grasshopper. Someday you will be a big Grasshopper. I just know it!
Primus sucks!
28 - Craig Lyndall
Phish takes it to a new place alright. It's too bad it is absolutely nowhere that I choose to be. It is miles and miles and miles from where I want to be. And it TAKES SO FRIGGIN LONG TO GET THERE!
And don't call me grasshopper you condescending bastard.
29 - Phillip Winn
I don't really consider myself a "tofu-licking treehugger," but I'm a fan of Phish's music and ice cream. If Ben & Jerry's eliminates "Phish Food" I will cry for weeks, maybe months.
And I've never seen Phish live, so I actually like them just from the CDs, purchased and traded.
30 - brian
"And don't call me grasshopper you condescending bastard."
With all due respect Grasshopper, you set the precedent for hostility and condescent with your initial post. I am not a huge Phish fan anymore, but i do own a few of their albums and I have seen them live a several times. I can certainly understand why they are so loved and why Rolling Stone magazine (knowledgeable and intelligent critics) called them "The Most Important Band of the 90's". Putting personal tastes aside (as real critics do), you have to acknowledge the influence and importance of Phish on the music world, especially in the last 10 years. Whether it is the way they circumvented the heavy hand of corporate labels and providing hope to the underdogs... or bringing musical integrity and real musicianship back into the popular music scene, losing Phish is a great loss for all music lovers. After all, the idea of Phish and what it stood for was always just as, if not more important and influential than the songs they churned out on albums. That can't be ignored or undermind (hehe) by conjuring up overused (and mostly innaccurate) stereotypes about their fans.
31 - Craig Lyndall
Blah blah blah. I know. I recognize their significance. I still hate them. Yes critics have to put stuff like personal taste to the side to an extent, but what is the fun in reading an article about something where there is no passion involved. In this case, my passion is for hating Phish and the caravan culture of their fans.
32 - Tom Johnson
Does anyone else love that "Chris B" actually gave Primus the ultimate compliment, ie Primus sucks! Dude, you don't even know that that is the Primus mantra.
33 - brian
"In this case, my passion is for hating Phish and the caravan culture of their fans."
Oh Sooooo... in which case you are not really a critic, or at least not a very good one. Rather you are just a spiteful and ignorant man with nothing better to do but complain. I see. Thanks for clarifying :)
34 - Craig Lyndall
I am a critic. You are a critic. Some people think I am a good critic. Some people hate me. Whatever. By the way, this wasn't a review or anything. This was me commenting on a news item. It was meant to be funny. Some people thought it was funny. You didn't. Oh well. There is no common ground to be reached in this matter. I realize Phish are influential and to an extent important. Doesn't mean I have to like them.
35 - Mark Saleski
craig, just curious....do you also hate stuff like jazz with extended improvisations, or event freely or collectively improvised music?
(this is not a trick question, honest)
36 - Craig Lyndall
I don't hate it all. I find a good bit of it quite boring though. maybe in certain moods. Honestly, and this isn't a punchline, I think Phish is easier to listen to and enjoy if you do drugs.
37 - Mark Saleski
i guess what i'm getting at is that the music itself really has nothing to do with the scene around it.
38 - Craig Lyndall
I don't like the music or the scene in Phish's case. I know what you mean though. I love the Dave Matthews Band, but I hate the frat boys and scream-along people that go to his shows. As a result, I buy the discs and skip all their shows.
39 - Tom Johnson
Mark knows I like a lot of free/improvised jazz, but I find the improvisation in Phish to be, for the most part, boring and repetitive. I just don't think these guys have the chops to pull of what jazzers regularly do with such ease and fluidity. I just hear the band comping around the same basic theme, or they go all "free form jazz odyssey" where Trey uses lots of spacey effects.
I can't say their music is horrible, to be honest, just so bland that it doesn't have much of an effect on me.
40 - Patrick Johnson
I am writing to you as a commenter who does not regularly listen to phish even though they may have songs that are similar i still strongly believe that they are extremely great musicians of course some of there songs sound similar because each person has one style of playing music and that is trey's style of playing music even though it is almost the same song it is still a very good song you need to truly listen to realize that they are infact true muscicians and are very talented at what they do and cannot critize the people that listen to them that would be like stereo typing people who listen to berry manalow as being old middle aged balding guys and lonely desperate fifty year old women.
you need to back the fuck off of phish and let them keep doing what they are doing cause they bring alot of happiness to each person that listens to them.
41 - dr wratson
I am writing this as a man who loves phish. I am just gonna tell ya man they are fuckin great. so just lay off um man. But make any opinion u want.but that opinion is wrong. they ae great and always will be. LONG LIVE PHISH!!!!!!
42 - patrick johnson
YOU ALL NEED TO COOL OUT REALLY BAD WHO CARES! YOU LIKE WHAT YOU LIKE AND YOUR OPINION IS YOURS SO KEEP IT TO YOUR DAMN SELF.
43 - Tom Johnson
PATRICK, IT LOOKS LIKE YOU NEED TO COOL OUT REALLY BAD YOURSELF!
"Caps Lock," kids, learn it, use it, love it.
44 - Craig Lyndall
Keeping it to my damn self isn't really the point.
45 - Douglas Mays
Anyone see Phish on Letterman last night? I was just switching between Letterman and Leno who had Avril Levine playing. I was not inspired by either artist's performance.
plg
46 - Alli Corbett
I like Phish. I like 'em I like 'em I like 'em. No blog critic will ever dissuade me. go phish go.
47 - LJ
the fact that you dislike phish does not bother me, however, the fact that you chose to stereotype phish fans as stoned out hippies who would rather make hemp all day instead of writing hateful music reviews or whatever you believe normal people like you choose to do DOES bother me. (that was probably a run on setence..hmm) i am a 15 year old prep school girl who does not fit your typical phish fan stereotype, however i still believe them to be the greatest band ever. phish appeals to a whole group of people, not just patchouli making rain dancing hippies (not that there is a thing wrong with those people).so maybe next time you should think twice before you decide to give phish fans, or anyone, a label.
cheers to phish, the greatest band of all time
48 - Pat
Phish and the grateful dead fucking rule
its about the music.....Phish is sweet is your striaght or fucked up
viva la phish
49 - billy
Phish is not a jam band.
50 - John Bil
Worst band ever.
51 - Kevin
i like Phish
ive never smoked weed
or been to one of their concerts
yet i have like 15 of their albums
and i love them
some of you need to understand that just cuz u don't like a band doesn't make them bad, i mean heck, some ppl like rap, for some reason it appeals to them, music being "good" is an opinion
52 - me bitch
Phish IS the greatset band ever, and you all can kiss off! You don't know shit about shit, and pull up your pants. assholes
53 - Phil
Wow. Phish rocks. They actualy know how to play their instruments unlike most of today's punk music. How could you think phish suck's. I bet you any money that you have never actually listened to their music. They have great jams in their live shows and in their studio recorded albums. Someone comented that phish is not a jam band. Wow. Phish is the king of all jam bands.
54 - JSchmoe
i actually find it quite amusing that u bash phish and priase primus, i would say that primus (while excellent musicians) are one of the most annoying bands to listen to, worst song writers ever! listening to les claypool sing sounds to much like nails on a chalkboard, unlike phish, while although some of their songs are clearly supposed to be intended as 15 minute long jams, are probably the best band in the modern era- end of discussion
55 - jared
Phish simply were the most amazing rock band of the 90's, period. Their break-up devestatd millions, if Primus broke up, nobody would care in the least, seems to me the writer of this blog, does not know how to get down. I love phish, loved all 60 shows I went too, great memories, too bad the writer of this blog will never get to experience like a Phish show.
56 - Nate
Back when A Picture of Nectar was released, Rolling Stone absolutely trashed the band.
When the band was breaking up, Rolling Stone called Phish the most important rock band of the 90s.
So, even opinionated turds can come to appreciate the band.
57 - Styngyn
Phish is highly musically talented, no argument there. Very versatile and unique.
Their problem: They can’t write good tunes. With few exceptions, their own forumulated songs suck! Half their concerts in later years they did other people’s music. And I know where I stand when I say this. I was living near the Burlington, VT area when they were first becoming big, and was excited when Picture of Nectar was released to the big scene. (Actually I think Nectar was their best)
So I attended as many shows as I could, and bought their next few albums. But then I found myself less impressed with Phish and their entire scene. And Bored. When I listened to a Phish album, I couldn't wait for it to end. Sure, great jams, but it left me uninspired and I could never remember what the tunes sounded like afterwards. Hence, little efect and total blandness. So I went back to my good ole Pink Floyd, Zeppelin, The Who, The Stones, Deep Purple, Rush, bands that could WRITE and play. (Notice I didnt mention The DEAD)
58 - your drugs
haha jam band phenomenon wtf? its easy to disregard these bands by studio tracks. it comes down to the experience of a show. do some drugs and make the experience a failed recollection or a sports critics take on music. either way you get shoddy reporting and a claim of paucity that is bred from a large neck.
59 - pablo
Having seen live the following acts:
Grateful Dead some 700 times
JGB, Jerry Garcia Band some 200 times
The Who 4 times
Stones 10 times
Moody Blues 8 times
Airplane and Starship dozens of times
Frank Zappa and Mothers of Invention around ten times, as well as Phish around 5 times.
Phish sucks, their music sucks, the attempted cloning of the dead scene sux, with particular reference to using Mom and Dad's credit cards to fund their so called hip lifestyle. As I was a life long dead head, I remember well the few times that I actually scoped out the parking lot scene, I found it to be at the very least fake, and full of fake hippies. The thing that always amazed me about these wannabe's is that iinstead of re-inventing themselves as any real movement of integrity would have, they were just lame copycats of a movement started some 35 years before their time, with I might add absolutely no respect for those that had actually blazed the way and took the real HEAT in doing so.
Good riddance Phish, you will most certainly not be missed by me, or your lame fans.
60 - Cliff Pahl
Phish is the greatest band living today, hahah you really said there not original? go to a fucking show and tell me they dont completely blow your mind they combine like 8 styles of music and anyone who can't appreciate them should go to hell and has no musical knowledge or understanding of their innovative instrumental styles.