Solid State

Hey there, Solid State.

It's Friday, and I hate to end the week on a down note. But Saturday at 12 p.m. Magic Hat Brewing Co. will be holding a memorial/dedication ceremony at the brewery for my friend Bryan Kapschull, who passed away on August, 17. The "service" will be a very low key affair. Anyone and everyone who is so inclined is encouraged to share stories and memories about Bryan. If I can keep it together, I think I might. And in typical MH fashion, it will be followed by copious amounts of beer-drinking and wing-eating because, well, that's pretty much how Bryan would have wanted it.

So spread the word and come on down. Hope to see you there.

So, yeah . . . Phish. Gettin' the band back together, bro. Nice.

It's no secret that Solid State is hardly a bastion of Phab Four phanaticism. However, echoing Bridget's earlier statements, congrats Phish-heads. Anything that puts a smile on the faces of this many people is alright by me. Of course, wild horses couldn't drag me anywhere near Hampton, VA in March. But to paraphrase Barack Obama, this ain't about me. It's about you. And you, if you're still reading, probably like Phish. But how do you feel about tribute bands, I wonder?

In this week's music section, there is a short feature on a South Carolina-based Phish tribute band called The Strange Design, who will be playing at Nectar's on October 21, which — coincidentally, I'm sure — just so happens to be the night after Trey Anastasio's sold out solo show at Higher Ground. How's that for shrewd booking?

Essesntially, the band is Dark Star Orchestra for Phish fans. They recreate Phish shows — specifically, early club shows — in their entirety. However, these are not note-for-note regurgitations. Rather, the shows are an attempt to pay homage, with an eye towards blending authenticity and the spirit of improvisation. At least that's what I'm told. I haven't seen them live, so who knows?

Anyway, part of The Strange Design's gig is that they solicit requests from fans in every town they play. You name the show you want to hear, make a good pitch and they oblige. Nifty, eh?

So let's hear it, Phish-heads. Whaddya wanna hear? The floor is yours . . .

So I'm sure you've heard the big news by now. I was first alerted through a Facebook status update, quickly followed by hush-hush water cooler talk at the office. As if not letting too many people hear might improve chances with the ticket lottery.

I am of course referring to the announcement that Phish (in its entirety) will be playing three shows in Hampton, VA.

It's no secret that Dan and I are not big Phish fans. And our hating has definitely earned us some haters. Which is why I would like to, on the record, congratulate all you Phish fans on the big news. And wish you well on what is sure to be one shit show of a road trip. I am genuinely happy for all my friends who have another chance to see this band live.

All that said, I'd like to post Trey's message from May 25, 2004:

AN ANNOUNCEMENT FROM TREY 05.25.04

Friday night, I got together with Mike, Page and Fish to talk openlyabout the strong feelings I've been having that Phish has run itscourse and that we should end it now while it's still on a high note.Once we started talking, it quickly became apparent that the otherguys' feelings, while not all the same as mine, were similar in manyways -- most importantly, that we all love and respect Phish and thePhish audience far too much to stand by and allow it to drag on beyondthe point of vibrancy and health. We don't want to become caricaturesof ourselves, or worse yet, a nostalgia act. By the end of the meeting,we realized that after almost twenty-one years together we were facedwith the opportunity to graciously step away in unison, as a group,united in our friendship and our feelings of gratitude.

So Coventry will be the final Phish show. We are proud and thrilledthat it will be in our home state of Vermont. We're also excited forthe June and August shows, our last tour together. For the sake ofclarity, I should say that this is not like the hiatus, which was ourlast attempt to revitalize ourselves. We're done. It's been an amazingand incredible journey. We thank you all for the love and support thatyou've shown us.

-- Trey Anastasio

I am not going to bother analyzing what the band said back then. A lot changes in three years. My own thoughts on my future have taken a 180 since 2004, so I'm certainly not going to judge anyone else on their own change of heart. I just found the message amusing in retrospect and figured I would share.

Now go enter that lottery, you damn hippies. Hampton awaits.

Surprise!