Instead of taking a day off between their headlining set at Austin City Limits and the start of Fall Tour in Broomfield, the members of Phish will take part in a twang-laced benefit on Saturday night October 9, for the surrounding Boulder communities recently devastated by wildfires. Included on the bill for the “Four Mile Canyon Revival” are Colorado bands The String Cheese Incident, Yonder Mountain String Band and “Where are they now?” appearances by Leftover Salmon and Big Head Todd and the Monsters. The members of Phish are listed one by one. and all sources point to individual sit-ins rather than any Phish set on Saturday night.

Tickets go on sale via Tickethorse tomorrow at 10 am MDT for the pre-tour party. It’s good to see Phish using their draw for a good cause, but I wouldn’t hold my breath for anything musically significant. A night of socializing and bluegrass before tour never hurt anyone, and with money going directly to charity, one can leave whenever they please and not feel bad at all. Taking place at the 1st Bank Center in Broomfield, the site of the Phish shows themselves, this benefit will allow people to get the lay of the land for subsequent three-night blowout. (And provide the chance for ticketless spunions to hide in the venue for 24 hours.)

With all sorts of collaborative possibilities, this show should give the Phish guys a chance to exercise their seldom-used bluegrass chops, something that should be particularly exciting for the multi-instrumental Mike Gordon. And with the likelihood of lineup changes and “super-jams,” String Cheese’s Anastasio imitator, Michael Kang, may get the chance to mimic Trey’s licks right in front of the man, himself, in the context of a feel-good musical melange. But, hey, this is all in the name of charity, not chastising.

Good times. Good Twang. See you there. If the Yankees aren’t playing. Maybe.

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Phish’s Official Press Release

Colorado’s music community comes together for “Fourmile Canyon Revival,” a remarkable night of music to raise funds for individuals and families directly affected by the devastating Fourmile Fire near Boulder. The benefit concert will take place on Saturday, October 9th at 1st Bank Center in Broomfield, CO.

Jon Fishman, Mike Gordon, Page McConnell and Trey Anastasio will take part in the event, on the eve of their fall tour.

Colorado was the site of Phish’s first extended tour outside of the Northeast, and the band has always felt a deep connection to the community. The event features The String Cheese Incident, Big Head Todd & The Monsters, Yonder Mountain String Band, and Leftover Salmon’s Vince Herman & Drew Emmitt.

All proceeds will go directly to the Boulder Mountain Fire Relief Fund. The Fund supports the local volunteer fire departments that courageously fought the recent fire and the mountain residents whose lives were directly impacted by this disaster and are in critical need of financial support.

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Jam of the Day:

“Tweezer” 11.3.96 II

This second-set highlight from Gainesville, Florida featured Karl Perazzo on percussion and an emerging style of Phish groove.

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DOWNLOAD OF THE DAY:

11.6.1996 Civic Center, Knoxville, TN < Torrent

11.6.1996 Civic Center, Knoxville, TN < Megaupload

After Phish wrapped up in Florida, they stopped by Knoxville on the way to the Midwest. The post-Halloween segment of tour would be defined by more rhythmic playing that slowly and gradually turned into “cow-funk” over the next year.

I: Split Open and Melt, Cars Trucks Buses, Fast Enough for You, Taste, Train Song, Poor Heart, Punch You In the Eye, Billy Breathes, David Bowie

II: Wilson, The Curtain > Mike’s Song > Swept Away > Steep > Weekapaug Groove, Scent of a Mule, Sample in a Jar, Funky Bitch

E: Rocky Top

Source: Schoeps MK4’s

With all of the recent hubbub duly centered on Phish’s retro-sized fall tour – their most anticipated of this era – everyone has forgotten about the band’s first appearance of the season at Austin, City Limits Music Festival. Headlining the opening night of the indie based event with a two-hour set, Phish will close out the evening at one of the nation’s premiere musical gatherings. But the question remains, “What will they do in Austin?”

Taking part in their second mega-fest in as many years, will Phish actually play a significant set of music in Texas? Over their two shows at Bonnaroo in 2009, Phish threw down out two of their most creative jams of a rather tame June in “Kill Devil Falls” and “Light.” Otherwise, the band played it fairly straight up. But that was their first month back on the road and Austin presents a completely different situation than America’s McFestival.

Because Austin will be the first set of tour, Phish will have something planned in advance. If they were to come out and play off the cuff and wound up with a typical first set of tour, their slot would be a disaster. One might imagine a set featuring “Stash,  “Number Line,” “Bowie,” “Hood” and  “YEM,” with a significant “Light” placed somewhere within. And depending on the course those pieces take, they could form a stellar or average set. Since Phish is only now beginning to jam consistently in their own shows, and have Broomfield looming, the possibility of an innocuous festi set hangs over the band’s Austin appearance.

Playing overlapping sets with The Strokes, the hipsters may evacuate the Phish stage in favor of New York’s neo-garage rockers. When the lights drop for Phish, the scene may not be so unfamiliar, as Phish fans are sure to flood the festival grounds on Friday night. Given a large stage and two hours, a lot can happen in Austin if Phish wants to go that route. But perhaps more of a payday than an intent to make any statement at all, the band may fill their time with palatable music and move onto their own 3-night bash to kick off fall for real. With  rumors of a club show silenced and squashed, Phish could be in Austin for less time than their fans en route to Colorado. But could that time be spent playing a ballistic set of music? That is the question at hand.

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Jam of the Day

“Kill Devil Falls” 6.12.09 II

This was the first jam of ’09 to really jump outside the box, and it happened at Bonnaroo.

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DOWNLOAD OF THE DAY:

Only the fourth show of 1994, this month saw Phish gearing up for a long road ahead.

I: Maze, Glide > Foam, I Didn’t Know^, Punch You In the Eye, The Horse*> Silent in the Morning, Down with Disease, If I Could, Lawn Boy, Llama

II. Split Open and Melt, McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters, It’s Ice > Digital Delay Loop Jam**It’s Ice, Sparkle, Harry Hood, Bouncing Around the Room, Big Ball Jam, David Bowie, Suzy Greenberg

E: Contact, Big Black Furry Creature from Mars

^ w/ Mimi Fishman on cymbals, *w/ Trey on acoustic, ** first digital delay loop jam

Source: Neumann RSM 190i> neumann m/s preamp> Teac DA-p20> Oade Active > Sony D-7 @ 48k