The four founders all attended University of Vermont in Burlington. Anastasio, Holdsworth and Fishman started jamming together in their dorm rooms, while Gordon joined them soon after. The very first Phish concert was played at the Harris Millis Cafeteria at UVM - the four boys were covering famous rock songs. However, the band’s career soon came to a halt after Anastasio was suspended from college for a prank. This later turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as Anastasio spent his suspension time writing music with his childhood friend Tom Marshall back in New Jersey. Marshall has been the primary lyricist for Phish for decades now.
The band reunited in college in 1984. They stuck with the name “Phish”, which is either the nickname for drummer Fishman, or an onomatopoeia for the sound of a brush on the snare drum, according to conflicting claims from band members. Keyboardist Page McConnell joined the Phish line-up in 1985. However, they also lost a member: guitarist Holdsworth quit due to a religious conversion. In the meantime, the band was producing self-made cassette tapes with their original music. Also, for his thesis at Goddard College, Trey Anastasio created a concept album with the title “The Man Who Stepped into Yesterday”. The band also performed these songs at live Phish concert shows.
The New England rocker’s break came in 1989. The Paradise Rock Club in Boston, MA refused to book the fledgling band, so they decided to rent it out for themselves. The famed alt rock venue ended up filling with fans, and the successful Phish concert allowed them to book a whole slew of new concert dates in the New England area. In these concerts, Phish is known to involve the audience in creative ways.
Their self-published debut album came out in May 1989, with the title “Junta”. Despite their success with live shows, it failed to gain any significant traction at the time. Their second record, “Lawn Boy” in September 1990 was met with the same fate. However, in 1991, the band signed with the label Elektra Records. With backing from a major label for the first time, Phish’s third album “A Picture of Nectar” reached the #30 spot on the new artist-specific Heatseekerschart by Billboard.
Since then, Phish has released 12 more studio albums, thus they have 15 in total. Their debut album, “Junta” from 1989 ended up selling around 1 million copies through re-releases over the years, making it technically the best selling Phish album. However, at the time of its release, “Billy Breathes” from October 1996 was the one that performed the best, peaking at the #8 spot on the famous Billboard 200 chart. Meanwhile, the latest new Phish album came out in April 2020, with the title “Sigma Oasis”. The band was on hiatus between 2004 and 2008.
The biggest hits in the Phish setlist to date are “You Enjoy Myself” (1985), “Bouncing Around the Room” (1990), “Bathtub Gin” (also 1990), and “Loving Cup” (2001). The band’s line-up has been remarkably consistent over the decades, still consisting of 3 of the 4 founders, lead guitarist and vocalist Anastasio, drummer Fishman, bassist Gordon; as well as keyboardist McConnell.
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