Phish: In The Mix March 13, 1992 - The Washington Post by STAFF Better read than Dead, the Vermont freestylists of "Phish" have developed a Phishhead following all their own; the equally eclectic "Everything" opens for them Tuesday at Lisner Auditorium. Phish, a curious name for a curious band. "Rock, jazz, Broadway, funk, bluegrass, and Latin. Those are our influences," says bass player Mike Gordon. "We used to list 12, but we whittled it down to six. We lost hard-core, calypso, reggae, blues, and some others." This musical bouillabaisse has gotten the Vermont quartet a dedicated live following that some compare to that of the Grateful Dead. "There are some similarities," says Gordon. "We both improvise, and not too many rock bands do, we vary song lists from night to night, and I think there's something in the air. People say it's a special feeling. I hope I'm not being pretentious." What began as a collegiate art-rock band has evolved to the point where "the influences from the outside and the crazy styles from the inside are getting blended," says Gordon. He mentions a new piece that had a Latin feel, until Gordon added a bluegrass bass line, "and it ended up so you couldn't call it Latin and you couldn't call it bluegrass. It's just Phish." The band's major label debut has them on the road for a few months. "We never thought it would get to this. We're splurging on separate motel rooms so we don't get sick of each other. Imagine spending 24 hours with these guys!" © 1992 The Washington Post