Phish Tales December 6, 1992 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Pg. 2C) by David Surkamp 'PHISH' TALES ABOUT EXCELLENCE OF QUARTET PROVE TO BE TRUE In the running for the most eclectic music group in the country, possibly on the planet, is the Burlington, Vermont-based quartet Phish. Performing to a standing-room-only crowd at Mississippi Nights on Friday, Phish demonstrated its intriguing grasp of genre-hopping in two freewheeling sets. Phish has built its following from the ground up by word of mouth, and a more loyal following you won't find this side of a Deadhead. Santana fans got a taste of Phish when the foursome opened for the Latin guitarist last summer at Riverport. But in word-of-mouth underground circles, Phish tales have been circulating around the Gateway City at least since the dawn of the '90s. Watching guitarist Trey Anastasio wind his way through the intricate Phish moves is fascinating. As bassist Mike Gordon and drummer Jon Fishman tossed around rhythms and grooves like a softball, with keyboardist Page McConnell distributing a healthy dose of sophisticated harmonic anarchy, Anastasio took many a melodic roller-coaster ride on the strings of his guitar. The interaction of these four musicians is simply breathtaking and should in no way be misconstrued as mindless jamming. In fact, Phish often reminded me of the early days of the original Little Feat. And so, juggling improvisations amid its own skin-tight arrangements, Phish tunes such as "Fast Enough For You" and "Picture of Nectar" built from crescendo to crescendo. Whether touching on blues, jazz, reggae, funk, soul, country or rock, the songs seem bent on bouncing on their own musical trampoline. And somehow, it all wound up as one singular heroic ensemble effort called Phish.