Phish is a Fresh Catch April 14, 1993 - California Aggie (UC) By Lindsey Litchfield Hailing from Vermont, where it began as a Goddard College party band during the '80s, Phish -- pronounced "fish" -- are an interesting improvisation-oriented band in the tradition of The Grateful Dead and The Allman Brothers. Although Phish excels playing live, as the two sold-out shows at The Warfield in San Francisco in late March demonstrated, the band's fourth and best album, Rift, is a fine example of how Phish shines in the studio as well Phish, which often play gigs with bands such as the Spin Doctors, Blues Traveler and Widespread Panic on the East Coast, composes, with these bands, a new trend in jam-oriented playing. The bands are extremely popular on the East Coast, especially among college students and the twentysomething crowd, but are now gaining recognition and popularity on the West Coast as well. Phish is Trey Anastasio on guitar and lead vocals, Mike Gordon on bass and vocals, Page McConnell on piano, organ and vocals and John Fishman on drums. Tom Marshall is Phish's non-performing lyricist. Rift keeps the fun, eclectic, agile and musically complex qualities that Phish is known for, but has a more refined nature than its previous albums. In its entirety, Rift combines jazz and country modulations with funk, bluegrass and world-beat influences and slightly twisted, fragmented lyrics. "Rift" jump-starts the album with quick, galloping drum beats, intense guitar riffs and a bellowing keyboard sound, as it samples Phish's different musical influences and gives the first taste of the band's random and bizarre lyrics. To display the eclecticism of Phish, the album transcends into the second track with "Fast Enough For You," a slow, smooth, soft and peaceful lullaby with gentle guitars accompanied by pleading vocals. "My Friend, My Friend" has a two-minute-plus galloping introduction with a midway tempo transformation and bizarre lyrics. Marshall's random lyrics are best exemplified in "Weigh," where Anastasio's vocal tone is almost annoying; the jazzy beat, along with groovy and intriguing guitar riffs and club-oriented rhythm, compensate for the vocals and save the track. With a polka-like rhythm and an ever-increasing speed as the song progresses, the melody "Sparkle" is a fun and gleaming tune. Overall, the tracks on Rift are mellow, soothing and pleasant and completely delightful. Many are well-suited as danceable tracks with jamming complexities and eclectically weaving guitar solos. Phish, although following in the tradition of great improvisational bands such as The Dead, also aids in providing this generation with our own genre of successful, fun, innovative, improv bands.