Phish Aiming To Hook Wider Fan Base January 30, 1993 - Billboard By Bruce Buckley When Elektra Entertainment reeled in Phish a few years ago, the band came along with its own ready-made following based on almost a decade of touring. As the label prepares to release Phish's second effort, "Rift," Feb. 2, its mission is simply to widen the path cut by the band. "It's not often that you can sign a band that can already sell out shows to 6,000 or 7,000 fans, so we just want to continue whatever they are doing right," says Danny Kahn, Elektra's senior director of product development. "As long as they continue to make progress, there's no reason for us to interfere with what works." Ever since Phish first spawned its unique fusion of rock, jazz, funk, and bluegrass in the clubs of Burlington, Vt., in 1982, the band has relied on the intensity of its live shows to garner attention. In performances that can last up to four hours, the members of Phish have lent a distinctively light side to their serious musicianship by jumping around on trampolines, wearing fruit on their heads, and playing solos on a vacuum cleaner. "There's a certain level of absurdity that goes.along with our shows," says keyboardist Page McConnell. Over its first seven years, the band's notorious live shows sparked a strong underground network of followers who spread its name across the country. Phish fanzines, Phish cover bands, and even a computer network for exchanging bootlegs and band information (called "phishnet") sprang up and the band had successfully established itself despite a lack of label support. In the fall of 1991, Elektra jumped on the Phish bandwagon and has helped feed the frenzy ever since. In light of the band's growing popularity, however, Elektra's approach to breaking it has been surprisingly conservative. "They've done everything their way for the past 10 years to reach an enormous level on their own and we have to respect that," Kahn says. "Our goal is just to follow their path and create greater opportunities for their record with our strengths as a label." After the release of "A Picture Of Nectar" last year, Kahn says Elektra concentrated on introducing album-rock radio and retailers to Phish's phenomenal live success in hopes of translating high ticket sales into significant record sales figures. Although the band remained only a buzz on album-rock radio in many markets and no video was released, the album still reached sales of more than 100,000 units. This summer, Elektra helped bring the band's live show to a new audience by pairing it with Santana. "Not only was Carlos a great guy, but he really respected us," McConnell recalls. "He would bring us out every night to jam during his set, so consequently we were able to earn the respect of his older audience as well." The band also took part in the H.O.R.D.E. tour, which featured other alternative acts such as Spin Doctors and Blues Traveler. Since last summer's touring activities, Phish's efforts have been focused on honing its studio abilities for "Rift." "We've always struggled with translating our live show to the studio," admits McConnell. "So this time around, we tried to learn how to work with the studio in its own way and exploit its advantages rather than trying to capture our live sound." To help facilitate that goal, Phish used a producer for the first time. The band recruited Barry Beckett, who is noted for his work with Dire Straits, Bob Dylan, and Aretha Franklin. "It was good to have someone else worrying about whether we got the right take for a change," McConnell says. After nearly two months of recording, the band has emerged with an album that still stresses its light-hearted approach to serious musicianship, while showing a new interest in serious lyric content. "The songs are just a little bit more about something, instead of using fantasy or nonsense words. It just gives the album a more mature feel," says McDonnell. Another first for the band will be the release of a single from the album, the ballad "Fast Enough For You." Meanwhile, Kahn says Elektra will continue its strong emphasis on album-rock outlets and retail display to break "Rift."