Phish gives new meaning to songwriting-in-progress March 5, 1993 - Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph By Laura Austin Phish is an acquired taste - even for the band's diehard fans. John Orfanakis, a fan at Colorado College, has seen Phish six times, but says, "Only at the last show did I really understand and fully appreciate their music." But once fans develop a taste for Phish's musical hodge-podge of rock energy and jazz improvisation, it's hard to satisfy their cravings. When not following the band on tour, "phans" (they also call themselves "Phisheads") satiate their hunger by trading bootlegged concert recordings. They even keep in contact with each other on the Phish.Net, a computer network devoted to the band (the network is accessible through VAX computer systems used at many colleges and universities). Orfanakis' comment is one of many replies off Phish.Net; there are about 300 messages at any given time. "I have gone broke trading (tapes), only listen to Phish, and spend my free time on the net," writes Mark Goldberg, a student at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. "I'm addicted, but I love it." "I went, liked the music but didn't think they incorporated the words well," says Eric Budke, a student at Union College in Schnectady, N.Y., of his first Phish show. The band, which just released a new CD, "Rift," on Elektra Records, will perform Tuesday at Pikes Peak Center. During its nearly 10 years together, Phish has never achieved hit status, but that was never a goal. In a phone interview, bassist Mike Gordon says the band focuses more on improving as musicians. Hailing from Vermont, the band is comprised of Gordon; Trey Anastasio, guitar; Page McConnell, piano and Hammond organ; and Jon "Tubbs" Fishman, drums and trombone. Many fans would disagree that the band needs to improve, arguing its appeal is excellent musicianship. "I love how the band can take their talent to such a high level and be so tight in their jam," Goldberg explains. "You can feel the energy translated into emotions in your body as they play." According to Gordon, the band wants to guide people through a musical journey. The trip starts with one member playing a melody, with the others working in their own patterns so they all fit. Gordon described it as songwriting on the spot. When the final "destination" is reached, Gordon says, "Consciousness and ego are not prevailing, our souls take over and what's important is the feeling." Experimentation and energy are the keys to Phish's concerts. It's not unusual to see Gordon and Anastasio bouncing on mini-trampolines onstage. And sometimes the band throws beach balls - each representing a bandmember - into the audience and plays solos according to how the ball bounces through the crowd. Because of the dedicated following, the tape trading and the way the music inspires a lifestyle, Phish often is compared to the Grateful Dead. "People try to make comparisons for lack of another way of understanding our music," Gordon says. Fans also resent the references. "Numerous people have said that Phish is a cross between (Frank) Zappa and the Dead. I feel it's more accurate to say that they're a cross between Zappa and Dungeons and Dragons," writes Dominic Rivers, arts editor for Vassar College Miscellany News. "I love the imagery in their grooves and their lyrics, and the Dead do not have this kind of multi-sensual potential." Because Phish doesn't swim in the mainstream, some people may never understand its appeal. But fans along the Phish.Net urge cynics to open their minds. "The only reason Phish isn't a mega-huge band (yet) is that people can't open their minds long enough to accommodate the radically different music Phish creates," writes Gregg Carrier, a freshman at James Madison University. "If they could, far more people would like Phish." Article © 1993 Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph