Phish Celebrates Ten Years Together April 2, 1993 - The Seattle Times By Tom Phalen What you can almost always expect in any feature written on Phish is bad puns and inevitable comparisons to The Grateful Dead, The Blues Travelers and The Spin Doctors. "I'm not as sick of it as I was a year ago," said keyboardist Page McConnell, calling recently from Hollywood. "I can understand where most of it is coming from, especially where the crowds are concerned and how they react. But I think our music is a lot different than The Blues Travelers and the Doctors." What Phish shares with those bands is almost constant touring - they've been at it for 10 years - and a nearly fanatical following. Phish shows are celebrations, both because of the communal feel and the joyous music. But where the Vermont band leaves its contemporaries behind is in its sophistication. The material, written mostly by guitarist Trey Anastasio and outside lyricist Tom Marshall, is highly musical, sometimes mystical, eclectic, electrifying, challenging and yet very accessible. They embrace rock, jazz, funk, country-western and psychedelic experimentation - along with other styles - yet seamlessly pull it together. They're also eccentric. It isn't unusual for drummer Jon "Tubbs" Fishman to play a vacuum cleaner or sheet metal. The band is also just as likely to step up without their instruments and sing barbershop quartet. Without a mike. "New Year's Eve we pulled that off in front of 7,000 people," McConnell said. "We got a hockey arena to shut up. It was great." The band's musicianship is exceptional, from McConnell's full B3 organ and piano; Anatasio's fluid, screaming guitar; Fishman's percussive peculiarities; and the smooth, solid bottom purr-and-rumble of Mike Gordon's bass. And The Grateful Dead would be lucky if they could vocalize half as well and on tune as Phish. What Phish holds in common most with the Dead is incessant playing. "We play a lot," said McConnell. "We practice a lot. A month at a time, seven or eight hours a day. Then we take a couple weeks off, do it again and then tour. That's how you get good." The newest album, "Rift," is a terrific example of the band's talent and generosity. There are 15 varied tracks, some jazzy, some driven, some just loopy. All very appealing. The band is doing very well on college radio and is finally, deservedly, breaking into the mainstream. "The record is doing pretty good," said McConnell. "It's no 'Pocketful of Kryptonite' (The Spin Doctors' runaway hit), but it's doing OK. Hey, were staying at the Roosevelt Hotel, which is a pretty nice place. They haven't always been this good. I guess we're finally getting a little spoiled out here." Phish plays a sold-out show at the University of Washington's HUB Ballroom at 8 p.m. Monday.