Anastasio to take the stage in independence July 04, 2001 - Burlington Free Press by Sally Pollak Trey Anastasio will play a local rock 'n' roll show on Independence Day -- his first such gig since his band, Phish, announced last fall that it would take an open-ended break. Whether the timing is symbolic or coincidental, the surprise holiday show will be tonight at Higher Ground in Winooski, the doors to open at 8. It is the debut performance of Anastasio's eight-piece band, a group that will begin a cross-country tour in San Diego next week. "Trey's been writing a lot of new material, and he'll be debuting much of it at the show," Phish spokesman Jason Colton said. The group announced tonight's addition to its month-long tour at 9:45 a.m. Tuesday. Tickets went on sale at 11 a.m. and all 500 were sold in 50 minutes, said Alex Crothers, co-owner of Higher Ground. Most of that time was spent checking IDs and collecting cash. "We could've sold out in two minutes," he said. "The line was full by the time we started selling tickets." A portion of the proceeds, $1,000, will be donated to a local school jazz program. Phish, a Burlington-based band that formed 18 years ago, played its last gig in October. Since then, Anastasio -- the lead singer and guitarist -- has pursued several projects: He has composed for and played with the Vermont Youth Orchestra, and toured with members of the band he will play with tonight. The band includes the rhythm section Russ Lawton (drums) and Tony Markellis (bass), who played with Anastasio at Higher Ground in February 1999. The trio also played at the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts two years ago. They expanded to six members for this year's winter tour, and eight players for the summer's forthcoming concerts. Dave Grippo, a local saxophonist with the band, said the group has been practicing since early May. "We have a fantastic leader guiding us," he said. "Right now, we're working as a great team together." The band plays a variety of styles, Grippo said, including rock 'n' roll, soul, Latin-flavored music and tunes with a "New Orleans groove." Lorcan Ackley, 22, of Milton, who was in the ticket line top 10, is intrigued by the possibilities. "I like Trey a lot and I really, really like Grippo," said Ackley, who has booked Grippo's band to play at his August wedding. "I wanted to see how they play together." Ackley, who works at Borders Books and Music, had advance word of the hush-hush show Monday night from a friend. "I told my wife I'm getting up early ... (Tuesday) morning to get tickets," he said. "I was very excited to hear about it."