Phishing For A New Sound November 8, 2002 - The Times-Picayune (New Orleans) By Keith Spera Drummer Jon Fishman's Pork Tornado has a life and a sound all its own In August 1997, more than 60,000 people gathered at a decommissioned Air Force base in northern Maine for "The Great Went," a colossal two-day camping/concert event presented by Phish, the far-ranging jam band that stands to inherit the Grateful Dead's legacy. The night after "The Great Went," Phish drummer Jon Fishman performed at a now-defunct nightspot in Burlington, Vt., called Club Toast with his other, considerably less well-known band, Pork Tornado. "The crowd went from 60,000 to 60," Fishman recalled during a recent phone interview. "(Guitarist) Dan Archer walks up to me after the Pork Tornado gig and goes, 'What did you make last night, about a million bucks? I'm sorry, but this is a little pay cut. I've got $60 for you.' " Fishman came to Pork Tornado not as a rich rock star looking for a vanity project on the side, but as a fellow member of the Burlington music community. He's known the other Tornado musicians for years. Archer owns the studio where Phish recorded its second album. Keyboardist Phil Abair logged 20 years in a cover band at the Burlington Holiday Inn. Saxophonist Joe Moore moved to Burlington from Florida 30 years ago. Bassist/vocalist Aaron Hersey hails from neighboring Maine. "As far as a musical entity, Pork Tornado is as much a band as Phish is," Fishman said. "I have name recognition from being in Phish, and that gives us a little bit of a head start on the road. But it's not my side project. It's its own thing." Pork Tornado recently released its self-titled debut through the Rykodisc label. On the dozen original compositions, Fishman and company come across like an experienced and versatile bar band with an especially eclectic world view, one that encompasses soul, blues and world music. Onstage, they also put a "Pork Tornado-ish spin" on covers ranging from Frank Zappa to Frank Sinatra, from Toots & the Maytals to Jimmy Cliff, from Prince to Elvis. Fishman has had plenty of time for Pork Tornado in the two years since Phish surprised its fans and the music industry by announcing an indefinite hiatus. Phish keyboardist Page McConnell has since cut an album and toured with funky Meters drummer Russell Batiste and Allman Brothers bassist Oteil Burbridge as Vida Blue. Guitarist Trey Anastasio released a self-titled solo album and toured. Bassist Mike Gordon recently released an album with guitarist Leo Kottke called "Clone." But they'll soon come together again. On Dec. 10, Elektra Records is scheduled to release a new Phish studio album, "Round Room." Phish returns to the stage with a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden in New York on New Year's Eve, followed by three nights at the Hampton Coliseum in Virginia. A full tour follows in 2003. Fishman will bring a set of newly honed skills to bear when Phish rehearsals commence after the Pork Tornado tour. "Being in Phish for all these years has been a great musical school, because it's made me address a lot of different approaches to drums," he said. "In Pork Tornado and other bands, I've gotten to focus specifically on certain aspects. That makes those parts stronger for Phish." Versatility is his stock in trade. "In certain contexts, you might be able to say, 'That's Jon Fishman playing drums,' " he said. "But I like the idea that I can fit into different musical situations and adapt to what that situation calls for, in a chameleon-like way. I've had people say to me, 'I've seen Phish and now I hear Pork Tornado and I wouldn't even recognize that as you.' I consider that a compliment, because it means that I'm paying attention to the situation I'm in and adapting to it." New Orleans influences factor into his playing, especially with the Jazz Mandolin Project, another of his creative outlets. Long a fan of early Meters records, he counts the Wynton Marsalis Septet's Herlin Riley among his favorite drummers. After Phish made its controversial appearance at the 1996 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival -- "We were one of the 10 most hated things to ever go there, because I think too many of our fans came and (relieved themselves) on people's lawns" -- he started making annual pilgrimages as a fan. During the 2001 Jazzfest, he and Jazz Mandolin Project leader Jamie Masefield teamed with a local horn section for two nights of jazz and brass band music at the Maple Leaf. To prepare, Fishman spent a week listening to Preservation Hall Jazz Band records. He returns to New Orleans for a Pork Tornado gig tonight at Tipitina's. The current tour concludes at a small club in Clifton Park, N.Y., on Nov. 14. Six weeks later, Fishman will power Phish at the cavernous Madison Square Garden. "All that tells me is that of all the jobs in the world, mine has the least logic in terms of compensation for work put in," he said. "I'm the same drummer in (Pork Tornado) as I am in (Phish), except in this band I'm told that I'm worth this many dollars for what I do, and in this other band I'm told that I'm worth that many dollars, and in the third band I'm told a third thing. You can be the greatest drummer and get paid (nothing), you can be the worst drummer and get paid great." He is fortunate to be able to work the equation from both sides. "I get to be in this big rock band, but then I still get to play in clubs and have it not be this out-of-control thing," he said. "If Pork Tornado gets bigger, so be it. I'll find another band to play in. I'll always try to have a band that can't sell out the room." © 2002 The Times-Picayune Publishing Company