Phish finds the magic on the off-road tracks July 3, 2003 - The San Diego Union-Tribune By Jonathan Cohen The potency of the creative partnership enjoyed by the four members of Phish is well-documented via the group's nine Elektra studio albums and improvisation-heavy live shows. But when the eclectic Vermont combo regrouped last year after a nearly two-year hiatus, the idea of quickly recording a studio album of entirely new material was by no means a certainty. So after working up 22 fresh songs in just shy of two weeks of rehearsal at vocalist/guitarist Trey Anastasio's Vermont studio, the group opted to record the material right then and make a decision about its future at a later date. That later date wound up being only a matter of days. At first, a variety of ideas was considered, including releasing select cuts on the Internet after the new year. But with its members so enthused with the results, Phish selected 12 of its favorites for its latest Elektra release, "Round Room." This off-the-cuff approach stands in marked contrast to the group's usual modus operandi in the studio, which normally involves months of prolonged recording and has often failed to capture Phish's trademark onstage magic. "In a bunch of cases, these are first takes," bassist Mike Gordon admits. "In other cases we may have done a song two or three times, but we didn't really think we were putting these out, so we didn't get too exhaustive." "Round Room" is quite unlike any prior Phish offering, according to keyboardist Page McConnell. "It's probably the longest single album we have ever made," he says. "Yes, there is more soulfulness, but there is also way more jamming than on any other Phish album." Elektra vice president of marketing Dane Venable admits the sudden completion of "Round Room" presented some logistical issues on the promotion side. Venable says the fact that Phish remained visible during its hiatus with an ongoing series of live concert releases, as well as various side projects (Oysterhead, Vida Blue, Pork Tornado), contributed to the high demand for tickets during the band's summer concert tour, which lands at Coors Amphitheatre in Chula Vista on Tuesday. For McConnell, it's all about continuing to reconnect with the intuitive interplay he shares with Anastasio, Gordon, and drummer Jon Fishman. "When we hit the record button, turned the lights off, shut our eyes, and all of the sudden were playing again, that was incredibly special," he says. "We caught this album on tape at a time when the material was so fresh we hardly knew it." Article Copyright © 2003 San Diego Union-Tribune