The music of Phish was performed at Madison Square Garden last night, but it wasn’t the Vermont quartet who delivered it. MSG organist Chad Dinzes, who plays the Page role in Phish tribute act Strange Design, debuted his version of It’s Ice during the Rangers game.
Dinzes has shared a clip of the performance…
Strange Design will celebrate the 20th anniversary of Rift, the album on which It’s Ice first appeared, on February 2nd at Brooklyn Bowl in New York City.
On July 20 and 21 of 1991, Phish played a two-day stand at Arrowhead Ranch in Parksville, NY, which was part of a short tour where the band was joined by the Giant Country Horns for the first time on the road.
Next Wednesday night, Phab Phour tribute act Strange Design will take the stage at HT’s favorite NYC venue Brooklyn Bowl to recreate one of the two shows – which will remain a surprise until showtime. The band will be joined by The Big Apple Horns to complete the full experience. Tickets for the gig will run you just $5 in advance, $7 day of. We can’t think of a better way to spend our Pre-Thanksgiving night then reliving these historic shows.
If you can’t make it out to Brooklyn next week, than maybe you’ll be to hit one of these recently announced tours…
Finally, for the last six years Michael Dorf has presented an annual charity tribute concert with 100% of the proceeds going to a number of music-based charities. The seventh edition, which will take place on Feb. 10th at New York’s famed Carnegie Hall, will feature a night celebrating the music of legendary singer-songwriter Neil Young. Among the artists who will tackle selections from Mr. Young’s famed songbook will be Patti Smith, The Roots, Joan Osbourne, Keller Williams and Pete Yorn, with Larry Campbell set to anchor the house band. Tickets are currently on-sale, along with a limited number of VIP tickets that include an artist after-party at City Winery.
When Coachella released the lineup for this year’s festie, many music fans had their hopes set on a seeing the name Pavement grace the artist roster after hearing Scott “Spiral Stairs” Kannberg comments earlier this year. While the return of the seminal ’90s indie-rock band may not be on the immediate horizon, four of the five members did take the stage together this past weekend at the 5 Spot in Nashville, TN for an impromptu reunion of sorts at the wedding reception party for former percussionist Bob Nastanovich.
Stephen Malkmus took the stage first, where he performed Redbone’s Come And Get Your Love and the O’Jays’ Love Train with the wedding band that featured members of the Silver Jews. The former Pavement front man was then joined by old bandmates Steve West, Mark Ibold and Nastanovich for a version of FCC Party – a song from West’s band Marble Valley.
Finally, we’re pleased to announced that HT faves The McLovins will be making their New York City rock club debut this April as the opening act for the Phish tribute band Strange Design. The two bands will team up for a show at Sullivan Hall on Friday, April 10, tickets are currently on-sale for the low price of $12 – we suggest grabbing one sooner rather than later.
Sirius XM Radio are launching Sirius XMU Sessions, a series of in-studio performances from ground-breaking artists. Sirius XMU Sessions will debut on Wednesday, January 28th on Sirius XMU (Sirius channel 26 and XM channel 43) with a performance by indie rockers Blitzen Trapper. This new show will offer up listeners stripped-down performances and in-depth interviews with a different groundbreaking Sirius XMU artist every week.
Upcoming sessions will include performances and interviews by Andrew Bird, Neko Case, Jenny Lewis, Matt & Kim, A.C. Newman and Ra Ra Riot. Sirius XMU Sessions will air every Wednesday at 9pm ET on Sirius XMU Sirius channel 26 and XM channel 43.
Let’s get through hump day together with some fresh linkage…
Finally, the best Phish tribute band in the game – Strange Design – kicks off their “Highway to Hampton” tour tonight at the WorkPlay Theatre in Birmingham, AL. The quartet returns to the Northeast towards the middle of February for shows in New Haven on the 19th and Boston on the 20th.
Just a reminder that our giveaway for two pair of tickets to catch phenoms Strange Design cover Phish’s epic performances at the Beacon from 1994 at Sullivan Hall on Friday and Saturday ends this evening ’round Midnight. You’ve got great odds if you want to go, so be sure to enter by leaving a comment underneath this post telling us about your favorite NYC Phish show of all-time. Good luck to all who enter. C’mon 4/15/1994!
Current go-to Phish tribute act Strange Design returns to Sullivan Hall in New York City on Thanksgiving Weekend and we’ve got one pair of tickets to give away to each show. Strange Design follows in the footsteps of the Dark Star Orchestra – who will also be performing in the city that weekend – by recreating old shows in their entirety. The quartet has been earning rave reviews bringing them bigger crowds each time out.
For Strange Design’s shows at Sullivan Hall on Nov. 28 and 29, the theme will be Phreakin’ At The Beacon. Considering Phish only played three shows at the storied venue, you can expect to see Strange Design rock out ’94 style. Let’s hope they invite a horn section for one of the concerts so they can tackle my first show – 04/15/1994.
Now, as part of our epic Everybody Wins When I Plug Something And In Return They Offer Me Free Shit To Give Away program we’re giving away two pairs of tickets. Simply leave a comment below telling us about your favorite Phish show that took place in New York City and you’ll be entered to win. This contest ends on Tuesday November 25 at 11:59PM. Please don’t enter if you can’t attend the show.
We’ll pick two winners at random on Wednesday and each winner will receive a pair of tickets for the night of their choice. Head to TheStrangeDesign.com for more on the band.
We’ll get right into things today since you’re probably trying to get in that last blast of summer and shouldn’t be sitting around looking at a computer screen. So let’s check out what’s been going on with a lengthy batch of links…
Now go outside and enjoy your last day off till Columbus Day. Go!
Following in the footsteps of the Grateful doppelgangers, Dark Star Orchestra, Strange Design is taking a similar approach to the Phish. This South Carolina foursome recreates classic Phish shows in their entirety at each concert.
While I have yet to see Strange Design in action, what looks particularly appealing about their approach to the Phish is that they really seem to emphasize the surprise factor, the energy, and the general idea that seeing Phish is bigger than just the music. They are not simply focusing on the setlists and songs, but the whole shebang from the segues and bust outs to Fishman tunes and vacuum solos. Hell, the guy even wears the moo moo on drums. If the Divided Sky on their My Space page is any indication, these guys are gonna be a big hit with the fans.
The following comes from a chat with Aaron Levy (keys) and Adam Chase (drums):
Hidden Track: How often do you recreate actual jam segments? Are there any particular versions you would point to that you really worked hard to recreate?
AARON: We try our best to recreate as much as the show as possible. Phish’s music as well as their jams is very complex, so to recreate every note of a show would be a stretch. However, we listen extensively to the shows we recreate and take notes on song lengths, order of solos, teases, any highlighted/unique aspects of that shows particular vibe and jams, etc. Phish had very distinctive styles/eras and we want to give people the taste of a ’91 show versus a ’97 show. As far as particular recreations to point out, when it comes to a well known recording/show, we will do our best to play it as it was played originally.
ADAM: I’ll add that we take notes of key changes within jams, style changes, time signature changes, effects and really as many specific details as possible. On many occasions, Mike has spoken about the spiritual aspect of playing music and being in the moment and Fishman has spoken about putting enough hours and hard work into practice that when you get on stage you don’t have to think about it. So, I’d say our approach is to spend enough time in the practice room that when we get on stage we can be in the moment and know that the amount we studied the show will come through without having to force the direction of the jam just to do what they did. With that being said, we covered 12-6-97 at the Georgia Theatre per a request on our message board and knowing that it was somebody’s all time favorite show and that they were in the audience gave us the extra motivation to be as accurate as possible.
READ ON for more with Adam and Aaron of The Strange Design…
