Tonight, Phish front man Trey Anastasio continues his first-ever symphonic tour at Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh, where he’ll be backed by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. PSO staff has been trying to prepare Phish fans by providing an email filled with information about what they can expect at the venue in hopes the crowd won’t be as raucous as those who hooted and hollered at last Thursday’s tour opener. The DJs for Pittsburgh radio station WDVE’s morning show had fun with the email and interpreted it for “hippies.” Take a listen to this surprisingly hilarious segment…

Phish front man Trey Anastasio kicked off his first-ever orchestral tour at the Atlanta Symphony Hall last night backed by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Big Red worked through material which he’s performed at past orchestral shows over the past decade and a few newcomers to the symphonic repertoire in Goodbye Head, Stash and a cover of the Golden Slumbers > Carry That Weight > The End suite from The Beatles’ Abbey Road LP.

[via @TreyAnastasio]

A special moment came during If I Could when an audience member proposed to his girlfriend and she said yes. Anastasio dedicated YEM to them. Let Me Lie and Time Turns Elastic, both of which went un-played by Phish in 2011, were featured during last night’s show as well as the instrumental Inlaw Josie Wales – last played by Phish on October 6, 2000. Yesterday wasn’t the first time Trey tackled the Golden Slumbers > Carry That Weight > The End segment as he performed the entire Abbey Road B-Side twice in 2005 with his 70 Volt Parade outfit.

Here’s the Phish.net setlist (unconfirmed)…

Set 1: First Tube, Water in the Sky[1], Divided Sky[1], Brian and Robert[1], Goodbye Head, Guyute[2], Let Me Lie, Stash[1]

Set 2: Time Turns Elastic, If I Could[1], You Enjoy Myself

Encore: Golden Slumbers > Carry That Weight > The End, The Inlaw Josie Wales[1]

[1] Trey on acoustic.
[2] Trey first on acoustic, then electric guitar.
Notes: This performance featured Trey performing with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Scott Dunn conducting with orchestration by Don Hart.

Next up for Trey is a Valentine’s Day performance in Pittsburgh with the Pittsburgh Symphony. Head over to Honest Tune for photos from last night’s show.

HT fave Trey Anastasio begins his first-ever orchestral tour tonight in Atlanta. Back in December we presented a list of 10 songs HT EiC Scott Bernstein is hoping the Phish front man would perform with the symphonies, so we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to re-publish his list. Check out Phish.net’s brief history of Trey’s orchestral work for more.

Earlier this week Phish front man Trey Anastasio announced his first-ever orchestral tour, a four-show swing that is set to kick off on February 9 at the Atlanta Symphony Hall. Big Red isn’t a stranger to performing with symphonies and his two most recent orchestral gigs from 2009, May 21 with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and September 12 with the New York Philharmonic, have shown Trey’s willingness to dig deep into his solo and Phish repertoires for such events.

For this week’s B List I’ve prepared a list of ten songs I’d like to see Trey at one or many of the 2012 Winter Symphony Tour performances. Here’s what I came up with…

10. Dirt

Phish – Dirt

Considering how good of a job Anastasio and the symphonies did with If I Could at the 2009 gigs, a ballad is a fine fit for the orchestral setting. Dirt has plenty of room for the orchestras to work their magic behind Trey’s gentle vocals.

READ ON

In a profile of the chamber sextet yMusic that was published in today’s New York Times, it’s revealed that the group participated in a recording session with Trey Anastasio. Trey’s new solo album, expected this fall, also contains contributions from members of the National and Mates of State as well as Anastasio’s solo band. Noted producer Peter Katis is co-producing the album with Big Red, which was recorded at Katis’s Tarquin Studios in Bridgeport, Conn.

The big news of the weekend in our world was Phish frontman Trey Anastasio’s sit-in with The National at the Beacon Theatre in New York City on Friday night. When SPIN Magazine revealed that Big Red has been working with members of The National, as well as Mates of State and TAB, on his forthcoming, Peter Katis-produced solo album, rumors started to fly about Trey making a guest appearance at The National’s six-night Beacon Theatre run.

[Photo by Matt Wasserman]

The Upper West Side resident finally turned up at the local theater on Friday during The National’s penultimate Beacon Run performance to add guitar on Bloodbuzz Ohio from the group’s 2011 release High Violet, Squalor Victoria from 2007′s Boxer and Murder Me Rachael from Sad Songs From Dirty Lovers, the act’s first album with Katis behind the board, during the main set. Arcade Fire’s Richard Parry emerged during the encore for High Violet’s opening track, Terrible Love, along with Anastasio and the pair remained on stage for the Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks singalong that ended every show of The National’s residency.

A few clips of NationTrey showed up on YouTube yesterday, but today we came across a set of videos by TheGloaming09 containing the entire sit-in with the exception of Squalor Victoria. The video quality is far from perfect, but the audio gives us our best taste yet of Anastasio’s contributions. Trey adds texture to the verses of Bloodbuzz Ohio before displaying uncharacteristic restraint during a brief solo at the end of the song, while both Murder Me Rachael and Terrible Love feature more droning work from the Phish guitarist. All in all Trey honors the setting by playing fewer notes than the more typical shred-heavy style he shows off with his main projects.

Here’s a playlist containing Bloodbuzz Ohio, Murder Me Rachael, Terrible Love and Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks…

READ ON

As we first reported back in September, Phish front man Trey Anastasio enlisted producer Peter Katis to produce his next solo album. Details from recent recording sessions have emerged from a SPIN Magazine article published today. Anastasio has been commuting daily from his NYC home to Katis’s Bridgeport, Conn. compound to create what SPIN describes as “a mix between Anastasio’s eclectic, Afro-tinged rock and the kind of experimental indie pop produced by the Philistines Jr., Katis’ own recently reformed band.”

What’s particularly of interest from this new report is than in addition to using members of the current version of TAB, Big Red has enlisted members of the National and Mates of State to add the new sessions. Well Trey wanted to do something “totally out of left-field for him,” and from the sounds of things he’s accomplished that. No word on when we can expect to hear the fruits of this Katis/Anastasio collaboration. For more on Peter Katis, be sure to check out our Tracks of the Trade feature on the producer.

In February Phish front man Trey Anastasio will launch his first-ever orchestral tour, which kicks off on February 9 in Atlanta and also includes stops in Pittsburgh (2/14), Denver (2/28) and Los Angeles (3/10). Each performance will be conducted by Scott Dunn and is set to feature “classic Phish songs and solo Anastasio compositions,” according to a press release.

Big Red will be backed by a local orchestra at each of the tour’s four stops. Tickets will go on sale through Trey Ticketing Starting on Thursday, December 1 at 10AM EST. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Thursday, December 8, for Denver and Los Angeles, and Friday, December 9, for Atlanta and Pittsburgh.

TREY ANASTASIO WINTER SYMPHONY TOUR

Date City/State Venue Public On Sale Date

2/9 Atlanta, GA Atlanta Symphony Hall 12/9, 10:00 AM ET

With the Atlanta Symphony, Scott Dunn conducting

2/14 Pittsburgh, PA Heinz Hall 12/9, 9:00 AM ET

with the Pittsburgh Symphony, Scott Dunn conducting

2/28 Denver, CO Boettcher Concert Hall 12/8, 10:00 AM MT

with the Colorado Symphony, Scott Dunn conducting

3/10 Los Angeles, CA Walt Disney Concert Hall 12/8, 10:00 AM PT

with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Scott Dunn conducting

 

Watching Trey perform with the New York Philharmonic was one of the best Phish-related musical experiences I’ve ever had. I highly recommend catching one of these shows.

To update a story we first reported in September, Phish guitarist/vocalist Trey Anastasio has just entered the studio with acclaimed producer Peter Katis (Interpol, Fanfarlo, Frightened Rabbit) to work on a new solo album. According to Katis, Trey is setting out to do “something totally out of left-field for him.” While it isn’t clear yet whether this album, which is due out next year according to Katis’s management firm, will feature all of his current TAB septet, Natalie Cressman revealed on Twitter that she will be taking part in the sessions.

[Photo by Jeremy Smith]

This summer marked a high point for Phish’s improvisational prowess of late and the TAB run that concludes this weekend in Atlanta/Live Oak has blown away the septet’s last few tours, yet we haven’t seen much new material from Trey in 2011 and the Anastasio originals debuted in 2010 didn’t seem to catch on for the most part. We’re hoping this “out of left-field” session will mark a re-birth for Red’s writing the way this year’s tours have rejuvenated his guitar work. You can catch TAB at the TAB in Atlanta on Friday or headlining Bear Creek on Saturday. Meanwhile, Phish returns after a near four-month layoff at NYC’s Madison Square Garden on Dec. 28 – 31.

Photos: Jeremy Smith

Funny how often the best things in the world of Phish and the Trey Anastasio Band, affectionately known as TAB, simply go unnoticed. In chatting this past weekend with Hidden Track Editor extraordinaire, Scott Bernstein, about HT’s 5th Anniversary and the 1st of Postcards From Page Side, we were both scratching our heads on the lack of TAB coverage from this mini-tour that just wrapped up, making this week’s column a no-brainer as to what to cover. I caught one TAB show this tour, on the eve of my 31st Birthday, with a large crew of friends at Montclair, New Jersey’s Wellmont Theatre.

[All photos by Jeremy Smith]

While his last tour focused on one solo, acoustic set (the original template he began his also solo career/tour with in 1999), followed by an all out electric extravaganza, this tour was simply electric, with the full band and got right down to business. While TAB has morphed into various shapes and sizes over the past twelve years, the foundation has remained intact with bassist Tony Markellis and drummer Russ Lawton. Ray Paczkowski has also become a staple on the keys, while the horn section has been trimmed down the last few years, finally settling with and anchored by Jen Hartswick on trumpet and vocals, Russell Remington on tenor sax and flute and Natalie “Chainsaw” Cressman on trombone and vocals.

READ ON

Phish front man Trey Anastasio’s first foray into the world of Broadway takes a major step on April 27, when Hands on a Hardbody, a musical he wrote with Amanda Green and Doug Wright debuts at the La Jolla Playhouse in La Jolla, California.

[Photos by Aidan Schultz-Meyer]

Hands on a Hardbody, which is based on a 1997 documentary of the same name, will run through June 10. Tickets for the run are currently available for subscribers, who will also get ducats to two other productions at the venue. Phish has previously performed both My Problem Right There and Burn That Bridge, which according to banter from Trey at Terminal 5 in February are in Hands On A Hardbody.

The Trey Anastasio Band is currently in the middle of a brief fall tour of the East Coast and South. For the last TAB tour fans were given a glimpse inside the life on the road via the @treyanastasio Twitter account. It seemed that we were in for another tour filled with twitpics and updates from Trey when he tweeted on day two of the tour:

However, it’s been radio silence from the bad lieutenant ever since. Luckily, trombonist Natalie Cressman (@nataliecressman) is picking up where Trey left off, doing an admirable job of keeping the fans informed.

READ ON

On Linked In, a group of Grateful Dead-loving professionals have gotten together to start the Deadheads With Ties group to help network with each other. A recent topic on the group was “Do you feel that being a Deadhead is a problem in the corporate world?” As you can imagine, for some members of the group the answer was “yes.” Al Lewis has more.

Here’s six other stories of note this week…

• Randy Ray goes across Mickey Hart’s universe
• Apple fanboys did not think much of the iPod
• Rdio reveals a new tier-based free service
• R.E.M. offers the first-ever GIF album cover
• Coldplay to livestream an upcoming concert
• Bela Fleck and the Flecktones on Fallon – 11/14

Finally, last night Trey Anastasio debuted yet another new song at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium in Asheville, North Carolina. The song, co-written with longtime collaborator Tom Marshall, is called Frost and you can read all the lyrics at Trey.com. Here’s a look at last night’s setlist via Phish.net…

Set 1: Gotta Jibboo, Cayman Review, Small Axe, Push On ‘Til the Day, Burn That Bridge, Valentine,Frost[1], It Makes No Difference, Snake Head Thumb, The Devil Went Down to Georgia, Simple Twist Up Dave

Set 2: In the Wee Wee Hours, Alaska, Burlap Sack and Pumps, Clint Eastwood, Liquid Time, A Case of Ice and Snow, Magilla, Sand, The Way I Feel, Money, Love and Change, Show of Life

Encore: Drifting, First Tube

[1] Debut.

Notes: This show marked the debut of “Frost.”

On Saturday night at Higher Ground in South Burlington, Vermont, Trey Anastasio and his current septet took the stage for their first show of the season. While Phish has only debuted one new Anastasio song in 2011, Steam, Trey’s solo band unveiled two new songs at Higher Ground featuring a pair of the songwriters he’s worked most with over the years.

[Image via Here Comes The Flood]

Snake Head Thumb, a tune with lyrics penned by The Dude of Life, is a bluesy rocker that sounds like a mix of Way I Feel, Steam and Quantegy and gives Big Red plenty of chances to shred with a heavily overdriven tone.

Trey Anastasio – Snake Head Thumb

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Glacier, a song with lyrics penned by Tom Marshall, is a tender four-minute ballad that might eventually find a home on adult contemporary radio.

Trey Anastasio – Glacier

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Thanks to taper Chris Moore for recording TAB’s Higher Ground performance. You can download his recording at bt.etree.org or the “official” soundboard tracks at LivePhish.com.

UPDATE: Thanks to the commenter below, we see that LivePhish has changed the name of the Glacier track to “Winterqueen” though the sidebar still refers to the debut of Glacier.

Trey Anastasio’s first solo show of the season took place at Higher Ground in South Burlington, Vermont on Saturday night and as of press time no audience recordings have surfaced. Considering the benefit performance was held in the heart of Phish Country, the lack of an audience recording is very surprising. Thankfully Trey and Nugs.net have seized the opportunity to put an official recording up for sale through LivePhish.com.

While every Phish show since December 31, 2002 has been released through LivePhish.com, Trey shows aren’t a given. Performances from 2010 never made it to the portal and some TAB gigs from February weren’t released. That will change for this tour, as every planned Anastasio show, with the exception of his appearance at Bear Creek and a Tabernacle gig, is available for pre-order.

You can purchase and download the Higher Ground show in MP3, ALAC, FLAC and FLAC-HD formats. Now fans can hear Anastasio’s two new originals – Snake Head Thumb and Glacier – as well as a near 14-minute version of Sand and 10+ minute takes on Gotta Jibboo, Money Love and Change, Push On ‘Til The Day, Windora Bug and First Tube. Trey Tour continues on Thursday in Asheville, North Carolina.

Phish front man Trey Anastasio kicked off a six-week period in which his solo band will play ten shows scattered about the East Coast with a special Vermont Flood Recovery Benefit show at Higher Ground in South Burlington, Vermont on Saturday. While Phish only debuted one Trey-penned original in 2011 (Steam), his septet doubled that production in one night by unveiling two new tunes on Saturday night – Snake Head Thumb and Winter Queen.

TAB Playlist – Snake Head Thumb, Gotta Jibboo, Cayman Review, Drifting, Clint Eastwood, Show Of Life (Click To View)

Setlist…

Set 1: Cayman Review, Simple Twist Up Dave, Liquid Time, Gotta Jibboo, Snake Head Thumb[1],Burlap Sack and Pumps, Money, Love and Change, Magilla, The Devil Went Down to Georgia, Drifting

Set 2: Acting the Devil, Alaska, Clint Eastwood, Push On ‘Til the Day, Sand, Let Me Lie, Valentine,Winter Queen[1], Tuesday, Windora Bug, First Tube

Encore: Hey Ya!, Show of Life

[1] Debut.

Notes: This show was “A Vermont Flood Relief Benefit with Trey Anastasio Band.” “Snake Head Thumb” (name tentative) and “Winter Queen” (Anastasio/Marshall original) were both debuts.

[via Phish.net]

Other than the debuts, Saturday night’s setlist featured many classics from Big Red’s solo repertoire along with two of the covers TAB unveiled earlier this year in Outkast’s Hey Ya! and Clint Eastwood by Gorillaz. According to Brent Hallenbeck of the Burlington Free Press,  before introducing Snake Head Thumb Anastasio talked about his 8 Foot Florescent Tubes performance in 1998, which was the second concert ever held at the original venue in nearby Winooski, and said the next song would be a “13-year-long jam.” At one point, the crowd sang Happy Birthday to Trey, who turned 47 one day earlier.

Next up for TAB is a trip to the Carolinas for shows at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium in Asheville, North Carolina on Thursday evening and at the HOB Myrtle Beach in South Carolina on Friday night.