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.

9. Limb By Limb

Phish – Limb By Limb

I’d like to see Trey and any of these orchestras tackle one of the many Phish songs written in 6/8 and I can just imagine what a symphony’s percussion and woodwinds section could do with this Anastasio/Herman/Marshall original.

8. It’s Ice

Phish – It’s Ice

The structure of It’s Ice makes it a perfect candidate for the symphony tour and I think for this one, I’d rather hear the strings or woodwinds interpret the lyrics rather than have Trey sing along. Hopefully the ensemble find a creative way to take advantage of the “jam.” The last time Trey toyed with the arrangement for It’s Ice, the 70VP “metal” version, he did so with rather impressive results.

PAGE TWO = Chapeau Mauvais, Rift > Curtain With > Rift and Scents

[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…

The National w/ Trey Anastasio – Bloodbuzz Ohio, Murder Me Rachael, Terrible Love (w/ Richard Parry) and Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks (w/ Richard Parry and My Brightest Diamond)

Now we’ve seen how Anastasio’s guitar work fits in with The National’s music. Soon we hope to hear how The National, as well as Mates of State, fits in with Trey’s music.

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.

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.

[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.

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.

The show last Wednesday, October 12, at the Wellmont was just a great effort from the jump. It also helped that the Wellmont has a mini-Beacon Theater-esque vibe and feel, just on a smaller scale with a GA floor and one balcony with great sight lines. Basically, an intimate setting of approximately 2,000 people, even though it felt smaller to me. The other thing about TAB shows is that there is no pressure, everything is loosey-goosey, and Trey knows it. Everyone is there to see him shred, and boy did he ever on this night. In fact, each night of this tour was exactly like that. Trey’s playing was reckless, ferocious and fiery especially during the Burlap Sack & Pumps and Money, Love and Change opening duo and first set closing Push On ‘Til the Day, which per usual, saw the band lead the Wellmont into a dizzying explosion with full band interaction (complete with Trey spinning around in circles). All of these were signs that just left me aghast that I haven’t really seen any coverage or live recordings of this TAB tour pop up in the urgent and rabid manner that all Phish-related stuff usually does.

Also of note this entire tour, and especially during this show was simply how much fun Trey was having! Talkative, dancing like that lovable doofus we all know and even welcoming his two songwriting partners in the audience, Tom Marshall and Steve “The Dude of Life” Pollak were all signs of comfort, being close to home and a welcoming, fun vibe. Trey properly welcomed them by playing a song each had co-written with him: Pigtail by Marshall (debuted by Phish this past New Year’s run in Worcester), which is a very poppy and catchy number, in the vein of Burn That Bridge, and Snake Head Thumb by Pollak, which struck me as having a very bluesy, power feel, a la Hendrix, which really allowed Trey to attack his axe during the jam.

While the first frame offered perfect balance with some heavy hitter staples, and a mix of softer and poppier tunes, including a nice treat of The Band’s It Makes No Difference, the second-set saw most of the night’s best jams. Mr. Completely early on in the set was simply put, filthy. And I mean Pigpen from Peanuts, roll around in the mud, dir-taaaay. Trey unleashed on this in a manner that he seemingly does with ease during TAB shows lately and the entire band shook the earth to its very core during this number and the Plasma that followed. The same came be said for the Sand a little later on. Sand, along with songs like First Tube (the first song the original TAB trio of Trey, Markellis and Lawton wrote in ’99, as Trey reminded us this night again) are the true crux of this band, and have been since their inception. They allow for some of the most heart-pounding, boa-constrictor-wrap-yourself-around-you-and-smother-you type feeling grooves that allow layering over the top and room for Big Red to stretch his musical legs (and fingers).

TAB @ Wellmont Video Playlist by LazyLightning55

But hear me: regardless of what the band was playing, I simply couldn’t shake my ears off of the tone, fluidity and complete, reckless abandon that Trey was firing at those in the audience. And – he was enjoying every single second of it. Not that Trey doesn’t always seem to enjoy himself, but there’s some sort of X-Factor that he has been exuding as of late, and holds promise for the days of Trey, Phish and TAB going forward. Maybe it’s the fact that after a few years back on the road with all of his bands, settling into a family oriented lifestyle, writing a musical score and just reconnecting with old writing friends, Trey is gaining the confidence and chops that we all knew he had and popped up sporadically over the last few years. Overall, watch out going forward is what I’m saying. I can taste it. And that, after 18+ years of Phish and Phish side project shows, is a great feeling.

As for the remainder of the show, TAB crushed Liquid Time, a song I’d be very anxious and excited to hear Phish take on. As Phish.net tells us “Phish released Trey’s sparse acoustic flamenco version of “Liquid Time” on the Party Time bonus disk included in the Joy boxed set. Although they played the song with Trey on electric guitar during their soundchecks at Toyota Park (8/11/09) and Festival 8 (10/29/09), the song has yet to be performed by Phish for a live audience.” I fully expect that to change, as soon as this New Year’s run at Madison Square Garden. Toss in a four-song encore, including a reworked At The Gazebo, bluesy Ocelot (which sounds more Bob Dylan’s like Rainy Day Woman every time I hear it), an introspective Show of Life (also co-penned by The Dude of Life) as my 30th year wound down, and a raucous Black Dog with Hartswick’s vocals leading the way to ring in year 31 for me and you knew Trey would’ve played for hours more, if they let him. In short, the Wellmont show was a perfect snapshot of a night. Friends, family, TAB at the top of their game, with a heavy dose of Trey looking great, sounding better and more confident than ever, whilst smiling from ear to ear.

While this tour may have gone grossly under reviewed, I feel it stacks up there with some of the best TAB tours to date and I for one, can’t wait for New Year’s at Magical Square Garden.

Check out the rest of Jeremy Smith’s killer photos from Montclair…

[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.

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.

First show of the tour tonight at higher ground in Burlington,VT.

Saturday, October 1, 2011 6:40 pm via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@nataliecressman

Natalie Cressman

Just landed in Asheville, woo!

Wednesday, October 5, 2011 10:09 am via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@nataliecressman

Natalie Cressman

Hotel breakfast with jen :) then asheville shopping before soundcheck

Thursday, October 6, 2011 8:13 am via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@nataliecressman

Natalie Cressman

Asheville tonight at 7:30 with TAB, having so much fun with my TAB family :)

Thursday, October 6, 2011 5:07 pm via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@nataliecressman

Natalie Cressman

Beach day in October?!? I love my job

Friday, October 7, 2011 11:02 am via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@nataliecressman

Natalie Cressman

Woah there's a gator farm across the street! Gotta love south carolina. Playing tonight in Myrtle beach at the house of blues.

Friday, October 7, 2011 7:40 pm via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@nataliecressman

Natalie Cressman

Captain crunch French toast at blue moon cafe!!

Saturday, October 8, 2011 12:29 pm via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@nataliecressman

Natalie Cressman

Yummmm http://t.co/eBcvhtli

Saturday, October 8, 2011 1:33 pm via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@nataliecressman

Natalie Cressman

Livin it up in midtown! Kinda fun to stay in a hotel, even though my apartment's less than 100 blocks away :)

Monday, October 10, 2011 7:21 pm via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@nataliecressman

Natalie Cressman

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.”