2008

Ahh, Thanksgiving. A time for turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, bad football on the front lawn, drunk uncles falling down and of course, Phish.

[All photos via Phishpics.net]

Although there is no late fall run for the band again this year – we’ll have to wait until March for the band’s return to the stage – we’re taking a look back at the band’s Northeast Turkey Week run from November 2003 and picking out the best pieces of white meat from a group of shows that is general considered undercooked by most fans. The run started in Nassau the day after Thanksgiving and wrapped up in Boston with the band’s 20th Anniversary Show at the Fleet Center.

Maze – 12/2/03 Boston

One of the few times that Page seems to really be front and center on this run. Longer than your average Maze, this version seems to be infused with some extra venom. I never thought I’d walk away from the band’s 20th Anniversary show calling a Rift-era setlist staple a highlight, but in what turned out to be a pretty standard setlist, Maze provided the boldest and deepest improv of the night.

READ ON for four other highlights from the Phish 20th Anniversary Run…

Our pal Chad recently spoke with Widespread Panic’s Jimmy Herring about his terrific new solo album, Lifeboat, for Glide Magazine’s main site. The solo slinger reflects on why he decided

Click-here to test your luck at Gamehenge Trivia

Dan Auerbach is best known for being half of the Akron, OH blues-rock duo The Black Keys. The singer/guitarist, who sounds remarkably like Warren Haynes, seems to have found the

We’ve always been fans of the music and art blog, so we’re excited to welcome the site’s creator, Alex Borsody, to tell us about his experience at the 2008 Bear Creek Music and Arts Festival in Live Oak…

“When I pulled up to the campground [for the 2008 Bear Creek Music and Arts Festival] it seemed like every person I saw, whether a fan or musician, was someone I knew, that’s when a festival turns out to be more like a family reunion.” This paraphrased quote was spoken by Florida native JJ Grey of Mofro, and it sums up the general sentiment at the event. Nestled in the woods of the Spirit of Suwannee Music Resort in Live Oak, Florida, the harvest moon hung high over head as the spell of the season of the witch spread throughout the campground, like the spirit of music itself.

Being a bass player I have particular respect for funk. The creative rhythms created throughout the weekend played with negative space and the length of notes, creating catchy and danceable grooves, a rare and mysterious talent in music. One of the things separating an incredible player from the virtuoso is the ability to memorize and recall different patterns and melodies on cue. The skilled funk guitarists, organ players and drummers were equally exceptional. Some of the world’s best funk bands were in full effect this weekend, including the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Lettuce, Soulive, Papa Mali, Cadillac Jones and Dumpstaphunk. That many elite funk bands in one place is truly an uncommon occurrence. The soulful music complemented the crisp, fall air, awakening primordial emotions and creating a sentimental and celebratory environment for this harvest festival.

Those who arrived for the Thursday pre-show, got to catch live electronic music by Telepath, one of the only two electronica sets of the weekend, also a face melting, power drumming, climactic jam by Perpetual Groove. The Motet played with Kyle Hollingsworth, the keyboardist for the String Cheese Incident, foreshadowing the many collaborations to come.

READ ON for more of Alex’s Bear Creek Festival review…

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

Well…time for more popcorn, Red Vines, Raisinettes, and a refill of that 97-ounce soda. We take a break from our regular look at obscure films with another edition of Intermission, which means another look at a cinematic chestnut that may have been lauded or groundbreaking in the past, but has since been forgotten in history’s hourglass.

The art of making films does not always require human characters. We have seen the future, and life forms come in all different shapes, all manners of tricky invention spun and tweaked through months of computer-generated exotica into various tales—action/adventure, science fiction, fantasy, and the deluge of superhero-centric films. This week’s Hidden Flick was the first feature-length animated film, a unique gem of meticulously crafted silhouettes, and we tip our hat to The Adventures of Prince Achmed.

The tale comes from a classic, time-honored source—excerpts from The Story of Prince Ahmed and the Fairy Paribanou, found within 1001 Arabian Nights, and featured in Andrew Lang’s The Blue Fairy Book. Prince Achmed, Aladdin, a flying horse and the Witch of the Fiery Mountain face-off with a formidable foe, an evil African sorcerer, in order to win the heart of Princess Peri Banu who comes from an island filled with magic.

READ ON for more of this week’s Hidden Flick…