2009

We’d like to welcome our friend Kevin Cassels to the Hidden Track team. Kevin was the editor-in-chief of The Pharmer’s Almanac: The Unofficial Guide to Phish, Vol. 6, released in 2000. He is also the former drummer and founder of Asheville-based rock band Mother Vinegar.

A sure fire way to test the knowledge of any Phish fan is to ask them about Trey Anastasio’s old friends from school and their contributions to Phish songs. Aside from Phish lyricist Tom Marshall, there’s Dave Abrahams, a childhood friend of Trey’s immortalized in the lyrics of McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters who co-wrote classics like Runaway Jim, Glide and Fast Enough for You.

There’s Steve Pollack, better known as The Dude of Life, author of Suzy Greenberg and lyricist of Fluffhead, Skippy the Wondermouse, Run Like an Antelope and more. Founding Phish guitarist and vocalist Jeff Holdsworth was the first band member Anastasio met upon his arrival at the University of Vermont in 1983, and the duo would go on to recruit Mike Gordon and Jon Fishman in the following weeks.

However, other than Holdsworth, no one in this group played a more central role in the formation of Phish than former percussionist Marc Daubert, an official member of Phish from September 1984 to February 1985. Like Holdsworth, Daubert’s songwriting contributions such as The Curtain and I Am Hydrogen remained in the Phish’s live repertoire throughout the band’s career. Today, the percussionist is now a guitarist and vocalist who has just released a new album of all original compositions entitled Parlor Tricks.

READ ON to find out why Marc Daubert left Phish, the meaning behind the lyrics to The Curtain, what Marc’s up to now and much much more…