Phish formed in Burlington, Vermont in 1983 — Trey Anastasio, Mike Gordon, Jon Fishman, and Page McConnell — and became the flagship of the post-Grateful Dead jam band world. A Live One (1995) captures what the fuss is about; Billy Breathes (1996) is the studio keeper. Dig into Phish vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Phish formed at the University of Vermont in Burlington in 1983 around Trey Anastasio, Mike Gordon, and Jon Fishman. Page McConnell joined as keyboardist in 1985, completing the classic four-member lineup that has remained the same across the band's multi-decade history. They are widely cited as one of the most important contemporary American jam bands, with influence from the Grateful Dead, Frank Zappa, and Caribbean and African musical traditions alongside contemporary rock and jazz influences. Their live touring activity - with improvisation, multi-night residencies, and elaborate holiday New Year's Eve and Halloween concerts - has established their cult following. The band went on hiatus from August 2000 to January 2003 and again from August 2004 to March 2009, returning to active touring since 2009. They have launched their own JEMP Records label (with archival live release programs alongside studio material) and have released multiple archival live concert series. Their foundational influence on the contemporary jam band scene is widely cited.
Phish's sound combines jam band, rock, progressive rock, jazz fusion, funk, alternative rock, country rock, and bluegrass with improvisational instrumental compositions across multi-decade career, virtuosic Anastasio guitar work, and varied compositional approaches drawing on classic Grateful Dead, Frank Zappa, and contemporary rock and jazz traditions.
Elektra Records and JEMP Records pressings of the Phish catalog have been issued in multiple color variant editions and limited deluxe pressings, with collector demand. The band's JEMP Records archival live release programs (LivePhish series, From the Archive series, Boxer's Bag series, and many others) have cult demand.
Listeners new to Phish typically start with A Live One (1995) or Billy Breathes (1996).
