Trapped in Time

Trey Anastasio plays the Riviera Theatre in Chicago on Friday, February 19, 2010.

(via thebutterroom)

I received a press pass to shoot in front of the stage at last night’s Trey Anastasio show. I captured some incredible shots (this one being my favorite as you can see Trey bending a note with a huge smile on his face). I also shared a few words and a fist pump with Trey as I was leaving.

Today is the 7th anniversary since I saw Trey for the first time with Phish at Allstate Arena on 2.20.03.  Last night was about the 70th time I’ve seen him live, and I’ve never seen him healthier, more energetic or playing better than he has been the past few months. The guy is loving it again and I think this photo says as much.

Trey Anastasio Band - Show Of Life
February 8, 2010 - The Jefferson, Charlottesville, VA

Another collaboration between Trey and the Dude of Life, this one has Phish written all over it.  Excellent melody and excellent vocal harmonies.

Lyrics:

It’s no easy road
This struggle and strife 
We find ourselves in the show of life
What’s on the schedule 
What’s on your plan 
Do you ever ignore 
What you don’t understand

Don’t ask me cause I don’t know
I just fasten my seatbelt wherever I go

It’s been perfectly planned, it’s completely insane
It’s a revolving cast but it’s the same old game

Waves of people 
Come and they go
Shine for a while, 
It’s a marvelous show

It’s a limited time that we exist 
We slowly make our way into the mist

My thoughts are racing, 
I see faces 
Of the friends that I recall
I’d like to take this time, 
To thank you all!

Just as the blind imagine
What it is to have sight
We slowly take a stroll
Into the night

It’s no easy road
This struggle and strife

We find ourselves in the show of life!

In the show of life
In the show of life
(Find myself right here)

(via thebutterroom)

This is excellent!

thegrasshopperunit:

I understand he’s a bit loopy like 99% of the time, can’t sing worth shit, and I totally understand why 99% of people aren’t Phish fans… but the dude is one of the best guitar players alive! If you don’t believe me, search my tumblr for a song called “Chalkdust Torture.” Just trying to educate the youth on tumblr :)

Big Red is one in a million.  He’s a geek, and now a middle aged man, but he’s one of the most badass guitarists to ever grace a stage and there’s no denying his talent.

Divided Sky - Trey Anastasio & The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
5.21.09 -  Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, Baltimore, MD

Set I: The Divided Sky (electric guitar,strings), Brian and Robert (vocal, electric guitar, strings), The Inlaw Josie Wales (acoustic guitar, oboe, strings), Water In The Sky*, Pebbles and Marbles (electric guitar, orchestra), First Tube** (electric guitar, orchestra)

Set II: Time Turns Elastic (vocal, electric guitar, orchestra), Let Me Lie (vocal, electric guitar, strings), Guyute (electric guitar, orchestra)

E: If I Could (vocal, electric guitar, harp, strings)

Notes: *In Memory of Kristy Manning, dedicated to her surviving son Jason, **First time played

Last night Trey Anastasio performed his first public show since Phish’s triumphant return the first weekend of March and his first gig since the loss of his sister.  It can only be described as an incredibly moving and beautiful performance of a variety of Trey’s work as a composer and songwriter.

Picking up not only his acoustic guitar, Big Red tastefully used a comparatively subdued Languedoc to guide some of the most soaring moments of the evening, including this Divided Sky, First Tube, A My Friend/Guyute suite, and the East Coast debut of his composition, “Time Turns Elastic.”

Over the course of the night, Anastasio received five standing ovations, including at the end of the encore, which was surprisingly “If I Could,” a song that hasn’t been played since Phish’s 6.28.00 Holmdel, NJ show. However, the highlight of the night may have been a very touching version of Water In The Sky, dedicated to his sister, Kristy.  She passed away after a long battle with cancer, and her son Jason was in the audience.  Songs like Brian and Robert, Pebbles and Marbles, and Let Me Lie took on extra meaning.

The orchestra was on point all evening, playing some incredibly complex orchestral arrangements and following Trey’s lead when he went off on some exploratory tangents (especially on a powerful Pebbles & Marbles and First Tube).  Yet, this Divided Sky clocks in at over 15 minutes of purely composed music, every note maticulously chosen.

The night highlighted the new and invigorated Trey that we caught glimpses of at Hampton.  Emotional, concentrated, yet laid back and sharing the experience with his friends and family, Anastasio gave us a taste of what’s to come this summer: discipline to his craft, attention to detail, and only kindness and good intentions flowing from both his guitar and heart. This Divided Sky captures the essence of Anastasio’s talent, and almost tells his own story in a way he has yet to do, a theme that looks like it will continue to evolve over the summer.

Download The Entire Show: Part I | Part II

(via thebutterroom)

Even if you’ve never heard Phish or aren’t a Phish fan, I hope you give this a listen.  It’s a beautiful composition that always paints a beautiful picture in my head - usually of a cloudy, saturated sunset after a gentle afternoon rain.

Phish - “Fast Enough For You”
11.20.92 - Palace Theater, Albany, NY

On Wednesday, Phish.com reported the sad news that Trey’s sister, Kristy Manning, passed away after a long and courageous battle with cancer:

She was one of Phish’s first fans and biggest supporters. In recent years, Kristy helped form and lead Trey’s non-profit endeavor, The Seven Below Arts Initiative.

Kristy was a loving sister, mother, wife, daughter, friend, and a role model for all. Her positive attitude, strength of character and continued outpouring of love and support left a profound impact on everyone she knew. 

She will truly be missed.

The Butter Room sends its sincerest condolences to Kristy’s family, and particularly Trey. You’ve been through a lot over the past few years Big Red, but your friends, family, and devoted fans have and always will continue to stand beside you.  Stay strong, and know that we’ll be at be cheering you on 30 days from now as Phish’s first summer tour since 2003 kicks off.

(via thebutterroom)

Sweet Up And Down - Dave Matthews & Friends

A little cap to Phish Friday with a Phish side project, this one being Dave Matthews & Friends

thebutterroom:

Wading in the Velvet Sea - Trey Anastasio
7.6.08 - Double JJ Ranch, Rothbury, Michigan

trappedintime:

I took a moment from my day
wrapped it up in things you say
mailed it off to your address
you’ll get it pretty soon unless

the packaging begins to break
and all the points I tried to make
are tossed with thoughts into a bin
time leaks out my life leaks in

you won’t find moments in a box
and someone else will set your clocks
I took a moment from my day
wrapped it up in things you say
and mailed it off to you

Reblogging The Butter Room reblogging me, just because this song is worth reblogging.  Especially today.

Oysterhead - Mr. Oyesterhead

Les Claypool

Trey Anastasio

Stewart Copeland

Perfection.

Phish - “Divided Sky” (6.18.94 UIC Pavilion, Chicago, IL)

6.18.94 - UIC Pavilion, Chicago IL

Happy 44th Birthday, Trey Anastasio!  You’re one of - if not the - most talented rock guitarists of the past twenty five years, and a brilliant musical mind.  You wrote over 150 original songs for Phish and have brought joy and love to audiences in ways that only very few musicians have ever been able to experience.  There were moments where your music has transcended time and space, and took thousands of people to a place where not a thing in the world mattered, where all the worries and stresses of life were absent.

Your down to earth personality and dorky humor strike a chord within us all, and the 6+ hour set you led to bring in the new millenium is what many consider to be a peak moment in rock and roll history.  Like so many other guitar legends you have also fell victim to drug addiction.  However, unlike your hero Jimi you have survived, coming clean with yourself, your family, friends, and fans.

And like your name (Greek for resurrection) by many accounts are also on the verge of announcing a Spring 2009 comeback for Phish, with something to prove not only to those of us that have supported you through the bad times, but to yourself - that you still have the Jedi force within you.  We know it’s still there, and welcome its return.

This song is one of Trey’s favorite moments from Phish, and one of his most expressive moments as a guitarist in my opinion.  The last few minutes he just pours his soul out through his guitar.  Here’s how he described it to Charlie Rose in 2004:

“We were at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago. And we were playing “Divided Sky,” and we got down to this quiet part where it gets silent. And we were getting quieter and quieter, and then became silence. And I had my eyes closed, and I could feel the crowd, and I started to — because improvising is, you`re trying to translate the — what`s out there already, greater pattern of things. And sometimes it feels like it`s coming through the hole, and you couldn`t play a wrong note if you tried; you`re just floating.

And at that moment, you are in the middle of it, and I started to see those colors, like I`m not kidding, floating around there, and I realized that I could almost — it was silent, but I could see what we were translating. And as soon as I could see them, I started improvising, but I didn`t play anything. I did everything in the sense of improvisation, except for the actual notes, and as soon as I did it, the whole place erupted. It was like, whoa, and just tears started rolling down my face, and it was at that moment that I knew that it was truly bigger than me. It. You know what I mean? There were probably a lot of moments like that, but those two just come to mind. It was amazing.”

(via orangesunshine)

One of my favorite versions of my favorite songs by my favorite band and favorite guitarist all from… yes, my favorite city.  Happy Birthday Big Red!

Trey Anastasio - “Wading In The Velvet Sea”

Trey Anastasio & Mike Gordon - “Backwards Down The Number Line,” Rothbury Music Festival, July 6, 2008

The first of two new Phish songs Trey & Mike played over the weekend.  The lyrics are simple but really beautiful on a lot of levels.  I think it’s a beautiful sentiment that true friendship and love need not have an end as we get older, that you can build friendships and relationships that last a lifetime; keeping promises to yourself and to those you love is important.

It also holds another meaning in my mind: Phish fans were rabid about the number of shows they saw, that their show stats somehow reflected how much of a fan they were.  In many ways these super fanatical fans were too harsh and critical during some of the band’s toughest times, and really ruined the scene - as much as the wooks dealing hard drugs from show to show in some respect.  Starting from zero (the bottom of the number line) is what everyone needs, and the fans will decide how long Phish remains.

You decide what it contains
How long it goes, but this remains
the only rule is - it begins
happy, happy, oh my friend

And all my friends
come backwards down the number line

Trey Anastasio & Mike Gordon - “Alaska”