A Picture Of Nectar

Life two months before our baby is born. Life on the road with our new baby.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

The Phish Companion

Today, I got my copy of "The Phish Companion." It is a very extensive book and is perfect for my searches for new shows. I have maybe 500 or 600, but there is always room for more. The book is laid out a lot like "Deadbase," which is a Grateful Dead compendium. The Phish book has lots more in it that looks very reader friendly. It is huge!

I have to make a playlist for the labor and birth of our son. Eliz does not want "Limb by Limb" or any songs that jam too hard. That is almost impossible to do. I mean, I can add "Waste" and "Strange Design" and maybe "Joy." But, I mean, come on, don't you think that a wicked jam could speed things up and make one feel joyous and open, like when you listen to it or when you are at a show. I have a lot of good ideas, but if you have some, let me know. I am open to suggestions. I think I am going to make it about 50 songs or so, only Phish. I mean, I could go outside the band and add a bunch of mellow stuff, but if it gets too much, we can always turn it off. We are using a mid-wife, so I am hoping that the birth goes very smoothly. Eli is kicking Eliz like crazy lately and he is moving around a lot. Last night, she was reading a magazine and you could see Eli kicking the magazine off of her stomach. That is awesome. Every time I try to take a video, nothing happens. She is big and it must be so uncomfortable. I cannot wait until he is born--it is so exciting.

One final thing, I ordered a "Lizards" shirt and a "Maze" hat off of a dude on Ebay. They look awesome. He has a ton of hats, including "Slave" and "Fluffhead." I am not sure if he has other shirts but he is giving away a free poster with every purchase. I have three Phish hats and love them all. I am psyched to get the new one. It looks awesome and it is a flex-fit, which is great. If you are interested and can't find the site, let me know. I think it is pompeiiprints. He is easy to deal with. Hope you are doing great. As always, thanks for reading.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Running


This is my brother, John. Today, I am writing about running because I want to give props to my brother, John, and my sister-in-law, Trish. They ran and completed the Kentucky Derby mini-marathon this morning. They are very active and truly enjoy working out together. Trish teaches aerobics classes a few times a week and they have a nice gym in their house. After the mini, John called me to tell me that he could not have gotten through without his iPod. At about the 6 mile mark, "Down With Disease" gave him an extra boost of energy. He kind of hit the wall at about the 10 mile mark, but then "Bouncing Around The Room" came on and it woke him up and gave him another jolt of energy. The last fifteen minutes of the race were filled with "Split Open And Melt," and he said that it melted him. I am really proud of both of them for running the race today. Running with music is so crucial. I never understood how people run without it. "Gotta Jibboo" is another awesome to run to. The beats and jams just fit running. Try it sometime. My friend Anthony told me about running to "Jibboo" and I tried it. It's great.

I have never been a consistent runner. Really, I have not been that consistent when it comes to working out or exercising. When I get the idea that I am going to start working out, I will get new shoes, some new clothes and prime my iPod with some of my favorite shows. I start out strong and work out every day. I like running and walking. I don't care much for weights or other kinds of aerobic exercises. I have to have music to run to. Before I started law school back in 2004, I had been running regularly for over a year. I was up to about 35-45 miles a week. I had a Precor treadmill in my living room and would get some ice water in a Nalgene bottle and my iPod and get to it. I usually watched TV, such as replays of Florida football games, Big Ten games, or other shows. Anything to keep me from thinking about the fact that I was running. Sometimes, I would get a big rush from it, but usually running did not really do much for me. I know that I had better energy during the day, but it always felt like a chore to run.

When I started law school, I became completely overwhelmed. One would think that rescheduling my life around the grueling work that is required would mean that I should keep up my running. At first, I tried hard. I would run 2 or 3 times a week, but I felt guilty because I was not studying. The rigors of law school were just too much for my running and cycling. I quit running within two months of school and have probably run about 25 miles total since 2004. I want to start again, but it just doesn't seem to work out. Maybe when I move, I can start running again.

Music is so essential to running. One of the best times I can remember running was when I was Chef/General Manager at a restaurant in town. At the end of our lunch shift, I would often take a lunch break and go running. One time, I began listening to the Dead at Merriweather Post Pavilion, 07-01-85. The SBD is totally crispy and the second set before drums is "Scarlet>Fire, Playin>Uncle John's" It is awesome. I started running and got so into the music that I completely forgot that I was even running. I ended up running over 13 miles. Music takes me to another place and when I run, it is no different. I become one with the song and just really feel the emotion in the song, whether it is Phish, the Dead, or even hip-hop.

Today, I can imagine that running would give me real stress release. I could feel free and forget about the issues of the day/week/month. I just can't get started for some reason. It never seems like I can do it. We even belong to one of the best gyms in the city and yet I do not exercise. Encouragement from others doesn't seem to help. One day, I know that I will get back to it.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Milk in Amsterdam

Okay, so I understand that people like to drink milk. I am not one of those people. I tend to prefer iced tea or diet A & W or diet sunkist. Those are just my flavors. My children used to drink chocolate milk like we had a brown cow. Between the two little kids, they would drink almost a half gallon a day. My wife is even worse. She drinks so much milk! I do the grocery shopping and having to buy 4 or 5 gallons of milk at a time is nuts. I often have to go back to the store for more. Eliz sees nothing wrong with it. As she is so close to having our baby, she drinks even more. She really likes it. In my drinking days, I never came close to drinking that much Newcastle. Enough of this rant about milk. I just find it funny that my family drinks so much milk and I don't care for it.

Eliz is getting really big and round. She looks great. It is so much fun lying in bed and rubbing her stomach and touching my son. I can feel his feet and hands. It is so wild. I mean, we all know of the experience, but when it happens to you, well it is different. I have been playing music for Eli in the womb. He has watched "The Clifford Ball" on my iPod and I try to play a mix of new stuff and the classics. He doesn't really react differently to certain songs, which I guess would be asking too much. He can tell my voice and recognizes my touch because when he is kicking like crazy, I put my hand on her stomach and Eli calms down. That is really cool as a soon to be dad.

We have gotten most of our tickets from Ticketmaster, etc. and are getting things worked out. We still need SPAC both nights and MPP1 pavilions. I hope we can get them soon, or at least before we leave. It is such an endeavor, trying to get it all together, packing and planning. But, before we can even do that, we have to pack for the hospital and for labor. We have Eli's outfit picked out already and have gotten most stuff together for the hospital. Then, we have to be packing to move into our new house before we leave for tour. It is quite nuts, and I guess that I can relax once we get on the road to Hartford. But with all that is going on now, I am really trying to put one foot in front of the other and hope that I don't fall.



So, I recently discovered and have been really enjoying the awesome recordings. One, of note, is 07.02.97 from Paradiso, Amsterdam. It is a strong show and has a great sound. One of the highlights is a tremendous "Weekapaug." It is a stand alone song, after an earlier set "Mike's > Simple." From the beginning notes, one can tell that this is going to be a unique Weekapaug. Cactus's bass intro in accompanied by Trey's jamming and some alternative drumming by Fishman. The song is so full of electricity that you just want to savor the moment. For all of its nearly 14 minutes, the song is just blissful. I am so sure that there are so many more gems that I have yet to discovered. I am not much of a fan of audience tapes because they tend to have a barrel sound to them and are often bass-full and not clean sounding. I wish there were more boards from the 94-00 era. Anyone with some good suggestions for a premiere Weekapaug, please comment. I think that the Clifford Ball Weekapaug is another one that transcends the song. Trey's guitar solos are just spot on and so tight.


Hope you are looking forward to a great weekend. I will try to post some too. One final note, we are taking our 4 and 7 year old daughters to see "Phish 3D" next weekend. They will have a blast, hopefully. I haven't read much about it and want to go in and be surprised at the entire project. Anyone else planning to see it?

Monday, April 19, 2010

Celebrate we will, Because life is short but sweet for certain






Today, I am going to talk about the Dave Matthews Band and how I became a fan and how that flame burned brightly until in began to dwindle and eventually went out. I am no longer a fan and not interested in seeing DMB perform, even if I was paid to see them. Maybe I would go see them if I could write the setlist and the band performed it. But that is never going to happen, so let me just tell you how it went down.

At Deer Creek in 1992, I went to see the Dead with an old friend. He lost his walet and wanted to go home. I offered to pay for everything. We ended up staying, but he was beside himself. I didn't have fun at the shows because the scene was full of beggars and people trying to sell ice-cold plastic bags. It was a joke. The younger fans didn't know any better and would yell during the band's jams or sing while the band was performing. I had not yet written off Phish. I went to see Phish a bunch in 1992 and 1993. I liked most of the songs, but some just seemed stupid. I remember that the Spin Doctors opened up for a few of their shows. I don't remember a lot about those shows, but remember that I had a good time. About 1993, my friend was regularly giving me Phish tapes and I still have a bunch of them today. What happened basically was that I didn't like the Phish fan base. They all seemed like "The Corduroy Kids," who were living on family money and trying to chase the scene. I gave up on Phish and stuck with the Dead. Well, that lasted until Jerry died in 1995. I was really disappointed at the way things went down with the Dead. I continued to listen to the music and I certainly had my favorite shows that I listened to over and over, first on tape, then on CD, finally on iPod.

I had never even heard of the DMB in 1995. A friend of mine gave me their first disc "Under The Table and Dreaming" and I listened to it often. I really liked it a lot and sought out some of their older music. I learned about the band and really liked their sound. I went to see them in 1996 and became hooked. They had a sound unlike any other that I had heard. I did not really notice the large allegiance of frat kids, nor did I care. The music made me happy. I started getting SBDs of old shows and of new shows. RCA was just beginning to crack down on SBDs, but allowed regular taping. I started seeing tons of DMB shows, including the Bela and DMB run in Winter 98. I was having a blast. The band began promoting its fan club, The Warehouse, and things began to run amuck. People were singing so loudly over the band, even from my 3rd row seats. There were fights in the parking lots and fights to get out of the venue. People seemed pushy. Meanwhile, the band's music began to change after "Crash" and it was not changing in a good way for me. I began noticing that the band was not playing its old stuff as much and began paying homage to its touring CD. They would play 8 songs off of their new CD at every show. On the years when there was no CD, it was better, but the band still played their newer stuff.

We began to see the same shows every year and would occasionally travel to other places to see the band, but mostly we were in a routine over the summer. It was great seeing Dave and Friends, which included Trey and Tim Reynolds. That was the jam!! But, by 2004, we were growing increasingly discontent with the overall shows. There were song highlights, but overall shows were not what they used to be. I tried to keep going and I did for many years, thinking that it was going to be different this year. It never was. So, I goty backstage and had a drink with Dave in 1999. By the time I had gotten ripped off by the Warehouse membership and then gotten my lame upper pavilion seats, I really didn't want to go that much. 2005-2007 were years that didn't do much for me. In 2008, the band invited Tim Reynolds on tour and it seemed like the band was stepping it up a notch, covering Neil Young and Pink Floyd, even The Talking Heads. So, I was very discontented by late 2008 when the band just didn't seem to do it for me. I had grown tired of them, plain and simple. Listening to a show from 1995 seemed like a foreign band because there was no chance that the band was going to take risks like it once did. So many songs annoyed me because either I had heard them too many times or because I didn't like watching people cuddle at shows. So, when Phish announced that it was doing a three run show at Hampton, I naturally decided to try to get tickets.

I got tickets. I went to the shows. I mingled with the crowd. I could feel the excitement each night. It was palpable the first night when the band came on stage. By the third night, I was sold on a new band. I could call this band home. They cared about how they sounded and they wanted to play old songs for their fans, even though they sprinkled in a new one or two. But "Backwards Down The Number Line" was such a great song and was so great to hear, that I didn't care if it was overplayed in 2009. Meanwhile, I went to a few DMB shows in 2009 and I had lost my feeling for the band. I could tell that they were good musicians, but their music had changed. It became background music for ABC College Football. The band had completely sold out. In all of my years, I saw 99 shows. I do not plan to see them for the 100th time. I just can't take it. There was a lot of good times with great friends at DMB shows, but I have moved on. I just had no spark left for them. When I compared the $90 that I paid for crappy seats to see DMB to the $50 that I paid to sit front row, or 3rd row closest to the stage to see Phish, there was no comparison. Even when Phish played songs that I didn't know, I still enjoyed myself because I knew that I was not going to hear several songs that I disliked and I knew that I was going to be blown away by Phish's in sync jamming and improvising. I am not comparing DMB to Phish and trying to say which is better. I am merely saying that I got totally burned out on DMB and feel like they were going in a different way than I was. They are still going that way. It is great if they want to just play new music and continue to evolve on their specific course, but I did not and do not want to go along. Without Phish, I would be looking for a band, like Umphrey's McGee. They are great, but are not Phish. I want to try The Disco Biscuits, but am very much immersed in Phish. I find that Phish touches many of those exploratory places that the Dead's early music touched and that Phish tries hard to give the fans what they want. I am all for a band that stays in touch with it fans--something not even the Dead did. Even when I listen to a fantastic "Scarlet>Fire," I still can't help but think about some of the awesome jams that Phish pulls out of the sky. They do not keep things safe by playing similar, but different, shows. They play totally different from one night to the next, always leaving fans wanting more.

Maybe you were a closet DMB fan or you just blew them off completely. Maybe you always thought the Dead were not your sort of thing. I can understand any one's point of view. I hope that you can understand mine. I chose to follow DMB and feel like it reached its peak and then just fizzled out. I rarely even listen to Dead shows anymore, and I have all of them, mostly SBDs. I have found a new band and am going to stay loyal until I have had enough--which I hope won't be for a long time.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

What is the central theme to this everlasting spoof?


Today was a day like many other weekend days. Eliz and I didn't do anything. We hung out while the kids played with the neighbors next door. One of the things about kids playing outside is that they regularly come back inside and check in with you. So, there really isn't free time away from your kids, but momentary lapses where the kids are not yelling inside. Lexi hit a boy with a wand from her bubbles and her older sister came running inside, trying to bust her and get her in trouble. I had to go outside and split up the party. The kids had to bring in their bikes and their bubbles. In front of me, Lizzie asked one of the neighborhood kids if she wanted to come over for dinner. With those bright blue eyes and cute little haircut, it was hard to tell the girl that tonight wouldn't work out. I think she is okay, but I probably hurt her feelings a little.

Life is a lot different now that I am married with kids. I used to get up early and go to the grocery on Sunday mornings and then either watch NFL Countdown on ESPN and then a day of NFL or I would catch up on homework or watch College Basketball. Lots of times I spent catching up on my music collection. At the time, I had about 750gb of hard drive space, so I downloaded lots of music and it took a lot of time to burn those onto CD's. I don't know about you, but CD's become very cumbersome. It is much better to have them all on a large external HD. I am waiting for a 5TB HD to come out and I am going to put everything onto it, getting rid of my CD's. Eliz isn't a big fan of all my CD's and Grateful Dead tapes that I cannot get rid of. Anyway, we sleep in late, Eliz makes a big breakfast for the family. Lately, we have been spending Sundays looking at houses and taking Lexi to birthday parties. One of the great things about having a contract on a house is that we don't have to look at houses any more. If there was just a little football on, things would be great.

Things just seem so routine on the weekends. On the other hand, when we do things like take the kids to King's Island, it ends up being crazy. They eat lots of sugar and get really wound up. They don't listen and run around all over. They are being kids. But, as uptight as I am about order, it doesn't make for such a fun time. They say that you are supposed to just act like a kid and have fun. I can't seem to do that very well. I admit that I am uptight and can't always let loose. When I listen to music or go to concerts, I have a different experience. I am able to relax and totally get into the music. One of the great things about Phish is that they really lay it down on different songs and even "filler" songs end up being standouts! Take, for example, "Undermind" from Knoxville on 06.09.10. The bass jam was so outstanding that I couldn't believe my ears. They took a decent song and tore it up. I told Eliz during "Undermind" that they were going to play "Mike's" next and I was right. You can be listening to "Ghost" from 12.31.09 and not even believe your ears. Granted, there were lots of shows and songs like this from the band's earlier days. But, they keep it coming. I wish that I could relax more. It is something that I have been struggling with for years, but music always seems to put me in a different mindset. I felt that way with Jerry's guitar, DMB's music, and now Phish. Tomorrow, I am going to discuss my experiences with the DMB and why I think I got so into them and why I am no longer a fan.

I am trying to post shorter, so please bear with me as I slim them down. There is just so much interest in trying to make my posts fun to read and to give some insight into my life. Thanks for reading! Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Tony

Friday, April 16, 2010

Once in a while you can get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look at it right




Here are pictures of Lexi and Lizzie. Lexi was 2 1/2 there and is 4 1/2 now. Lizzie was 5 and is 7 now. Lexi is the one with the corn. I think that picture epitomizes summer, unless you don't have kids and then maybe you would want something more beach or water-themed. It has been really hot here this week and I do not like hot weather. I prefer it to stay under 70 degrees. In Louisville, the summers get really hot and humid. It is too early to be sweating already. It makes for a long summer. I remember the hottest that I have ever been. It was at the Grateful Dead in Alpine Valley 1988. Wisconsin had one of its longest droughts in history and had record heat. We were sleeping in tents back then and it was almost 120 degrees in the tent. The temperature was insane. Sleeping was almost impossible. By the time I got to sleep, people were up and moving around. It was unbearable. The shows were good, although they played a lot of new stuff then, including one of my newer favorites, "Foolish Heart." Back then, shows were still fun and people were not selling things like ice-cold garbage bags and napkins. You were treated like family and if thirsty, someone would give you a cold one. Today, people are selling their ticket stubs from the night before. The scene has changed a lot.

I am not really ragging on things today, but just noticing the difference. I remember when shows were all general admission and people did not fight or save an entire section for their friends. It was way calmer. At Hampton, in 1985 and 1986, they used to play volleyball on the floor before shows. People looked out for each other and the recreationals were real. The hustlers were not paid much attention. The Dead, for all intents and purposes, were really done before I started getting into their music. I had a short introduction to them at summer camp in 1978, but didn't start seeing them until 1985. Jerry was way into H and the band suffered from it. Shows were predictable and rarely did the band take a lot of risks.

I remember my introduction to Phish clearly. A couple of my friends who went to UVA gave me a board from 11.15.91, Trax, in Charlottesville. I remember listening to it a lot, especially the "Mike's Song > Hydrogen > Weekapaug." I really liked it and began seeing the band whenever I could. All in all, I saw them about 25 times in 92-93. I also remember clearly making the decision that I could not like both bands because one occupied enough of my time and also because I was not really sure about the new Phishheads. The band's music was kind of weird and I didn't really get the jokes or the humor. I was never much into Monty Python and they had a sort of humor like that. My friends and I used to talk about how it was either the Dead or Phish, but not both. I sided with the Dead. I don't know why, but I thought it was a sound decision. I loved more Dead songs than I did Phish songs. Thinking back over it reminds me of a joke I once heard. How many Deadheads does it take to change a light bulb? A million, but they just follow it around, waiting for it to burn out.

Burn out is what the Dead did. They still had their moments, but had way too many go to songs and lazy moments. They did not challenge themselves and made excuses for it. So when I decided at Deer Creek 1992 that I had had enough, I quit going. To read about the destruction of the scene and the gate-jumpers really made me sick. Once America finds out about something good, it destroys it. Good things are rarely a secret. Okay, so you probably want to know why I am so optimistic about Phish and why I am using the same approach with them that burned me out on the Dead and on Dave Matthews Band. It is valid to assume that I will get sick of Phish, too. But, this is where things differ. Both the Dead and DMB stopped playing the songs that people want to hear. It was a rarity to hear "St. Stephen" and the band stopped playing "Lost Sailor" in 1986. They folded up most of their psychedelic music and traded it in for a more relaxed groove. Granted, there were moments of sublime jamming. Same with DMB. They totally stopped playing songs that made them famous. In the end, it sucked and still does. I would not see DMB if someone bought me a ticket.

Phish, on the other hand, plays the songs that people want to hear. Take Hampton, for example. When the band broke into the first few notes of "Fluffhead," it ended the drought of the song during Phish 2.0. The band brought back old songs, such as "Curtis Lowe." The band mixed that with new songs, most of which were decent. But for the most part, the band plays songs that people want to hear, such as those from "Lawn Boy" and "A Picture of Nectar" and older tunes. They are not afraid to take musical risks and practice to hone their musical skills. They care about how they sound and it shows. They mix things up most of the time. It is hard to predict what song is going to open the first set or what the encores might be. Of course, there are those of you who have seen them 300 or 400 times and might have a better idea than me. You are probably skeptical and pessimistic toward the band. You dislike some of their stuff. Granted, I am not a fan of "Ocelot." But, even then, you can't compare them to the Dead. I am not saying that I made a mistake by choosing the Dead. Not at all. I have almost every show that is available in SHN/FLAC of the Dead's. But I don't listen to them nearly as much. I have memorized certain jams and they feel old to me, sort of like my college fraternity brothers or playing beer pong. It is just not as much fun for me.

I hope that I don't get burned on "Punch" or "The Lizards" because then I may not have anything left to listen to. I guess that I could try The Disco Biscuits, but I think I have a lot left in me. I am always amazed at Phish's shows. There is typically at least a few songs that create magic and I have a lot of shows to listen to. That is the great thing about it. Things seem fresh and new to me. It is "an obsession but it's pleasin'." I like meeting new people and there are lots of people my age at shows and I have no problem talking to younger folks either. I cannot really believe that after I completely turned my back on Phish that here I am getting ready to take my newborn son and my wife to a bunch of shows and traveling the old-fashioned way--driving it. Although we are staying in hotels, maybe I won't shave every day or refuse to brush my teeth one night, just for old time's sake. I still haven't gotten completely obsessed, like I don't study Trey's equipment or know who his high school girlfriend was. He and my step brother went to TAFT together, around the same time. That is enough about the Dead and Phish for now.

Today, my wife is having a lot of contractions and pain. I am so helpless and don't know what to do for her. It is hard, because she is clearly in pain and uncomfortable, but doesn't need anything from me. I am here for her, though. I hope that she carries Eli to term and he doesn't come early. I want things to go just perfectly, and so far so good. We are going to have the baby, and then move before we hit the road. Our stuff will probably still be in boxes when we get back, but I will make sure to have broadband and cable before we leave. Essentials. That, and AC. It will be really hot by the time we get back. I tend to freeze the family out. They walk around in sweats during the summer. I can't take any more clothes off. I just get so hot. Anyway, I just hope that my wife starts feeling better soon. It is scary to think that she is carrying our baby in her womb and in like six weeks, we will have a son. I have been playing "The Clifford Ball" video (on my iPod) to him lately, because I know that he can hear it. He even kicks back at some songs more than others. I wonder if it is distracting and noisy or if he likes it. He responds to my touch and to my voice whenever I touch Eliz's stomach or talk to him.

In the next couple of weeks, I am going to put together a mix of 70 songs or something as go to playlist for the road. That should be a lot of fun. One last thing. I want to shout out to Kenny over at Ghetto-Fab Remasters, www.phishauds.com. He really gave me some good suggestions on how to get more readers and improve my audience. I appreciate the time he took to respond to me. I am hoping that I can get Mr. Miner to help me out a litle with his thoughts. His site is great-www.phishthoughts.com. I always enjoy his thoughtful prospective on Phish. Hope that all of you are having a great Friday night and have a great weekend. Remember that the NFL draft starts on April 22-24. I will for sure watch the first two rounds. Later.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Where do you go when the lights go out?




As promised, here is a photo of Eli. He has my ears and nose, can't you tell? Eliz didn't want me to post any of them because she didn't think they were as good as the last images. I don't care, I just know that US Magazine is going to pay us $250,000 for his first pictures. They were the highest bidder, so we will have to make sure that he is rocking a Rolex President and UGG booties. Seriously, can you believe all of the hoopla people make over baby photos? I just cannot believe that people care so much about how Angelina and Brad's babies look that People Magazine paid $15,000,000 for images of the twins. I mean, are you kidding me? One, I cannot imagine exploiting your children like that. Second, why would a magazine pay money like that for something so absurd. In return, People had to stop referring to them as "Brangelina." Get a life.

Tonight is going to be kind of short. We had a long day. We got the inspection done on our house and things look great, according to the inspector. We just have to get the sellers to either do the repairs or pay us for the repairs. So, we are all set to move forward. I really hope that the closing is done on May 18, as planned, and the people move out before June 1, as they promised. That way, we can move and start getting settled before Chicago. I really want Eliz to give me the green light to get tickets. The thing is that we are having a baby and that is our first priority. She is expecting around May 29-June 1. She needs time to heal and start recovering and we need time to bond with the baby before getting on the road. For all of you naysayers, I am sure that this sounds insane, but we are great parents and we will take all precautions with Eli. But, to be there for the opening night would be a blast. We went to Chicago last year and were in the second row. Although the first set was weak, the second set was great. It was fun, although a little disjointed. I definitely dug the "Carini" and the "Hood." At the show we met Jamie, a great guy from Nebraska. He was traveling solo and we hit it off right away. We ended up giving him a ride back to his hotel and I have been talking to him a lot since then. We are traveling with him on the Deer Creek > Alpine Valley trip. He is a lot more relaxed and not anxious like me. When everyone on Phantasy Tour ripped on me for talking about bringing Eli on tour with us, he was there defending me and telling me that there are wooks who probably leave their kids in the car, with the windows rolled up and with no bottle or food. Thanks for the support Jamie. His first show was Lincoln 10.21.95, with the "Tweezer Reprise" opener. That is a fun video to watch, even though the quality could be better.

What I want to talk about is Live Phish 10 from 06.22.94. More specifically, I want to bring attention to the Mike's Song>Simple tease>Catapult>Icculus>Simple>Mike's Song>Weekapaug. Cactus's bass on Weekapaug is a stand out. It is just one of those bass jamming Weekapaug's that gets me every time. I have listened to it on repeat about 6 times. It reminds me of everything that is right in the world. It is such an explosion of dopamine, unlike any anti-depressant I have ever taken. It makes me smile on a cloudy day! If you have never heard it or haven't listened to it in a while, check it out. If anyone has any other Weekapaug suggestions, please let me know. I personally think that the Weekapaug from Clifford Ball night one was some of Trey's best jamming of that song and he was totally in the zone.

If you cannot tell, I would like comments from you about my posts and about my blog, positive or negative. I have just started writing and I am trying to develop my writing style and make my posts worth reading. I want to hear from you. Peace.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

I'll show you mine if you show me yours

Today, we went to see our midwife and get another ultrasound. Eliz is 33 months and 4 days pregnant and our midwife told us that our baby Eli is really healthy, weighing about 5 lbs. 7 ounces and is doing well. They showed us how much his penis has grown. That was wild. I don't think that people realize how much of a miracle it is to have a baby, much less a healthy one. I know that before my wife got pregnant with my child, I really took it all for granted. I don't at all now. I feel so lucky to have a healthy child and can only hope that there are no genetic defects or birth defects that we don't know about. Many people are able to raise children with extreme defects, but I am not sure if I could do that. Do you think it is selfish to wish for a perfect baby? I don't think so. I cannot really believe that I am going to have a son in six weeks. It is so life-changing already and I haven't even begun.

Just a few years ago, I was in law school and completely immersed in it. I was Editor in Chief of the Law Review, had just gotten published, and was not thinking about whether to use cloth or disposable diapers or whether my wife was going to breastfeed or we were going to use formula. Things have changed so much in the last few years. I had no idea that I was going to get married, have an instant family, get my wife pregnant, buy a house while she is due.

One thing that Trey talked about regarding Hampton was that there was no longer the backstage scene--it was just family and that felt good. The band members had changed and the music allowed them to still connect and communicate. I know what he means. Children change you. Sometimes you can still get too deep into it that nothing will stop you, but when you step back and see all that you are destroying, it can be life-changing. I had already changed my life before I met Eliz, but there were many dark years where I had nothing to live for besides doing it one more day. People say that the Grateful Dead was all about drugs. I went to lots of shows completely straight. People say that Phish is all about drugs. But the band doesn't feel that way. I am not saying anything about my lifestyle, just that looking at my son on that monitor today felt unlike nothing I have felt before. Thanks for reading. Think I should post a picture of the ultrasound? I told Eliz she couldn't put it on Facebook, but a blog is different, more private and personal. Maybe I'll post one tomorrow.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Phish Summer Tour 2010


Hey, just wanted to send an RSS link to the Phish Tour this summer. http://phishtour.blogspot.com/2010/03/phish-summer-tour-2010.html. For all of us who tried to get tickets on April 2, you know that Merriweather was just a bust. Ticketfly.com has no business being in the ticket industry. The site shut down and was completely inefficient. Saratoga was a very hard ticket for me. I didn't get either night pavilion and don't want to sit on the lawn with our newborn. I am hoping that they will do a re-release of tickets. Ticketmaster is pretty predictable about releasing tickets. I will probably get some kick-ass tickets. I ended up pulling front row at Alpine one of the nights. Anyone who has extra SPAC pavilions or MPP1 pavilions, please let me know. I really want to have all of our tickets before we hit the road. Infants do not need a ticket. That is good, because he'll probably sleep through it, but certainly won't remember anything. I can't imagine that he'll be scarred by the shows. I got Eli excellent ear protection and Elizabeth has a Mayan Wrap to carry him. I will write more about our decision to take our newborn on tour with us later. I'm going to try to limit the wordiness of my posts, as you don't have all day to read them.

I never ever saw the Northern lights, but I finally got a house!

On Sunday, we put an offer in on a house. It got accepted yesterday! We are going to be homeowners. The house is awesome. It has two bedrooms upstairs and the master bedroom is on the first floor. We will have video and audio monitors for the kids. The house has a sweet basement and we plan to get a 47" TV to watch football, play Wii, and watch our favorite videos.Eliz is really happy about it, but I just see all of the work ahead. She is due around May 29, we are closing on May 18, taking possession of the house by June 1, and going out of town for two and a half weeks beginning on June 15. I just don't see how it is all going to get done. I hate moving. There is nothing worse than having to pack up all of your stuff into boxes. No matter how loud I turn up the tunes, nothing stops that noise in my head telling me what a bummer it is to have to move. Have you ever felt that way about moving? Maybe it is just me. I don't think so though. I will put up some pics of our house later this week after I go to the inspection.

I don't think that I have ever been so organized for our road trip as I am for this one. Today, I was at Target and bought 4 emergency rain ponchos that will fit perfectly in Eliz's purse. They cost $1.47 each. After last year at Deer Creek, I do not ever want to be unprepared for rain. That was insane. We had pavilions and were getting pelted with rain. Page came out and said they were going to clear the lawn for an hour and start up again at 1100pm. So, the lawn actually clears and then fills up like it was bursting at the seams by 1100pm. The set was, as we all know, epic. Watching the lightning shoot across the sky set the perfect backdrop for Trey's jamming. So, we get set to leave and it was raining like I have never seen before. We didn't have a long walk back to the car, but within 30 seconds, I was soaked. I had just gotten the new iPhone 3gs that day and had to turn it around in my pocket so that the screen was not facing the rain. My medications in my medicine case were soaked! I actually thought my license had melted. It was nuts. So, for $1.47 each, I bought four ponchos. I went online and looked at buying some glow sticks and glow things.

I would never prepare for shows like this at all. I would have cash and my ticket and go. But this year, we are going to travel in style. I am going to buy a new cooler and we are going to make our own food before shows and after. Lately, lot food hasn't been that great. I guess it will be full on this summer, but I guess that I am spoiled by Dead shows and the awesome Shakedown St. of food that one could buy. Falafels, veggie burritos, satay, stir fry, you name it. One good thing is that there are lots of drink choices to quench one's thirst. Having a lot of choices to drink is great when one needs a cold one. One thing I will not bring is coffee. At Hampton, I tried bringing my coffee from Java Brewing Company and my french press. I made it one night and didn't drink it because I didn't have all of the accompaniments. It is just easier going to Starbucks or some other overpriced coffee place. I have all of the hotel confirmations printed out, our directions, and am starting to get my tickets in. It is all in one folder, all ready for the road. Hell, I even booked my rooms for Deer Creek and Alpine. All of my people are staying in the same hotel. It will be a blast. I look forward to making new friends this summer, too.

One final thing. Yesterday, I listened to the remaster of 12.06.97. I was blown away! It really does it justice. Total jam. If only the band would make it a Live Phish release. I have to find a way to get a message to Kevin Shapiro to get on that!! If only. I am also listening to all of the Live Phish 1-20 releases., I am on number 10. I wish there was a way to listen to all of the music I wanted to in the short time I have. When I was younger, it just seemed like I had more time to listen to music. I had people over to listen to my tapes and then my discs. Now, something like that would never happen. My kids listen to Phish, so we don't listen to The Wiggles or Miley Cyrus. We listen to "Makisupa Policeman," "Prince Caspian," or "Punch," three of the kids favorites. I am just saying, I wish I knew why the days seem so much shorter now. But, in a couple of months, I will have moved into a new house, be loving my new son Eli, and be jamming to the familiar sounds of my favorite band, ever.

More later. Any thoughts on my blog or suggestions are welcome. I would like to hear from you. My blog is just starting and it will change and grow as time goes on. So, please let me know what you think.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Bicycles and 08.29.89

Today was the day that I think I officially became a dad. I put together a bike for my seven year old, Lizzie. She still wants the training wheels on it, but rides it like the wind. She takes that bike out and rides it just how she likes. It is a pink and white bike named "Twirl." Remember how great life was when little things like that used to make our day? She is so happy and proud of that bike. She gave me four hugs for putting it together. I really was happy. I was listening to 08.29.89 at Townsend Park. The Divided Sky > YEM > Possum is just dazzling. It is not nearly as polished as I like it, but the jamming and tweaking was definitely there. Having a few extra minutes in my car gives me a chance to listen to the nearly 1000 shows that I have on my ipod. I don't get the same chance to listen to music at home. Eliz just doesn't like listening to music that much, so my solace is in my car. I have about 50 or 60 shows on video and I watch those sometimes, but nothing is as great as The Clifford Ball. I have tried all of the other official releases and even the HQ recordings of 2009, but they all fall short. From the beginning Chalk Dust all the way to Amazing Grace, the first night is without compare.

Anyway, today we went through tons of baby clothes and sorted them out by age. My wife is totally nesting lately. We put a bid on a house today and so we are hoping that it goes through. Otherwise, we will stay in our rented gigantic house for a little longer. We found such cool baby stuff today. Yesterday, the pack n play came from Amazon, as did the video monitor. The pack and play is really awesome and it is pretty portable. Something we will definitely use on tour a lot. Granted, Eli will sleep with us while Eliz breast feeds, but we will give him some room in his own little bed. Oh, and we got our Merriweather tickets for Sunday in the mail today. It still burns me how that thing with Ticketfly.com went down, but I need tickets for Saturday. Ticketfly couldn't handle the pressure and the whole thing fell apart. It is totally lame and I have no idea how I could never even find the option to purchase tickets until an hour later--long after pavilions were gone.

I am getting psyched for the next few months. I can't wait for Eli to be born. I can't wait for tour. I just have to ask myself if it is best for Eli. I guess that I have thought about this a lot. It probably is not the smartest move, but I am not a bad parent because I want to see Phish. It will be much worse trying to take him anytime after this until he is at least 13. By then, the band might not even be together. I am not justifying this in saying that he will remember it or be better for it. I am not. There probably is nothing good that can come out of it. But, this blog is the outlet I will use to tell you of our tales on the road. As for today, I feel great. My wife is so beautiful pregnant and both my girls are very happy playing together. Now, maybe I will have to find my highend earphones to listen to some prime Phish tonight. Maybe she'll be in the mood to listen to a little "Halley's Comet" or even a classic "Disease." See ya soon!!

How we got here

After I graduated from college and went through the period where one is expected to get married, I was still willingly and happily single. Being single allowed me to see bands when I wanted to, go to the grocery when I wanted, clean my house (if I felt like it) when I wanted. Hell, I could watch reruns of football games on the Sunshine Channel if I wanted to. I had seen the Dead 160 times and was nearing 100 shows with DMB. I still don't get why I moved to them, but that is for another post.

So, I was living in Northern Kentucky, going to law school, and was outside the law library talking to someone. A day like any other. But today was different because I met her. We didn't talk for a week or so, but eventually we talked and things got serious, quickly. She had no taste in music and didn't care about music. She liked movies and had a real love for the silver screen. But, I mean, how can you not like music or have any taste in music? I don't get it. I tried to introduce her to all kinds of music, just to see if something stuck.

We fell in love and got married three years later. She has two kids from her previous marriage and I am very close with the kids. They call me "Daddy" and they are so young that they always remember me in their lives. I have turned them on to lots of music. They fall asleep to either Knoxville or Shoreline from last summer. Our 4 year old is begging me to take her to Deer Creek. I can't do it. It is unfair to her older sister, who would not do well at an outdoor concert, or any concert for that matter.

My wife and I got married in November 2009. Our song was "Waste" (Clifford Ball acoustic version) and not a lot of folks knew the song or understood why we chose it. But, in that moment, I felt like no one else was in the room. I was lost in her eyes and recollecting the ten or eleven times we had watched Clifford Ball. It was such a great show and the DVD really brings it alive. I wish the band would release the other ones they recorded. Anyway, this is the story of how we arrived at "Waste" as our song.

When the band announced that it was playing Hampton March 6, 7, 8, 2009, my friends and I ordered tickets. No one got them but me. My brother, who was my main travelling companion, and I were all set to go. He had to bail at the last minute because of work. I had no one to go with. I didn't think Eliz would like it, but she insisted that we would have a great time. I took her. She drove a lot of the way. We got down there and it was madness. People were doing anything to get a ticket. A girl offered someone $800 for a ticket and he said he wouldn't take it. We were down in about the third row on the first night. I had known a lot of Phish, but made the decision in 1993 that I was more into the Dead and gave up on Phish. I never understood some of their songs, like they were inside jokes and I was not in on it. Take "Weigh," for example, I don't like it. But, I had a renewed sense of vigor while driving down to Hampton. I had downloaded a bunch of stuff to listen to on our long car ride. But, still I didn't know all of their songs, nor could I predict them, like I used to do at Dead shows or DMB shows.

So, at the first note of "Fluffhead," I was in another dimension. I hadn't seen them since 1993 but seen TAB a number of times. The weekend of shows was like nothing I can remember. I stopped seeing the Dead in 1992 because the music lost its way and the scene sucked. Phish cared how they sounded. They were on fire all weekend. I got all of the jokes and the music filled up that void in me. I was hooked after "The Divided Sky." It didn't stop after Hampton either. Eliz told me that she had found a band and finally understood what I meant about music. She listened to shows in the car, asked the band's names, everything. We got tickets to shows and went to a lot. We had a blast.
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Eliz had been having double vision and mini-TIAs and we were really worried about her. She went to my family doctor and she recommended that Eliz get a bunch of tests and stop taking birth control. That was at the beginning of September. She was pregnant two weeks later. She was 28 and I was 44. This would be my first child. We had names already picked out if it was a girl or boy, but we had not planned this pregnancy so soon. Regardless, I was so excited, but I kept it to myself. I am kind of private about my feelings and I was so unsure about this. We couldn't wait to find out the sex of the baby. When we found out it was a boy, I must say that I was really happy. After all, the house had three girls already. As my wife grew, the baby began to kick more. She is convinced that he is going to be a kicker for the Michigan Wolverines and play for my Minnesota Vikings. No way, we are small nice Jewish guys. My family is not big. But, Elijah kicks like crazy. His middle name is Hendricks, which is my middle name also and is a long-standing family tradition for first-born on my mom's side. Elijah Hendricks. We will call him Eli.

Ok, so we know that a baby is going to forever change our lives. We know this. We are responsible parents and do everything to look out for our kids. My wife works hard at her job and I am taking care of the girls now, but that will soon change. Anyway, when we knew that our baby was due in late May, early June, we also knew that Summer Tour was going to be announced soon. It was my wife's idea to take the baby to shows with us. She will be on maternity leave and I am flexible. At first it was our little joke, but as time got closer, she was on board. We began to plan things and were unsure if we could do Chicago and Cleveland, but those are still options. We are starting at Hartford and going through Canadaigua. We looked into ear protection and got a Maya wrap to hold little Eli. People think we are nuts. I still haven't told my mom. She will have a tough time with it. I got in a lot of drug trouble with the Dead and she thinks concerts are a waste of money. We got Eli a "MELT" onesie from the Phish store and are going to watch out for him. I posted thoughts on Phantasy Tour and people ripped on me so bad that the post got taken down. You may have anger towards me or curiostty, or you may be interested in how we handle it. Who knows. I would just be honored if you read it. So, this is how we got here. I hope that I gave enough detail to explain the purpose of the blog and about myself and my family to make it interesting. I will tell more as things unfold. My oldest daughter is in 1st grade and my youngest is in pre-school. Oh, also we are looking to move before the end of June into a new house that we are buying but haven't found yet.

My posts will not be this long or self-indulgent, but I wanted to give some background. More later.