Episode 22 - Stash with Scott Marks
We Move Through Stormy Weather is BACK!
For this episode, I am honoured and excited to be joined by Scott Marks! Scott has been part of the phish.net setlist team since 2009 and has been on the Board of Directors for The Mockingbird Foundation since 2015. From his Bizarchive account on Twitter, Scott provides live updates from Phish shows and Phish content in general to the masses. Join Scott and I as we dive into Stash, Phish in Mexico, the progression of their jamming through the 3.0 era, and more!
Listen now wherever you get your podcasts!
Ryan's Pick: 8/31/21 Shoreline
Scott's Pick: 7/2/97 Amsterdam
Read on below for my breakdowns of both jams!
All timings are per LivePhish.
7/2/97 Amsterdam
0:37 - Ambient intro begins
0:50 - Mike on some delay
1:03 - Trey joins in
1:12 - Fight bell
1:18 - Trey sets up siren loops, could be a later 1.0 Ghost intro
1:45 - Page doing some synth work
2:10 - Trey starts toying with Stash opening riff
2:32 - Page on some textural piano
2:38 - Wow Trey’s summer 97 tone is phenomenal
3:00 - Ambience fades and band drops into Stash
8:50 - Jam begins
8:58 - Page being assertive early as Trey solos in a relaxed motif
9:57 - Trey leads band into modulation, they don’t bite
10:16 - Still firmly planted in Stash, all four band members are trying to lead
11:15 - Trey starts repeating riff, Mike catches on and Page plays off it
11:32 - Fish keeps Stash hi-hat going while peppering in snare and tom hits
11:52 - Trey leading jam in a darker direction
12:04 - Fish goes to low toms
12:11 - Band is in full dissonance mode
12:58 - Dissonance continues to take over
13:15 - Fish keeping Stash hi-hat, anchoring the jam
13:40 - Trey seems to be moving in a more melodic direction
13:54 - Jon FISHMAN!!
14:25 - Crossroads moment - do they keep going or return to the song
14:39 - Trey seems to be taking it out
15:00 - Still mostly within the boundaries of the jam
15:10 - Fish is playing with incredible fluidity
15:47 - Zeppelin-like riff from Trey and Page
16:00 - Fish just adds to the tension
16:28 - Mike and Page continue ascending riff as Trey gets more insistent with his playing
17:35 - Fish still retaining Stash hi-hat
17:45 - Trey moves to a major key briefly
17:55 - Page now accentuating Trey
18:04 - Fish woodblocks
18:12 - Mike starts driving bass line
18:27 - Trey gets into major mode via arpeggios
18:45 - Kind of TMWSIY-like
19:21 - Jam would decidedly be Type II but Fish continues to hold on to Stash hi-hat
19:47 - Trey using heavy reverb as dreamlike space begins
20:50 - Fish has finally let go of Stash on hi-hat, he now creates a ton of space
21:23 - now that’s what I call fucking gorgeous
21:30 - Fish pushes forward as we engage full bliss mode
21:44 - Page’s piano work behind Trey’s laid-back soloing is phenomenal
22:27 - This is the good shit right here
22:50 - Trey focuses on longer sustained notes as Page really steps it up
23:44 - Intensity increases as band just rides the ray of sunlight they’ve created
23:56 - Mike plays in higher register, adds more melodic elements to jam
24:11 - Trey hits into classic-sounding solo
24:46 - Groove dissolves
24:51 - Trey on octave-up chirping as Mike transitions into bass solo
25:06 - Groove pulls back together, Trey looping chirps
25:24 - Jam quiets, sticks with gorgeous bliss progression
26:04 - Trey loops are very prevalent as Fish steadily keeps groove going
26:20 - Page playing off Trey very well
26:31 - Fish takes it way down, almost drops out completely
26:40 - Mike sounds like he’s playing finger style
26:55 - Major key groove gradually fades and leaves Mike with Trey’s loops
27:20 - Mike gets a bit dissonant with it, occasional splashes of piano
27:30 - Complete space out, just Trey loops
27:43 - Mike begins low rumbling, Fish creates texture on ride cymbal
28:13 - Angry cloud appears on the horizon
28:38 - Page moves over to Moog Source
28:50 - Trey sounds like a distant vehicle
29:00 - Serene robot drone space
29:25 - Page on watery scuzz
29:45 - Space gets angrier
30:05 - Trey increases intensity of drone
30:25 - Absolute craziness ensues
30:35 - Trey leads band into Llama aggressively
8/31/21 Shoreline
0:00 - Trey counts off song
2:10 - Page flub
5:20 - Trey solos as Page and Mike sing “maybe so, maybe not” for longer than usual
5:35 - Fish does galloping thing but on ride cymbal
6:01 - Trey immediately starts into repeating minor key lick, Page and Mike both catch on and make it more dissonant
6:09 - Trey turns on bass synth
6:15 - Trey hitting LOW notes as we begin to depart Stash
6:33 - Mike whipping up space with synthy tone
6:45 - Fish pushes tempo with galloping ride cymbal
7:00 - Trey seems like he COULD tease Tweezer
7:16 - Trey switches to envelope filter synth, jam gets darker
7:35 - Page resists the synths, stays on low end of piano
7:46 - Fish doing some triplet work, increases tension
7:58 - Trey getting really low
8:06 - Trey now on high register synth pedal
8:33 - Fish playing with incredible fluidity
8:50 - Jam still rooted in Stash thanks to Fish keeping hi-hat going
9:18 - Page gently brings in synth swells in Tweeprise-like progression
9:32 - Trey on regular guitar tone, soloing and building intensity
9:48 - Page back on dissonant piano
9:54 - Fish rhythmically hammering low tom
10:05 - Page bringing back synth swells
10:15 - Trey introduces modulation idea
10:21 - Brief moment of crazy delay
10:36 - Very busy space in jam but it works so well
10:43 - Page introduces some gentle wurli but doesn’t let go of piano
11:11 - Trey adds Leslie
11:23 - Page on Moog, very warbly tone
11:37 - Trey on thick Leslie-augmented playing
11:54 - Jam gradually descending into dark cavern
12:24 - Page leading on synth in tandem with Trey soloing
12:36 - Trey re-engages envelope filter on repeating riff
12:54 - Still has the Stash hi-hat if you listen closely
13:04 - Fish sounds like he has a percussionist with him
13:15 - Fuzzy synth chords from Page
13:45 - Trey dials the phone
13:52 - Machine noises ensue, Fish putting emphasis on cowbell
14:23 - Trey playing ascending and descending runs
15:20 - Space smoothly falls away as jam transitions back into quiet Stash space
15:43 - Fish doing some really cool percussion-oriented stuff
16:25 - Trey playing chords
16:32 - Ascending ladder delay from Trey
16:50 - Subtle background synths from Page
17:02 - Maybe so, maybe not!
17:14 - End song