We Move Through Stormy Weather Episode 19 - Seven Below with Brian Brinkman
For this episode of We Move Through Stormy Weather, I am delighted to be joined by Brian Brinkman of Osiris Media!
Brian brings a passion for storytelling and a deep knowledge of music to the Creative and Production Teams at Osiris Media. Following a decade in international higher education, focused on student advising and program development, Brian started the Beyond The Pond podcast in 2017, quickly growing the show in status through narrative development, social engagement, quality editing, and a unique understanding of rock history. Focused on unearthing the subtle aspects of a narrative, Brian oversees production for Undermine, 36 From The Vault, The Drop, The Ravine, Late Era, and HFPod On Tour. Brian holds a BA in European and Islamic History from The University of Montana.
Join us as we talk Seven Below, Phish’s modern-era hot streaks, and more now wherever you get your podcasts!
Read on below for my breakdowns of Seven Below from 2/20/03 and 12/31/18!
All timings are per LivePhish.
2/20/03 Rosemont
0:31 - Feedback-heavy and anthemic take on the melody
1:01 - Page delicately comping on piano
1:14 - Trey cannot sing sheesh
2:00 - Page plays with melody on Alesis Andromeda while Trey sustains feedback
2:56 - Jam starts, band immediately starts to move outside normal boundaries of song
3:15 - Trey letting Page lead
3:33 - Page plays repeating lick on piano to mellow jam before switching to clav
3:49 - Sparse funky feel
4:30 - Trey and Page both leading a major-key charge
4:45 - Mike playing some sweet arpeggios
5:01 - Page comping and soloing at same time
5:20 - Fish and Mike pushing for darker mood, Trey and Page resist
5:40 - Trey toys with main riff briefly
5:53 - Great descending run from Page as jam picks up steam
6:08 - Starts to get a bit darker
6:18 - Page playing aggressive piano chords
6:40 - Trey resists darkness and finds powerful lead riff
6:50 - Page tries to pull into darkness with distorted clav leads
7:25 - Page going OFF again
7:45 - Trey soloing on weaving pattern as Page switches to rhythm based playing
7:57 - Page adds in some organ
8:38 - Band in full peak mode
8:50 - Mike with some REALLY interesting fills
9:15 - PAGE!!Â
9:35 - Trey doing some darker stabs while Page continues to destroy the piano
10:03 - PEAK!!!
10:06 - Fish hammering trash can cymbal
10:33 - Peak fades and jam moves into quieter groove
10:52 - Page switches back to clav and gets funky
11:09 - Still feels kind of Type I
11:40 - Awesome funk develops
12:03 - Fish still steadily driving
12:10 - Mike’s bass line is still incredible
12:19 - Weird fast dissonant clav from Page - kind of like fall 97 Trey
12:55 - Crowd cheers
13:04 - Crowd cheers again
13:12 - Trey on minor chord vamp
13:20 - Page on clav and piano
13:35 - Trey leads into quarter-note repeating pattern
13:48 - Major-key progression pulled out of thin air by Trey
14:02 - Page still contrasting on clav
14:13 - Shimmering waves of piano
14:21 - Fish goes back into Seven Below beat
14:31 - Feels like the jam just restarted
14:39 - Fish abruptly goes on some crazy fills and emphasizes hi-hat in new beat
15:00 - Stank face
15:07 - Trey on funk vamp as Page solos
15:30 - Page hits Rhodes gently
15:45 - Trey playing lots of staccato notes
16:20 - Trey gets dark, Mike and Fish copy his riff
16:32 - Page laying down textures on Rhodes while Trey, Mike, and Fish are in sync
16:55 - Mike whips up some cosmic soup
17:40 - Trey noodling
17:50 - Trey attempts to start an emphasis on a beat
18:17 - It works and intensity increases
18:41 - Start/stop jam
18:54 - Trey starts feeding back
19:09 - Fish goes back into groove but it’s dissolving into 2.0 sludge
19:25 - Trey noodling again over droning noise
19:38 - Mike brings Seven Below back in as a lifeline
19:52 - Band returns to song cleanly
20:05 - Main melody
20:30 - They sing the song again
12/31/18 MSG
0:32 - Right on cue, Trey botches the melody
0:47 - Trey botches it again
1:02 - Trey’s voice is better than in 03, harmonies still aren’t suited to the band
1:55 - Page goes to Wurli for quieter melody section, is nice
2:10 - Fish making rain sounds?
2:40 - Jam begins, Trey on EHX key9 mallet effect
3:00 - Space groove vibe
3:10 - Nice gentle Wurli work from Page
3:22 - Page brings in Moog Voyager gently and yin/yangs it with the Wurli
3:39 - Alien synth bass sound
3:50 - Trey turns on Leslie and delay
4:04 - Choppy delay signals later part of jam
4:21 - Page and Trey dancing around each other
4:35 - This is awesome
5:00 - Fish on toms and snare, nice fills
5:12 - Space funk ending jam gets a brief minute here
5:24 - Heavily distorted octave down effect from Trey couples with space synth to take jam even further out
5:44 - It’s somehow still grounded in Seven Below though thanks to Fish
6:12 - Page switches to Rhodes as soup rises
6:30 - Jam finally begins to go Type II
6:37 - CS60 swell
6:48 - Rhodes swirls
7:00 - Trey cleanly pulls band into major modulationÂ
7:11 - Gentle Rhodes accompanies Trey’s gentle and melodic solo
7:29 - Mike is being thicc
7:44 - Fish adds lots of ride cymbal wash
7:55 - Trey sustains note as Page leads into gorgeous segment with Rhodes progression
8:10 - Trey goes back to soloing gently as jam picks up steam a bit
8:29 - Mike drops fat bomb
8:38 - Trey beautifully accompanying Page’s Rhodes playing
9:14 - Descending run from Page
9:22 - Trey amps up his soloing as jam goes closer to peak
9:40 - Mike swings in down low and jam drives forward
10:00 - Lots of whammy in Trey’s solo
10:15 - THAT RIGHT THERE PAGE YES
10:24 - Gorgeous, throw-your-hands-in-the-air jamming
10:37 - Trey comes down off the mountain and starts vamping, still major key
10:48 - Page goes to piano and briefly miscues shift in jam
11:05 - Picking up speed and intensity again as we go for full-blown peak
11:20 - Nobody soloing, just vibing
11:35 - Trey starts euphorically soloing again
12:00 - Jam shifts darker a bit with double hit emphasis
12:17 - Speed increases again as Fish pushes jam
12:30 - Coming around for one more pass at the big peak
12:56 - Trey bails on peak idea
13:01 - Page hits clav and Trey starts crazy delay shenanigans
13:06 - Mike starts being absolutely badass
13:22 - SPACE FUNK BABYYYYY
13:35 - MIKE SYNTH BASS
13:50 - WOOOOOOO BABY
14:06 - Clav and delay are just interacting in the coolest way
14:05 - Mike drops out, craziness
14:26 - Mike back in with more wild effects
14:25 - Underwater space?
15:07 - Trey on LeslieÂ
15:15 - Trey gooses some woos
15:28 - Trey peppers woo gaps with some delay
15:45 - Band plays in breaks and it’s awesome
15:58 - CLAV
16:06 - Fish breaks into half-time funk groove
16:26 - Sounds like Trey is about to segue into Steam
16:38 - Fish almost teases Time Loves a Hero
16:50 - Trey space delay
17:05 - Mike starts playing Time Loves a Hero
17:21 - Synth swells from Page and spacey effects from Trey mmm
17:39 - Trey > to Twist