Videos   

Now this is meta.

San Francisco-based electronic / experimental artist Moldover, also know as “The Godfather of Controllerism,” just released his new album and the CD packaging really needs to be seen to believed. Thankfully, he's provided a video you can watch above.

As you'll see, it's not you're average jewel box, but a fully functioning musical instrument — not unlike a theremin — that you can use to create your own electronica at home or on the road.

This isn't the type of thing I'd normally feature on Jamtopia, and certainly not music I'd really want to listen to, but I got a huge kick out of the overall concept and hope you do too. And if you really dig it, you can buy one for $50 at Moldover.com.

Hat tip to the always insightful Lefsetz letter for bringing this to my attention.

P.S. Learn more about controllerism here and here.

Phish Hoses Hartford!

Tonight Phish played the first “Instant Classic” of their latest incarnation, a monster of a 2nd set at the security-laden Hartford Meadows (er, Comcast Theatre) in Hartford, CT.

While I wasn't there in person, I watched the show live on PhishTwit thanks to stream-legends Wigman and Joephus who collectively pulled perhaps the best stream yet — and thankfully on a night when it was most welcome.

Effectively two distinct parts bridged by Water In The Sky, the first half of the set featured Disease > Wilson > Slave followed by Piper. Then, not to be outdone, the second half of the set melted even more face with Ghost > Psycho Killer > Catapult > Icculus > YEM.

Oh, and that's not to mention a (narrationless) Forbin > Mockingbird in the 1st set. As they say in the Army, Hooah!

Watch the space above for the best videos I can find from the shows, and scroll down for Phish Hartford setlists, audio, reviews, and photos as they become available.

You might also want to hit PhishTwit for real-time Phish setlists and updates, plus streams, chat, and more.

Got something to say about Phish at Hartford? Post a comment.

Phish “Gel” at the Gorge

Hit “play” above for HD Phish Gorge videos.

Last night Phish kicked off a two-night stand at the Gorge in George, WA — returning to the majestic amphitheatre for the first time since a set of July 2003 shows I was fortunate enough to attend.

From the setlist to the seques, night one looks promising on paper, and the Twitter updates seem to suggest the same:

Another Majestic As Fuck bit of improv…
segues have been gellin'
— @YEMblog via Twitter

The Gorge shows mark the end of the West coast leg of Phish's Late Summer Tour, following 4 nights at Red Rocks and a stop at Shoreline. After this they're heading to my hometown of Chicago, then it's off to to the East coast for stops at Darien, Hartford, Merriweather, and SPAC.

Watch the space above for the best videos I can find from the shows, and scroll down for Phish Gorge setlists, audio, reviews, and photos as they become available.

You might also want to hit PhishTwit for real-time Phish setlists and updates, plus streams, chat, and more.

Got something to say about Phish at the Gorge? Post a comment.

Phish Return to Red Rocks

Hit “play” above for HD Phish Red Rocks videos.

Last night Phish played the fourth and final night of their four-night stand at Red Rocks in Morrison, CO — their first return to the spectacular venue since violence erupted outside a show there almost 13 years ago.

The Red Rocks shows also mark the beginning of Phish's Late Summer Tour which finds them hitting more classic venues including Shoreline, Gorge, Darien Lake, Hartford Meadows, Merriweather Post, and SPAC, plus a first-time stop at Toyota Park near Chicago mid-tour.

Watch the space above for the best videos I can find from the shows, and scroll down for Phish Red Rocks setlists, audio, reviews, and photos as they become available.

You might also want to hit PhishTwit for real-time Phish setlists and updates, plus streams, chat, and more.

Got something to say about Phish at Red Rocks? Post a comment.

Phish Rock Bonnaroo with the Boss!

Hit “play” above to watch Phish with Bruce Springsteen.

The 8th annual Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Machester, TN has just wrapped up. And though the festival was inspired by Phish's off-the-beaten-path-festivals, this year is the first time Phish played the festival.

On Friday Phish played three-hour set featuring a Highway to Hell bustout (first since 2/26/97) and later a YEM > Wilson > YEM sandwich to close the 2nd set at 2:15 am.

The band had Saturday off, but Fishman (in a suit) and David Grisman joined the Del McCoury Band at Bonaroo for three songs including Beauty of My Dreams.

On Sunday Phish closed the festival with a two set show. The obvious highlight — a sit-in by Bruce Springsteen during the 1st set for Mustang Sally (first since 8/05/88), Bobby Jean, and Glory Days.

My boyhood hero and still hero.
— Trey Anastasio introducing Bruce Springsteen

Overall the whole experience looked like a blast, and with the help of PhishTube, Joephus and Bonnaboobs, once again I almost feel like I was at the show. Thank you intrepid streamers. Total game-changer.

Read on for setlists, audio, reviews, photos and more from Phish at the 2009 Bonnaroo Festival.

Phish Take Jones Beach by Storm

Hit “play” above to watch HD Jones Beach videos.

Tonight Phish culminated their three-night stand at Jones Beach, and just four nights into the 2009 Summer Tour it's safe to say the Phish machine is kicking into gear.

Tuesday 6/2

On Tuesday, the first set featured a dark new tune entitled Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan, an ebbing and flowing Reba complete with whistling, and the bands first pass at If I Could since PNC 2000.

Set two highlights: an aggressive Mike's Groove, a spunky new number called Kill Devil Falls that seems to channel Chalkdust and Alabama Getaway at the same time, and a long, ambient Harry Hood capped off with a Loving Cup.

I got a blank space where my mind should be.
— Trey Anastasio, Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan

Night one also featured the triumphant return of WigMan, a charismatic fan with plenty of chutzpa, a jailbroken iPhone, and an external mic that allowed him to live broadcast a good chunk of the Phish Jones Beach show to the delight of fans worldwide.

It's impossible to explain the feeling when the broadcast went live and I found myself on PhishTwit watching Phish in real-time from over 800 miles away, streamed from some dude's phone with a mic powered by AAA batteries borrowed from a guy named Headlamp Derek. In Phish lore, this one's an Instant Classic.

It wasn’t just about the show. I liked this guy. I felt I had shared the experience with him. It didn’t go to commercial. It didn’t pan out on a huge crane over the crowd
— Benjamin Slayter via PSFK.com

But the good always seems to come with the bad, and when WigMan's leaky secret trended on Twitter with the phrase “PhishTube Broadcast,” it was quickly exploited by spammers who Tweeted links to spoof websites that served up a helping of bunk antivirus software.

Talk about raining on a parade.

Thursday 6/4

Speaking of rain, that was the forecast for night two at Jones Beach, but Phish didn't seem to mind at all.

On Thursday the band kept the pace set in the previous two shows of the tour, kicking off with Ghost and Antelope, delivering a beautiful Divided Sky, an excellent rendition of the new song Ocelot, a Japanese infused Meatstick, and ripping versions of Waste and Rock and Roll.

NOTE: Sorry for uber lame recap. Just listen to the show and you'll get the idea :)

Friday 6/5

So far so good here midway through the show Friday.

Word from folks at the show is that the rain isn't so bad, but the Buried Alive in the first set couldn't help but remind me of my wife's first show — 6/23/94 at the Phoenix Center — where it not only pissed rain all night but we missed nearly all of the Buried opener thanks to a single staircase leading up to the roof of the parking garage that was the venue.

Meanwhile the setlist tonight started off like it actually was the mid-90s, with Wilson, Buried, and Bag being played among the first four tunes. But the Kill Devil Falls in the 3rd slot probably had some folks feeling like they'd been transported all the way back to Tuesday.

Set two just kicked off with a strong Disease — or as @YEMblog put it so eloquently, “nastiness” — which moved nicely into Twist featuring an extended Oye Como Va jam.

From there it was Segue City as the band moved seamlessly from Twist into Piper into Backwards Down the Number Line into Free. Whew.

There must be something wrong with my source, because Free is followed by some sort of Trey Band vehicle called Twenty Years Later.

After that it's two beauties to end the set, 2001 and a beautiful rendition of Slave.

Stringing together a series of truly improvisational pieces for the first time this tour, Phish crushed their last set on Long Island.
— Mr. Miner, The Best Set Yet

All in all it seems like the band put on a great three nights at Jones Beach… inclement weather and all.

Scroll down for the complete recap: setlists, MP3s, FLACs, SBDs, streams, reviews, photos and more from Phish at Jones Beach.