As with all things Sony, when they do something – they do it right! They’re kicking off the service with over 50 major and leading independent labels, all designed to provide consumers with an elegant, one-stop destination for CD’s, high quality MP3s (320 kbps), and lossless digital downloads (FLAC).

One of Sony’s boasting rights when it comes to Ariama is via their powerful search engine. Search and discovery tools are designed allow users to expand their current classical pallet. Extending beyond track, artist, title, or album filter options, Ariama’s tools also include composition, period, instrumentation, conductor, ensemble, and soloist.

“We are thrilled to announce the beta launch of Ariama.com,” said Thomas Hesse, President, Global Digital Business, US Sales, and Corporate Strategy, Sony Music Entertainment. “We think classical consumers are an important under-served segment of the music buying population, and we have designed Ariama as the answer for fans experiencing an increasingly difficult time finding compelling retail options for classical CDs and downloads. As a company that is home to one of the world’s richest classical music libraries, Sony Music understands the unique requirements of the classical music consumer, and we have tailored Ariama to meet them.”

My Ariama experience

As of today, Ariama is in beta, and still has a few kinks to be worked out. For example, I received a “Ooops, something’s broken,” message upon creating my account at Ariama, however, jumping back to the home page revealed that I was in fact logged in.

The search functionality is neat, but nothing groundbreaking. Yes, the have conductors, performers, orchestras’, etc. listed, but it’s really nothing more than a nice way of saying that they’ve categorized the items in their site nicely, read: tags. I do like how they’ve provided a bit of background for each artist, orchestra, work, etc. as it gives the end user a bit more knowledge about what they’re viewing – but wouldn’t they already be a halfway educated consumer? I.e, I’m not going to go looking for Steve Reich’s music, if I didn’t already know a bit about Steve Reich? With that said, I did learn from Ariama today that Reich played jazz on weekends while studying at Cornell.

The feature that I found most helpful was the “Recommendations” section. There’s obviously been a lot of listening going on at Sony, and while searching Herbert von Karajan, I am in complete concord with Ariama’s recommendations, as I believe his 1956 recording of Der Rosenkavalier to be one of his very best – so hats off to you Sony.

The one thing that I found missing from Ariama was a bit of social features. Again, Sony’s recommendations, at least with von Karajan and Reich were spot on, but if they’re touting the platform as a revolutionary new way for lovers of classical music to discover new works – why not let users tell other users’ about it? For example, when searching Eduard Elgar, Ariama does serve up the 1932 EMI recording of Elgar himself conducting his violin concerto and enigma variations, but doesn’t list it as a recommended recording. However – if there was a user to user connection, I’d love to see a note in there that points out that Sir Eduard Elgar was 75 years old at the time of recording, AND the violin concerto features a 16 year old Yehudi Menuhin.

All in all, I applaud Sony’s move to give classical it’s own platform, specifically targeted to classical music buffs. Now if they’d only give me a way to interact with all those other fans….

One final drawback that I saw to the service is the availability formats. While Ariama is keen to point out that they’re offering 320kbps MP3′s and FLAC lossless audio – as well as CD’s that usually ship within a day, the vast majority of the recordings I was interested were offered up sans MP3 or FLAC formats. In other words, what makes the service so convenient failed me on numerous occasions. If I’m hunting for the 1991 John Eliot Gardiner recording of Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem Op.45, I’d have to wait 24 hours before the CD ships. Then wait the 5-7 business days it would take to get to me (more like 2 weeks, as I live in Austria), and then spend the time ripping the file to a 320kbps file in iTunes – where I may or may not have to tag it myself.

With that said, I don’t want to be too hard on the fledgling music service, as there were plenty of other searches that I did where I could (and did) easily download a beautiful high quality MP3. In case you’re wondering, it’s the 1930′s recordings of Maestro Pablo Casals’ Bach Cello Suites. Go buy this. You’ll thank me.

And I can’t let this review in without mentioning the other classical music service on the block, Passionato, who’s been doing some really neat things since their launch in late 2008. Two competing classical music outlets you say? I don’t see anything wrong with it, so long as one has what the other doesn’t and vice-versa. Either way, at the end of the day both services are sure to provide a win for today’s digital downloading classical music lovers.

Both John Legend and The Roots were inspired by the 2008 Presidential election campaign and felt a need to throw their collective hats in the ring. Initially, the collaboration began as a single but quickly evolved into a series of singles that the two have strung together into a full album. As all the songs on the upcoming album were programmed as singles, each one covers the message of change, hope and activism – and not just for today or tomorrow, but rather for the duration, no matter what the political climate may be.

The end result is an 11 track album with gospel, rock, reggae, and hip-hop influences. Some standouts from the upcoming release include the not so oft hear “Wholly Holy” by Marvin Gaye, and “Little Ghetto Boy” by Donny Hathaway, as well as Baby Huey and the Babysitters’ “Hard Times” and “Hand on in There” by Mike James Kirkland.

“These songs sound so relevant now,” Legend says. “On most of them, you wouldn’t change a lyric. ‘Wake Up Everybody’ (the album’s first single, featuring contributions from Melanie Fiona and Common) has four verses — the first one is a general statement, the second is about education, third is about health care, and the fourth is about making a better environment. No editing needed.”

“When these songs were written, people were more spiritually in tune,” says Roots drummer/musical director Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson. “It was fresh from the civil rights era and there was a feeling of hope that maybe, yes, someday we will all be free. In 2010, not so much.”

And it’s not just a cover album. Wake Up! does feature one John Legend original, “Shine”, which will also be featured in Academy Award winning director Davis Guggenheim’s upcoming documentary Waiting for Superman.

John Legend is a six time Grammy winner, with all three of his albums hitting number one on the Billboard R&B charts.

The Roots are most currently visible as the house band on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, have released nine studio albums and are cited as one of the premier live instruments meet hip hop performers.

As is standard with most of today’s condenser microphones, frequency range is from 20hz – 20khz. Now here’s where things start to get interesting. According to Rode, the Signal-to-Noise ratio is 88 db. Which is quite odd, as the AKG has an S/N ratio of 78db and the AT2020 74db. However, when viewing the bar graphs inside my recording software, the Rode NT1-A had the closest to ‘flat’ of all three of the mics. In other words, on paper, it may not be the quietest, but when put to the eyes and ears, you can’t hear a thing (which, in this case, is good). The Rode NT1-A features no pad or roll-off switches, but achieves a maximum SPL of 137 db SPL, giving it the lowest range of the three microphones.

And while both the Audio Technica AT2020 and AKG Perception 220 feel like solid, if almost heavy, microphones, the Rode NT1-A goes the completely opposite route. Upon first unboxing of this microphone, I almost dropped it, as I was expecting something much heavier. It has the look and sound of a vintage tube mic, but definitely not the same feel. Likewise, the AKG comes with a solid (if only heavy plastic and foam padding) case, that makes just about anyone feel like a pro. Rode, while they do include a spider mount and pop-filter, there’s no case anywhere to be seen. Not even a decent, padded pouch (i.e. the Shure SM58 bank bag). At the end of the day, Rode gives you a fancy dust cover with a draw string. Fair enough, I don’t expect to be doing any ‘on-location’ work with this microphone, but a case would have gone a long way to making me fall 100% in love with this mic.

Overall conclusion

The Rode NT1-A is an outstanding mic for studio, voiceover and podcast work. It’s high on tone quality and vintage sound, while being light on the wallet, especially for what it is. It is the most expensive of the three microphones I’ve tested thus far, but when put head to head with the AKG Perception 220, you’re really going to have to dig in with a set of closed-ear headphones to really hear the difference. Conversely, if you’re using the Rode NT1-A solely as a spoken word/voiceover/podcast microphone, it’s outstanding. Of the three, the AKG seems most suited to functioning as an amped instrument’s recording microphone, as it has the highest SPL, while at the same time, requiring the most amount of incoming volume. The Rode does stand head and shoulders above the other two in the sensitivity department though. The AT2020 and P220 are very capable of picking up sounds in the desired sonic pattern, but both require the speaker to sometimes ‘swallow’ the mic to get an upfront feel, whereas the Rode presents this feeling naturally.

Rode NT1-A specifications:

• Power – P48 (48V), P24 (24V) phantom supply
• Acoustic Principle – Pressure gradient
• Directional Pattern – Cardioid
• Frequency range – 20 Hz – 20 kHz
• Output impedance – 100?
• Signal noise ratio – >88 dB SPL (A – weighted per IEC651)
• Equivalent noise – 5 dB SPL (A – weighted per IEC651)
• Maximum SPL – 137dB SPL (@ 1kHz, 1% THD into 1K? load)
• Maximum output voltage – +13.7dBu (@ 1kHz, 1% THD into 1K? load)
• Sensitivity – -32 dB re 1 Volt/Pascal (25 mV @ 94 dB SPL) +/- 2 dB @ 1kHz
• Weight – 326gm
• Dimensions – 190mmH x 50mmW x 50mmD

Uncompressed .wav files:

Spoken Word:
Rode NT1-A Spoken Word Uncompressed

Singing:
Rode NT1-A Singing Uncompressed

Guitar:
Rode NT1-A Guitar Uncompressed

I make no claims about my singing voice and paltry guitar skills.

The Crime

Matthew Chow, a member of the infamous “Rabid Neurosis”, or RNS as they were better known, has been found ‘not guilty’ by a jury of his peers. Chow was on trial for the charge of ‘conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement’. In other words…Digital Piracy Yarrrrrr!

According to the federal indictment, authorities claimed that RNS was the world’s largest music piracy ring. Between [at least]1999 and 2007, Chow and co-conspirators illegally uploaded thousands of copyright-protected music files, which were provided by music industry insiders. In 1996, RNS released their first file, Metallica’s Ride the Lightning (Yes, this WAS one of the bugs up Lars Ulrich’s ass), and finished their 11 year run with Fall Out Boy’s Infinity on High. The group’s most notable claim-to-piracy-fame was the early leak of Eminem’s Encore album.

Federal authorities charged Chow with one count of conspiracy to commit copyright infringement, which carries a maximum prison sentence of five years, and a $250,000 fine. Moreover, Chow could have been ordered to pay restitution to the RIAA, the only named victim in the crime.

“I am relieved by the jury’s verdict and I am grateful to my attorney for his hard work,” says Chow. Houston attorney Terry W. Yates, who represented Matthew Chow comments, “We encountered some extremely complex factual and legal issues in this case. The jury was very attentive during the trial. Their verdict was just.”

In total, six members of RNS were charged with offenses. Patrick L. Saunders was charged on Aug. 14th, 2009, and plead guilty. James A. Dockery was charged on Sept. 8th, 2009. Adil R. Cassim, Bennie Glover, Matthew D. Chow, and Edward L. Mohan were all charged on Sept. 9th, 2009. Only Chow and Cassim were found not guilty. The remaining four pled guilty to copyright infringement charges, three of which turned state’s evidence and testified for the government in the Houston trial.

Lessons learned

Sooooo…what can we learn from this? There’s a number of things (both right and wrong) going on in this mess. I often wonder Karlheinz Brandenburg had any idea how his work might effect the lives, carriers, criminal records, of thousands and thousands of individuals. My thoughts on piracy are this: Find me a computer in this world that doesn’t have at least one pirated line of code on it, and I’ll find you a box to ship it in, because it’s gotta be factory fresh.

I’m not saying that I support music or software piracy, but rather – accept that they are here, and rapidly becoming, if not already, ingrained in our daily lives. I think we all know by now that Musicians aren’t making any money from record sales. The upside to this new economy is that Musicians are making money the old fashioned way, by going out on the road, playing shows, and earning it.  In fact, there are a number of bands that have already embraced this philosophy, and have given away their music (think Coldplay, Radiohead, NIN), and let’s not forget about The Grateful Dead and Phish, who for years, have allowed legal taping and trading of their live performances.

Likewise, the video game industry has been (and will perhaps always be) fraught with disc pirates. The solution? One small company in Korea decided to start giving games away, and charging one small piece at a time. The result? Microtransactions and social gaming as we know them today.

The positive way to look at the entire RIAA and copyright laws, etc. is that yes, it’s going to happen. However, that doesn’t mean that innovation and competition can not drive a better mousetrap. In a way, we all owe pirates a debt of gratitude. In another way, I blame them for the $75 ticket price, and $0.99 for a digital sword.

Pirates. Yarrrrrrr!

Both microphones feature a 20 – 20k hz response, with the AKG just edging out the AT2020 in the signal-to-noise ration department. The AKG clocks in at 78db while the Audio Technica scores only 4 db lower at 74 db. When it comes to miking up some amps or percussion, the AT2020 is capable of handling 144 dB SPL, 1 kHz at 1% T.H.D. while the AKG P220 will handle 155 dB SPL, at .5% T.H.D. One unique advantage that the AKG has over the Audio Technica is it’s -20db pad. What this means is that users can simply flip a switch on the P220 if they’re going to be miking big amplifier cabinets, and don’t want to run the risk of distortion.

Another one of the AKG’s fancy switches will apply a bass roll-off filter. This is meant to filter out any unwanted low bass tones in your recording. For example, if used in a home studio, as I suspect many owners of the P220 do, in quiet passages, someone walking seemingly silent across the room, can sometimes register with a highly sensitive microphone such as the P220. To combat this, flip the roll-off switch and record low-end-rumble-free.

Overall, as you can see in the video above, I decided to go with the AKG. The Audio Technica AT2020 in it’s own right is a very strong microphone, and I would have no problems using it again. However, if given the choice, I just found the vocals to have a bit more sparkle on the high end, as well as some nice warm tones in the middle and lower end of my voice.  Also noteworthy, the Audio Technica ships as mic only, whereas the AKG included a nice matte-black spider shock mount, as well as an aluminum padded carrying case.  Certainly not deal breakers, but a further sign of AKG’s commitment to quality.

Overall conclusion

If you’ve got the extra $50 or so to spend, have a serious look at the AKG Perception 220 over the Audio Technica AT2020. Again, both good in their own right – but in my humble opinion, the AKG is a better piece of equipment.  And as an added bonus, I also know that I’m supporting my local economy, as AKG has their headquarters not very far away from where I live.

AKG Perception 220 specifications:

• Type 1″ Large Diaphragm True Condenser
• Polar pattern cardioid
• Frequency range 20 to 20,000 Hz
• Sensitivity 18 mV/Pa (-35 dBV)
• Max. SPL 135 dB/155 dB (0/-20 dB) for 0.5% THD
• Equivalent noise level 16 dB-A (IEC 60268-4)
• Signal/noise ratio (A-weighted) 78 dB
• Preattenuation pad 0 dB, -20 dB
• Bass filter 12 dB/octave at 300 Hz
• Impedance <200 ohms Recommended load impedance >=1000 ohms
• Powering <2 mA
• Power requirement 48 V phantom power to DIN/IEC
• Connector 3-pin XLR
• Finish metallic blue/nickel grille
• Dimensions 53 dia. x 165 mm (2.1 dia. x 6.5 in.)
• Net weight 525 g (18.5 oz.)
• Shipping weight 1,970 g (4.3 lb.)

Update! Uncompressed .wav files:

Spoken Word:
AKG P220 Spoken Word Uncompressed

Singing:
AKG P220 Singing Uncompressed

Guitar:
AKG P220 Guitar Uncompressed

I make no claims about my singing voice and paltry guitar skills.

And a bit more:

Up until now, the folks over at Phish.com have been playing a game with all of us, cleverly removing a state (or 5) at a time from a map of the U.S. until the final location was revealed.  There’s but much speculation over on the twitter airwaves, but to his credit, it looks like Grill_Meister eagle eyed this hotel deal in Palm Desert, California at the Hampton Inn and Suites.  Speculation has been circulating for a while that the band would land in Coachella for the late October holiday, but when California was removed from the map a few weeks ago, hopes were dashed.  Apparently, this was just a measure to throw fans off track.

So while it was fun while it lasted, it looks like we can all thank the folks over at Hampton Inn & Suites for this tasty heads up.  Thanks folks!

Here’s a brand spankin’ new dj mix for those of you that have requested.  Recorded in one shot, July 2nd between 5:08 and 6:08 pm, this gem runs the gamut from deep house, takes you a bit deeper close to the techno border, and lands you softly.  If this don’t make yo’ booty move, yo’ booty must be dead.  Enjoy!

You can also find previous mixes under the Audio tab.

Time Turns Elastic – Acoustic Barn Demo from Trey Anastasio on Vimeo.

This is, in a word, beautiful.  It gives me a new found respect for this work, and makes me want to listen again and again, not just to the words, but perhaps on an even geekier note, what tuning is he using?  Sounds like DADGAD, but I could be way off.

I’m not sure what is is about the amplified version that bugs me, but there’s something.  Maybe it seems almost a bit ‘overdone’?  Perhaps there’s just a bit too much going on.  I’m not 100% sure.  I’ve listened to both the upcoming studio version as well as the 4 other appearances the song made on the recent early summer tour, and I have to say, this acoustic version beats them all.  Hands down.

If you’re so inclined, as a point of comparison, here’s the studio version:

The Introduction:

I can remember it almost like it was yesterday, my next-door neighbor, Bob talking my mother into letting me head up to Burlington with him and his friend Casey to go to a concert.  Needless to say, Bob failed to mention that this concert was going to take place in a tiny little bar that went (and still goes by to this day) by the name of Nectar’s.  Now I’m not entirely certain if Bob didn’t know someone at the door, bribed someone to get me in, or if things were just a bit looser in Burlington in those days, but I do remember being the youngest person there.  The way Phish had been explained to me was as a Grateful Dead cover band.  I’d started toying with the dead at around age 12, with Bob giving me a couple of great tapes (back in the days of tapers trading tapes by mail), one from Buffalo, the other from the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco.  I guess Bob and Casey thought it was time for their young protégé to experience something close to the Dead live and in person, specifically by these up and comers hailing from Vermont.  I can’t even tell you what originals they played that night, but that was the first time I’d heard “Fire on the Mountain” performed live, as well as Jimi Hendrix’s seminal classic “Fire”.  I can remember that these four guys didn’t look particularly ‘star-like’, nor could they really sing all that well, but man o’ man, when it came time for the solos or pure instrumentals, these guys were truly dialed in.

The Past:

Some 20 years later I still listen to Cactus (Gordon – Bass), Leo (McConnell – Keyboards), Henrietta (Fishman – Percussion) and Wilson (Anastasio – Guitar) on a regular basis.  I normally set iTunes to shuffle while I’m working, and given my massive collection of their live works, it’s guaranteed that I’ll hear at least a song or four of theirs per day.  These guys have been with me through some of the most major parts of my life, Chalk Dust Torture highlighting my high school graduation day, Down With Disease summing up most of my college experience, and so on.  Halloween 1994 will always be remembered as one of the greatest nights of my life, when Phish played their annual Halloween show in my home town, and my friend Carl and I managed to get a giant spider that we’d brought with us up on stage after the first set, with Jon Fishman placing it on top of his bass drum for the rest of the entire show, and yes…that was the classic White Album show.

The Experience:

So when I was recently asked to pick two phish songs to demonstrate the band as a whole, you can imagine what a challenge this was.  I’ll fully admit, I cannot do it.  To me, Phish is not just about the music, but it was/is the entire experience.  The packing it up in the car on Friday afternoon after class, and truckin’ all night to make it to the next gig, the meeting up with other road mates in the ‘lot and catching up, meeting new friends, making new experiences, etc.  If you weren’t lucky enough to have a ticket – sometimes that didn’t really matter, as the parking lot experience could be an entire experience unto itself.  And then there was that amazing individual that had your ‘miracle’.  Stemming from the Grateful Dead song “I need a miracle”, a miracle came from that person that had purchased an extra ticket to give to someone who didn’t have one at the show.  I’ve been miracled about 12-15 times, and when I had some extra cash, or had pre-ordered tickets, I’d do my best to miracle a brother or sister in need of a good show.  Inside the venue, once the lights went down, for the next 2+ hours, you can be sure of only one thing: anything goes.  I’ve been witness to watching the band arrive onstage via a giant hotdog that flew over the crowd.  I’ve watched Jon Fishman dressed as baby new year, about 30 feet off the stage on a fly in, tossing glitter and confetti on the crowd.  And let me just say, in my humble opinion, Phish has some of the best sound and lighting setups of any live touring band I’ve ever seen.

The Music:

So if I choose to solely look at this challenge from just an aural point of view, 2 songs still remains an impossible feat.  Instead, I’ve decided to break it down into 5 parts: Fast, Medium, and Slow and Live and Studio.  The choices in tempos should be self evident, but the decision to give live and studio examples is something that’s very near and dear to me.  I really feel like there are two very distinct ways of listening to Phish: what the record company wants the band to record in order to sell albums, and what the band wants to play in order to bring the audience along for the ride.

Fast – Chalk Dust Torture

As mentioned above, this song has a particularly strong place in my heart, simply for the lyric, “Can’t I live while I’m young?”  Chalk Dust is a prime example of what Phish does like no other band: take a relatively simple chord progression and twist it into something truly remarkable.  The studio version, featured on 1992’s “A Picture of Nectar” (and yes, the Nectar does refer to Nectar’s bar) clocks in a 4:32, and features a relatively slow ‘fast’ tempo, with only a minor guitar solo.  To me, it also sounds like the Elektra records producers put some type of effect, or even slowed the tape down on Trey’s vocals, making him sound like he’s singing in slow motion.  Again, remember, this was my first introduction to this song and I really dug it.

Now let’s fast forward a few years to 1994’s live (and summer tour ending) version played on July 16th, at the Sugarbush Summerstage, in the band’s home state of Vermont.  The tempo differences between the studio version and live version are instantly apparent, and to me, this one just ‘drives’ a whole lot better.  It doesn’t sound as though the increased tempo is giving the band any problems at all, and as a matter of fact, both Trey’s solo, and mike funky bass line sound even better at this more appropriate tempo.  You’ll also note that this version now clocks in at 9:28, a marked difference from the studio version.  While 1994 is 10 full years into Phish’ career together, Trey’s guitar solo, particularly around the 4:24 mark indicate a technique that he’ll be developing over the next few years, using a boomerang unit to set up loops and accompany himself.  But again, that’s still a few years down the road.  This version also features something about the band that I’ve always liked, they don’t try to hide or mask their involvement with each other.  If you listen closely here, you can hear Trey giving direction to the band, and calling out changes; “Hup…yeah” and “one more round” are often things he’d say very close to the microphones, almost letting us the listeners in on what’s going on between the players on stage.

Medium – You Enjoy Myself

You Enjoy Myself, or YEM as it’s sometimes known, is one of Phish’s most musically intricate pieces.  Starting off in Bb major, this piece weaves it’s way through various both key and metric changes.  Coming from their first professional studio recording, and third official album, You Enjoy Myself features just 4 comprehensible words, “Boy”, “Man”, “God”, and “Shit”.  The ‘other’ lyrics in the song were a subject of debate for many years, until it was finally revealed in a Guitar World issue that the actual lyrics were “Wash Uffizi, drive me to Firenze.”  YEM currently holds the record of the most frequently played song by the band, being performed at 39% of their 1,183 shows (not including the most recent Hampton Shows, and this evenings Spring Tour opener in Boston, MA).  Keyboardist Page McConnell admitted to Ted Koppel on an installment of Nightline that You Enjoy Myself is his favorite Phish song.  As with Chalk Dust Torture, the studio version is markedly slower that most, if not all live versions.  Note that even in the studio recording, Trey misses a few notes here and there, but in true Phish style, no apologies are made, as if these missed notes are actually meant to be part of the style.

Given the vast amounts of versions of this song I have, it truly was a challenge to nail down a live example.  I chose the Madison Square Garden New Years Eve 1995 show (yes, I was there), as it’s a prime example of how the band is able to expand a 9:50 album version into a massive 25:37 live version.  YEM also features a staple of Phish’s performances, employing both guitarist and lead singer Trey Anastasio and Bassist Mike Gordon jumping on trampolines in sync together.  While this was not the first version of YEM that I’d ever heard live, at around the 2-minute mark, you can only imagine what the lighting director Chris Kuroda was doing with this spacey, nirvana-esque sequence.  Now try to picture that in Madison Square Garden on New Years Eve.  Right.  Truly mind-boggling.  At around 4:12, we receive the first introduction to the metric changes that happen throughout the song.  I only wish my skills were strong enough to figure these out, but I believe there’s a 4/4 to 6/8 to 5/4 to 6/8 something something happening there (any theory geeks want to help me out here?).  Either way, not something you see any other band do every day, and live on stage in front of some 20,000+ people.

Slow – Wading in the Velvet Sea

Wading in the Velvet Sea comes from 1998’s “Story of the Ghost” album, and is traditionally performed live at or about the same tempo as the album version.  To me, this also signifies an earmark of the band’s development and maturity.  In other words, while the record company wants short songs that can sell records, by this point they’ve been able to slim down live versions, and capture most, if not all of the essential parts and fit them into a 4:29 release.  On the studio version, you’ll hear part of Trey’s technique that I mentioned earlier, the looping covering the beginning of the song, a carry over from the previous track, “Roggae”.  Featuring a simple, beautiful and even hunting piano intro, this is one of Phish’s truly gorgeous, melodic, and moving songs.  The meaning can be left open to interpretation, but to me, it’s all about loss. Wading in the Velvet Sea also holds the distinction of getting Page McConnell so choked up at the band’s fair well show in 2004 (Coventry), that Trey had to step in and mention just how emotional this show was for all of them.  Again, by 1998, the band had really gotten to the point of nailing studio versions down so there’s not really much to say here.

Now the reason that I chose to highlight Wading in the Velvet Sea as a great ‘slow’ Phish tune centers around this live version.  Recorded September 4th 1999 show in Boise, Idaho (sadly, I was not there, but Elisa was, and she tells me that yes…it really was that good).  To me, Trey’s guitar solo on this version is simply gorgeous.  Melodic, lyrical, sustained, complex, and simple at the same time; its all there.  While Page and Mike carry on with the repetition of “I’ve been Wading in the Velvet Sea” Trey starts noodeling a simple melody that comes to fruition when the lyrics drop out.  Just listen to those beautiful sustained notes around the 3:45 mark.  Mike on Bass and Jon on drums are perfectly locked in sync here, with Page doing a simple accompaniment.  To me…this is one of the finest examples of the band’s unity.

And there we have it.  Please keep in mind that these three songs should not be taken as ‘THE’ definitive Phish works, but rather, a short sampling of the range that this quartet have produced over the years, a beginners primer, if you will.

Welcome Home:

I was certainly sad to see the curtain fall in 2004, but overjoyed at the fact that they’ve had enough time off from each other, and have decided to give the grueling road tour circuit another go.  If not for their enjoyment, but for the thousands upon thousands of phans who call our boys from Vermont the only ones for us.  Mike, Page, Trey, and Jon, Good luck and Godspeed.  We’ve been listening, and waiting.  Welcome home.