Former phish shares his dream

Trey Anastasio
Trey Anastasio
Elektra Records After a successful summer 2001 tour with his eight-piece live band, the currently-on-hiatus Phish frontman Trey Anastasio is set to release his first solo project April 30. And after listening to it, it's easy to tell he's formulated his own unique sound. I was fortunate enough to catch the "Trey and Friends" tour last year with a few friends. It was amazing. I'd seen Phish live before, but what Trey and his band played for the Verizon Wireless Music Center crowd was anything but the elongated jam sessions commonly associated with Phish. As I listened to Trey Anastasio for the first time, it became quite clear that the summer tour was simply a testing ground for new material that would eventually go on the album. The opening track "Alive Again," is a perfect example. No other track on the album took me back to last summer more than this track did. "Alive Again" is also an excellent indication of the style found on the rest of the album -- Latin-influenced percussion, a big band-style horn section (lead impeccably by trumpeter Jennifer Hartswick), and the virtuoso guitar licks of Trey himself. While most of the songs on the album contain an upbeat air of jam-influenced madness, it's comforting that Anastasio recorded tracks such as "Flock of Words" and "Ray Dawn Balloon." Both songs slow down the tempo found on the rest of the album, but they provide a welcomed rest after such climaxing songs as "Mr. Completely" and "Last Tube." Besides Anastasio's standard eight-piece band, he also invites a considerable number of guest musicians on the album to perform. Many classical instruments such as clarinets, bassoons, and violins are scattered throughout the album which gives it a well-rounded sound and makes sure not to focus too heavily on just guitars, bass, etc. This is a fantastic album that, like anything Trey does, should be listened to in its entirety. Trey sums it up best on the last song, "Ether Sunday" when he sings, "And life is just a funny dream, and someday I'll share this dream with you." Trey will do just that the moment you listen to this album.