paul_herold

I'm troubled that Trey's voice seems like a such a block to Scott's interest in Phish. I agree with 'Fulton Becker' that Phish's strength is not in their vocals or lyrics, but I also agree that if you can't get past a lead singer's voice, it's hard to like a band. The nice part about Phish is that they have 3 competent (not great, but competent) vocalists that sing lead--though Trey hogs it a bit too much. Scott seemed to be enjoying the harmonies where Mike or Page were taking the melody. I think you should play "Jesus Just Left Chicago" from Slip Stitch and Pass, as it features Page exclusively on vocals, not to mention a nice, laid back blues jam. It's a risk--it's an atypical song, and if Scott hates or loves ZZ Top it could be a game ruiner. Also, you guys both sound like you have some knowledge of and appreciation for musicianship and musical form. Trey's guitar tone, phrasing, and overall style is what initially attracted me to Phish. Weirdly, I didn't actually get into them until after I quit smoking pot. It was pot that got me into Radiohead (Hail to the Thief). What about doing Trey's top five solos/riffs? One final note: I have to agree with Scott that a lot of Phish's lyrics are dumb, especially some of their more serious songs, but there's nothing wrong with weird-dumb or silly-dumb. YEM is the perfect example. The lyrics are nonsense, but the vocals function more as another instrument rather than a unifying theme for the song. "Simple" is another good example. The lyrics are like that of a children's song, but they have a goofy twist at the end that I appreciate. It's dumb, but it's fun. Exceptionally verbose or preachy songs get pretty tiring. The nice part about Phish is that you aren't missing anything if you can't understand the words, but you can still sing along AND get the benefit of a face-melter from Trey.