Before Phish Heard It - Trey Anastasio

What if the side project of the frontman of Phish wasn't really a side project at all — but the laboratory where Phish's best songs were invented, road-tested, and perfected before Phish ever heard them? That's the Trey Anastasio Band story, and it starts with actual eight-foot glowing fluorescent tubes being waved by dancers on stage at a benefit concert for a brother-in-law's nightclub in Burlington, Vermont. In this episode, Schecky finally gives TAB its own episode after referencing Trey in nearly every corner of this podcast — tracing how a chance encounter with bassist Tony Markellis led to the creation of First Tube, Sand, and Gotta Jibboo in a single Burlington rehearsal, how Jennifer Hartswick joined the band fresh out of high school and became one of the most respected horn players in the jam world, and why the eight-piece groove machine that TAB became is the connective tissue binding together the entire Schecky's Jam Bands universe. We break down why Gotta Jibboo is the one song every new listener needs and make the case for why a TAB show might be the most unique live music experience in the jam world — because you could be hearing the next Phish song before Phish has played it yet. Subscribe, drop a comment telling us your favorite TAB show or the TAB song you were surprised to later hear become a Phish staple, and share this episode with any Phish fan who hasn't yet made the leap to the band that feeds the mother ship.