In honor of the occasion, I’ve decided to post a sampling of the original Trey Anastasio Band, formed back in the spring of 1999, when it was just a little side-project for this prolific songwriter/lead guitarist. This original line-up holds a sweet spot in my music collection. Perhaps this is because the original Trey solo tour was just a novelty and all the Phish fans new he’d be back with the band later that summer. Trey set himself up with a relentlessly groove-oriented rhythm section that served as a simple backdrop for his experiments with looping effects and guitar-madness. The line-up and the selected tracks from this show–from 5-13-99 in Binghamton, NY–are not perfect, but I selected them because they expose the raw experimentalism of Trey when he originally went out on his own. And it’s a side that, in my eyes, he has been unable to capture for some time now (although, I admit his other more expansive line-ups after 2000 certainly had their moments). Perhaps I’m just stuck on the nostalgia trip or maybe I haven’t opened up to Trey’s new sound? Maybe his new line-up will breathe new life, but until I hear otherwise, I’m sticking to some of the old stuff. Here’s the run-down of tracks with a little commentary for each:
- Get Back on the Train (early acoustic version)
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Billy Breathes (a beautiful version w/ Trey on piano)
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Gotta Jiboo (with cool looping effects w/ a funk breakdown)
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Windora Bug (experimental looping effects over mellow reggae groove)
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Wind Cries Mary (decent Hendrix cover)
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First Tube (with lots of guitar theartics, and just a great example of what this guy could pull off with that axe)
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Sand (a long/dark version + more experimental madness with the guitar loops)
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Ooh Child (a little cheesy, but somehow it still feels alright)
more…
WHY I won’t be there (the long version)
So last I saw Trey was when he teamed up with former Phish bassist, Mike Gordon, plus the duo of Marco Benevento and Joe Russo (who I’ve been digging for quite some time, and whose album is linked to Amazon through this site; down and to the right ->). They toured as a blockbuster line-up this summer, dropping the Duo’s patent punk-jazz craziness along with some Mike and Trey originals. Mike Gordon was as funky and tasteful as always, and there were moments of greatness and nostalgic glimpses back into the sheer revelry of a Phish summer tour. When the two sat down for a few songs on acoustic guitar and banjo, it was once again, simply all good on a beautiful summer night.
But something about that concert bugged me; Trey was throwing out some great guitar licks but when he stepped up to the plate with his own tunes, I couldn’t help but think his ability to craft a solid tune had suffered. Trey was never a great vocalist, but he could usually make up for it with a great guitar lick, a rockin’ chorus, or just “something else” out of his bag of tricks. But it wasn’t there. His songs were more of an awkward “adult contemporary” style and failed to move the crowd—though, they were the perfect time and excuse to hit the bathroom and get a beer.
So when I recently heard the announcement of his new album “Bar 17″ and a tour including a two-night stand at the Vic, rather than hop at the chance to see a (former?) guitar hero, I sort of shrugged it off until I could read a review of his latest album or hear some opinions on his latest line-up. Well, then I read this Jambase review of “Bar 17.” The online publication that would normally fawn over anything Trey offered a mixed review, thoroughly reinforcing my recent impressions of Mr. Anasatsio. I also gave a listen to the Relix Radio podcast of “Bar 17″ and decided that I felt the same as the Jambase reviewer: I was a bit confused about its direction (what an odd attempt at falsetto vocals), but more importantly, my feeling was something more along the lines of “meh.” And then I read the full feature on Trey and, though I felt a bit bad about all the criticism (including my own), I simply do not feel as if I’m a fan that’s “mad” at him because of a turn in direction (as the article suggested and offered the analogy of Dylan’s old folkie fans anger at his “going electric”). It’s more that I’m uninterested and lacking in emotional reaction. I’m not a mad fan, just not really all that much of a fan…and honestly, it’s a bit of a bummer, because I’d like to get excited about it. But there’s so much good music, so many great live bands, and so many other amazing guitarists out there to be a fan of these days, so why waste my time?
So I won’t be at the Vic tonight or tomorrow night. If I had all kinds of cash and no day-job, I’d probably check it out, but it’s not going to “get me off the couch.” I’ve just been too unimpressed with Trey’s solo output too many times over the last few years. That said, I’m hoping he will prove me wrong. I recently mentioned all of these thoughts to a friend and, although he agreed about my most recent impressions, he suggested the possibility that Trey was going through a kind of “Clapton in the 80s” cheesy phase and would be eventually be back. Let’s hope that’s the case, but for now, I’m sticking with the original line-up and checking out other up-and-coming live bands.
