Phish Tribute Band Brings Phish Jams to Central Texas

Online, October 3, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Phish, the band of four from Vermont who've led the live jam scene since the 1990s, is well known for their creative improvisation, unpredictable setlists, intense light shows and complex musical journeys. Their live tours often include multi-day camping festivals, and have spawned a community passionate enough to rival that of the Grateful Dead. For fans in Texas, however, Phish concerts are few and far between. Phish headlined the 2010 Austin City Limits Music Festival in Austin, TX, but before that, Phish's most recent show in Texas dated back to 2000, a decade earlier. Fans have long lamented the lack of attention from the band in Texas, with groups on Facebook like "Texas Needs Phish Too" popping up to encourage the group to include the Lone Star State in future tours.

While Texas may be passed up regularly in the Phish tour calendar, however, the jamband scene in Austin is alive and thriving, with local and touring bands like Moving Matter, Holding Space, Jabarvy, Toast, Dimitri's Ascent and others filling the niche. And as of 2010, there's an entry into that scene tailored specifically for Phish fans. A Live One, a Phish tribute band based out of Austin, TX made their local debut following national group Umphrey's McGee at Stubbs on April 20, 2011. In the following months, A Live One has played other venues that regularly host national touring bands, including the Parish in Austin and the Texas Music Theater in San Marcos, TX.

A Live One's upcoming schedule includes shows in Austin, Dallas and Cistern TX, and the band (consisting of Josh Pearson, Dan McGreevy, Wesley Haynes and Michael Boyd) plans to bring the music of Phish to other locations in Central Texas and beyond in 2012. The band also has its own concert lighting company, as the Austin-based Sense and Color Lighting works to make sure every show comes as close as possible to the feel of a real Phish concert.

A Live One also plans to bring another Phish tradition to Austin this month. On Halloween, the band Phish often sports a "musical costume" by covering another famous (non-Phish) album, front-to-back. In past years, these musical costumes have included Exile on Main St by the Rolling Stones, and Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd, among others. A Live One will bring this tradition to Austin this Halloween night (Oct. 31, 2011) at Antone's in Austin, where they will perform the Price album "Purple Rain" in its entirety, along with two full sets of music by Phish.

While A Live One may not be Phish, they are building a core group of fans who who haven't missed a show yet, and as news of a Phish tribute band in Austin spreads, Texas may just finally get a little of the Phish it needs.