Little Pheat
10.31.10 (redredworm)
Little Feat has always been, and will always be, a musicians’ band. And so when Phish – the ultimate musicians’ band – decided to cover their 1978 live album, Waiting For Columbus, on Sunday, there was perhaps no album more fitting.
Like Phish, Little Feat is a band that plays best in a live concert setting. As Little Feat keyboardist Bill Payne told Relix in 1978: “This band is a playing type of band. We just sound better live than we do on records.” So rather than attempt to learn a studio album, as they have done in the past, Phish took on the task of recreating one of these live experiences. The music lent itself so well to Phish’s playing that at times it didn’t seem as though they were covering another band at all – it seemed as though this music had been a part of the band since the beginning.
10.31.10 (redredworm)
The Halloween set began with “Join The Band” being piped over the PA system, as Phish took the stage with percussionist Giovanni Hidalgo alongside. In an attempt to replace the Tower of Power horns, who are featured on the album, Phish brought out members of Antibalas Horns – one of the finest horn sections on the scene today – and the Dapkings on several of the songs. There was instant chemistry, and as the band began to play we were shepherded back to the summer of 1978.
From note one of “Fat Man in the Bathtub,” it was clear how much of an influence these songs had on the members of Phish. Unlike many of the past musical costumes, where the band had to change their sound to suit the album, Little Feat was, as Jon mentions in the playbill, “in the fabric.” At one point a friend of mine turned to me and said “This sounds like Phish.” Or perhaps more appropriately, ‘Phish sounds like Little Feat’. Unfortunately, Trey did not use a slide (as George did) but instead mimicked his playing by cranking the treble on his amp and placing an equal importance on every note he played (as George did).
10.31.10 (redredworm)
While Phish has played “Skin it Back,” “On Your Way Down” (made famous by Little Feat) and “Time Loves a Hero” since the early eighties, it was some of the other songs that gave us a true glimpse at the connection between the two bands. Waiting for Columbus takes songs from all different parts of Little Feat’s early career, giving us a feel for the various directions the band explored. The album is much like a Phish studio album (or show) in that it explores so many different genres. There’s the shufflin’ boogie on “Dixie Chicken” or the jazz-fusion songs like “Time Loves a Hero” and “Day or Night” (the latter of which led to Lowell George’s departure from the band) that show the signs of a band that could truly do it all. As Trey mentions in the Playbill: “’Tripe Face Boogie’ is in 9 time, then switches to 5, and still maintains that dynamite boogie.” So it was no surprise that it was complex songs, such as these, that Phish shone brightest.
The first few songs let the band slip into their roles – Trey as a mix of Lowell George, the “Rock ‘n’ Roll Doctor,” and Paul Barrere, Mike as Kenny Gradney, Page as Bill Payne and Jon as Richie Hayward. But by “Time Loves a Hero,” the two groups had converged as one, Little Pheat, and the delivery couldn’t have been better. The band performed perhaps the best ever version of the song, flanked by Antibalas multi-instrumentalist Stuart Bogie on sax. From that point almost every moment was a highlight, but a run of songs in the middle of the set especially stood out – the run of “Spanish Moon,” “Dixie Chicken” > “Tripe Face Boogie.” I imagine it will be one of the songs from this segment that will be revisited by the band in the future.
10.31.10 (redredworm)
One of the highlights, for me, was a near-perfect rendition of one of my favorite Feat tunes “Day or Night.” Phish nailed the vocal harmonies, and did justice to the complex instrumental sections. Little Feat’s influence on Phish was readily apparent as they worked through the odd-measured sections that resembled so many of their own compositions. “Mercenary Territory,” was another highlight and showed Trey mimicking George’s slide solos using bends instead of a slide, which actually worked surprisingly well. Although, I would have liked to see Trey tune to ‘G’ and lay down some leads with George’s trademark ¾ steel socket slide.
But it was the fitting “Spanish Moon,” a song about hookers and hustlers, and a run of songs that followed that served as the main highlight of the night. Having played “Spanish Moon” with Dave and Friends in the past, Trey was familiar with the jam, and it came off as one that had been in the rotation for years. Again, “part of the fabric.” The jam seemed so natural, and showed the massive influence Hayward has been on Jon’s playing. As Jon mentions in his personal tribute to the legendary Little Feat drummer Richie Hayward included in the Phishbill, “there has probably been no greater direct influence on my drumming than Richie Hayward…”
"Willin'" 10.31.10 (redredworm)
Next, the band switched gears to the other side of Little Feat’s song catalog, the George-driven down-home “Dixie Chicken,” and Phish once again flourished. Few bands could go from an R&B boogie to southern barroom blues as Little Feat did, but Phish mastered the challenge without a single slip. Page shone on this one, paying a worthy tribute to his hero Bill Payne. After “Dixie Chicken” the band segued perfectly back into the jazz-fusion side of Little Feat, annihilating the band’s complex jam vehicle “Tripe Face Boogie.”
The night also served as a tribute to Little Feat drummer Richie Hayward, who passed away this past August, and Lowell George who died in 1979, shortly after Little Feat’s disbandment. Jon donned a pair of Henrietta-patterned overalls, as a tribute to George who often wore overalls onstage. George truly was a musical genius, shown by his songwriting ability, his singing, his slide playing and his signature compressed tone. His greatness is perhaps best described in a Little Feat song called “Rock ‘n’ Roll Doctor,” “He’s got two degrees in bebop, a PHD in swing, he’s the master of rhythm, he’s the rock ‘n’ roll king.”
10.31.10 (redredworm)
While the band’s comments prior to Halloween may have led our minds astray, Little Feat should have been an obvious choice all along. While in 2003, when Trey made comments about wanting to do King Crimson or Brian Eno, the musical direction at the time was entirely different. I mean, he had just played and released an album with Oysterhead and was in the midst of what is perhaps Phish’s most psychedelic and exploratory period. Fast forward to now, and it seems Trey, along with the rest of the band, has moved forward in a new direction – one that focuses on songs, songwriting, and rediscovering old songs. So it seems fitting that they chose an album by a band that had all of that and more, and one that has influenced them since the very beginning.
“When we started Phish, we wanted an experience – dancing, fun, togetherness…while sticking in the crazy influences and time changes, and the funk and African things. But those guys were doing it all along. Little Feat were the gold standard.” –Trey, 2010 Phishbill
[All pictures courtesy of Glowstickwars.com user Redredworm]
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I’m still blown away, excellent execution, and such a natural sound, and such joy comes through on this. When I first heard Phish, I heard much more LF than GD. More NO than SF. Coming back full cicle
November 2, 2010 at 6:20 pm
I loved every second of it. Favorite band doing one of my all time favorite albums. Thank you Phish for playing it, thank you Little Feat for creating it.
November 2, 2010 at 6:47 pm
Great article DGB! I love the Little feat too and thought it was such a fitting tribute. I wish that I could’ve been there. Kinda wished Trey had brushed up on some slide for the show. It would’ve been (even more) incredible. Long live the phish!
November 2, 2010 at 7:24 pm
Had a great time on Halloween with Phish, as expected. I want to bring out this point to the Phish community.
This year’s Halloween album choice predicts the end of progressive Phish is nearing. Here’s why…
Little Feat’s album was a fun party that danced the night away. So much so that the band literally danced congo-line style out the door at the set’s conclusion. Fun! Even if you didn’t know the album, anyone who has been to Jazzfest, or seen and New Orleans style band play at their local watering hole, had heard some of these songs before. The album choice was an guaranteed recipe for a fun, lighthearted party, great for drinking tallboys with your friends on the beach in New Jersey! But, where was the musical magic? I felt it was more than a little absent from the set. Halloween album covers reflect the band’s current musical state and direction for the future. And after this year’s Halloween costume, I fear that the MAGIC which is becoming all too rare these days may be becoming extinct.
Lets take a look at the Halloweens through the years for proof.
1994- The Whilte Album – Great choice because at the time, Phish was famous for their virtuoso and ability to play any style of music (plus those “zany” lyrics), which is exactly what The White Album demands. A collection of musical styles, not really centered around any theme but more a celebration of the toxic waste and purple paste that hold this band together. Phish proved that they were progressing so rapidly that they could do justice one of the greatest albums of all time, and the sheer fact that they did it, got the attention of the music world, and won them new phans worldwide. That’s progression. The phish magic that came out of set 3 speaks for itself.
1995 – Quadrophenia – The Who’s concept-album about a boy with 4 personalities- reflecting each band member’s personality. Easy to see how the concept was a hit with another 4-peice band. Deeper examination reveals that Phish chose this BIG ROCK album to coincide with their arrival as the band that could sell out BIG ARENAS like MSG on New Year’s Eve. (See Trey’s quote on phish.net) While not the phan-favorite, it nevertheless was a great choice for the band, and practicing the album helped them figure out the arena sound. Need proof? 2 months later the band was almost over-prepared to play their “greatest show ever” at MSG on new year’s eve. Magical moments are becoming easier to attain almost nightly as the band redefines progression.
1996 – Remain in Light. There is a recent quote on phish.net where Trey tells David Byrne that Phish spent a year “getting inside their heads” learning the album. Just take a look at what followed in 1997 and 1998, the advent of COWFUNK, arguably Phish’s greatest contribution to modern music, or at least inarguably their most original sound of their career. Thank you Talking Heads. You have set the band ablaze. Magical Progression.
1998 – Loaded. The band was “locked and loaded” at this point. They needed a classic album that they could make their own. A more obscure, yet classic album provided a chance for Phish to jam their juggarnauting, original sound into songs that lent themselves to improvisation. Progression – the first time that the band truly made a Halloween Magic by making the album their own.
2009 – Exile on Main Street. 11 years later, Phish has been to hell and back. Drug addiction, break-ups, failures, return to glory. The band was now ready to take on the Rolling Stone’s soul-wrenching tale of the trials and tribulations of a band on top of the world. It was a perfect fit in a beautiful setting and the magic of the festival atmosphere under the full moon tugged at the heartstrings of all who made the trek with the band across the country. Progression because after 11 years, they were ready to practice again, and do something that they weren’t ready to do ever before. After that weekend it looked as if Phish was destined to age with grace.
2010 – Waiting for Columbus – INITIAL REPORT- When Phish took on the task of learning Waiting for Columbus, they already HAD that sound. Read the PhishBill, they have been trying to “play” this album via phish songs for their whole careers. Little Feat’s live album is a collection of tunes written at different times reflecting that band’s overall “best of” in their career, and therefore leaves little room to stretch out some PHISH magic, only recreate the Little Feat magic. That’s exactly what the band so intended, according to the PhishBill. Does this mean there is no place left for the Phish to grow? They have resorted to playing note for note renditions of another band’s glory? If you take a look at Halloween History, this one is much more akin to THE WHITE ALBUM then any others. Regression?
I don’t expect anything monumental to change from Phish’s sound after this year’s Halloween album. Remember, phish PRACTICES much more than usual in preparation for a Halloween album, and PRACTICE is what this band’s progression has been built on. So now that phish has taken on the recital of playing an album that is not really an album, and shown the world that they could play Trey’s favorite party record from his youth, I was a little disappointed. Maybe there isn’t much further for the band to go.
I guess this one was a celebration that yes, “they are still having fun” and maybe that’s all that matters. God knows I will be there with them, to have fun on New Year’s Eve and whenever they come close enough to town. I just hope that the band takes a look at where they want to go from here and comes up with a direction that pushes them as musicians so that I can get my progressive music fix from the greatest band in the world, and not have to start looking elsewhere for those magical moments.
PS. To all those who were “tricked” on 10/30. If we are to ever hear Led Zeppelin’s Physical Grafitti, it will be the last Halloween show ever. The letter to Jimi Page will have been written and that will be that. They will truly be Halloween Alumni at that point.
November 3, 2010 at 8:31 am
Sam…..this piece might be your best effort yet. You keep writing material like this and I will keep pimping it on twitter and the Type II Cast!
Cheers,
@drewphish
November 3, 2010 at 4:03 pm
I was under the impression that it wasn’t a “note for note rendition of another band’s glory”. I thought they “re-created” the live experience. with their own improvisation and jamming techniques.
November 8, 2010 at 9:36 am