so i'll start this off with the disclaimer that i have only been listening to jam bands for the past 4-5 years but i have been into technical prog music and playing guitar for the past 12 or so. i got the iclips summer of jam pass which has exposed me to some more jam bands. so im talking about the major ones here...umphreys, moe, sci, furthur.

i have seen a lot of really really f***in talented musicians in this scene. but one thing that i can not let go of, is the fact that MIKE f***IN GORDON IS THE BEST BASS PLAYER EVER! he is so creative and he takes the instrument as almost a lead instrument rather than a background instrument holding the melody and the percussion together. he uses the instrument like no other bass player i have ever seen in any band. he is the f***in man and he is the reason why phish stands out. i agree trey, page, and fish pretty much kill everyone else too but not to the extent that mike does. if he is a 10 and im sure we can all agree he is a dime piece, i haven't heard anyone else better than a 5. dude from umphreys worries more about his outfit and his facial hair than his instrument, the dude from moe sounds like flea half the time, phil is the man we can all agree but he is old school, and the dude from sci is pretty much just there because they need a bass player. i guess i am preaching to the choir here but i just needed to express my excitement for this man. i have a man crush and it is not gonna go away!

Well, they've been playing together for almost 30 years. I think that may be a key factor. Also they are way more experimental with sound than other jam bands. You don't really get those super trippy/spacey jams with Umphs, Moe, WSP, etc.

Keith Moseley is an awesome multi-intstrumentalist and a badass song writer. You sir, need to listen to more String Cheese if you think Moseley is just some dude up there. Every musician plays their instrument differently because its unique to them and the expression their conveying. Mike is the man because Mike plays the bass in a way that only Gordo can. I love Phish and Mike. You love Phish and Mike. But don't discredit other musicians because they have different styles.

Mike is the best in my mind too.

I think that missing any one piece of the puzzle(as far as the members go) the band would not be the same. Coming from a drummers perspective though, I must say that fishman has always been underrated. He is able to play every style including borderline "symphonic" masterpieces. Ok maybe not even borderline. They are symphonic and they ARE masterpieces. I may be biased but he is truly a unique and talented drummer. I mean even since the return he's been killing shit. The jones beach timber from way back in '09 is mind-blowing work from fish. If you don't believe me, do yourself a favor and relisten. Oh yeah, Gordo is a f***ing alien too!

@benevolution said:

whether you think he's the best or not, Mike is at the top of his game right now. i truly think that as great as he's always been, he's never been this great. he is "Mr. Type II" as far as Phish 3.0 goes. Nearly every really great jam this past leg and all of last year were started by him being the first to go off the beaten path and bring a new sound to the jam simply by finding that right key and sticking to it. And historically its always been that way. Listen to some of the most celebrated of Phish jams - such as the Went Gin, the Hampton Halley's or, more recently, the Bethel rehearsal Waves - and you'll see that everything starts with the Cactus. I have never seen MGB (nor TAB for that matter) but I am definitely going to check it out this fall.

Excellent points all...since the return Mike's presence and playing have been front and center. I can't tell you how many times at 3.0 show or on a relisten to a 3.0 show I've turned to my wife and said,'listen to Mike'.

And as far as MGB is concerned...it's the best side project. Much love to TAB and Vida but Mike's quirky songwriting, honest and reflective lyrics and innate skill as a band leader is unparalleled.

I think it's the material sets them apart. You know, the songs.

When it comes to the musicianship, though, I'd have to say it's their sense of restraint coupled with their ability that sets them apart. I've seen so many blazing bassists that bored me to tears--all wank and no sense of melody. That ain't Mike.

Restraint. It was the lack of it that led me to walk out of the Vida Blue show at the State Theater in Ithaca.

:: runs for cover ::

If you want to hear a bass player with great improvising skills, get into medeski Martin and wood. Chris wood is a beast. In fact, all 3 members are about as good as it gets at their respective instruments.

^Looks like page is taking a dump

I think it's the quality of the songs and compositions. Reba, Bowie, Yem, Tweezer, Hood Fluffhead, and on and on. No other band has music that can touch that of the Phish.

Also, I just think their jams are much more compelling than other "jam bands." And yes, it has a lot to do with Gordon but each member of Phish is essential to the whole

It's all about the Languedocs.

if you're into creative, non-traditional, virtuoso rock/blues/jam bass players (and i believe you are), you owe it to your self to listen to one of the finest ever - Mr. Jack Casady. he (and phil) pretty much wrote the book. pick any tuna or early airplane disc and have a ball! he's nasty!

Joonze approved with a double stamp....

A couple thoughts:

-Mike, Trey and Page are all great, but Fishman is Phish, they named the band after him. Him and Trey pretty much have steered the ship from the beginning.

-Phish is not a jam band and jam bands are not Phish

@Kurtzboy said:

I, personally, think it's hard to judge who the "best" player of any instrument is. Mike is at the top of his field/genre/whatever, but how can you compare him to Mike Watt, who's an outstanding punk bassist? Apples to oranges.

One of my biggest influences in guitar playing once told me that all those guys are 10's. At a certain point, it's all about personal preference. He also says Scotty Anderson is the best guitar player, living or dead. Interestingly enough, Scotty lives across the street from my grandmother.

What makes Phish great? Sure it's the players, but it's also the songs. We love the jams, but they don't happen without such an extensive selection of tunes as jam vehicles. I somewhat consider Phish to be like the Allman Brothers Band, in that they are less of a jam band and more of a band that jams. Big difference.

@TwiceBitten said:

A couple thoughts:

-Mike, Trey and Page are all great, but Fishman is Phish, they named the band after him. Him and Trey pretty much have steered the ship from the beginning.

-Phish is not a jam band and jam bands are not Phish

This is exactly what I was going to say, Phish is not just a jam band. Nobody else has their range

I don't know why but they sure as hell are. We are so lucky!

The variety in what they play, the variety of styles they can play in and their ability to switch that up anytime, during any song, is without peer, I'd say. They do have a distinct sound, much of the time, but I've made friends' heads spin when playing some Phish that didn't have what they expected Phish music to sound like.

They have a fearlessness that came from being music nerds as kids who didn't give a flying f*** what anybody thought about them. They all pretty much came from parents who encouraged creativeness, emphasized the arts, and supported them when artists need it most; when they were teens. And since Trey was learning to write songs when he was a young young kid, they were able to develop faster than younger bands, and were hungry enough to make an impact to practice for days, weeks, years and decades in order to get to this point! I'm not even sure "hungry" is the right word, since they were a working bar band for a long time and not getting rich, but tons of bands at that level only care about writting the next album, not doing oh ke pa ceremonies for 36 hours or whatever in order to get deeper into the ego-less space that improv needs to florish.

So, it's a whole giant slew of traits they possess as individuals and as a group that makes them unique. And uniqueness is so rare in music I think people just get off on the fact that the unexpected is what you have to be ready for when you go to see them or throw on a show. Not everyone likes that level of experiementation, but those of us who do know there is nothing else like it.

Phish as a band just gets off on getting better, more than any other band out there, and it's obvious they'll be working at this until they cannot play anymore.

"Jam bands" tend to jsut add some noodling, some songs about getting f***ed up, some cool covers and leave it at that. Usually with the bands that I really go nuts over, like Phish, they have lyrics that pull me in as well as a good sound. And jam bands always seem to have these hippy dippy lyrics that are horrible so I have no reason to want to dig deeper than to just listen. With Phish I want to read and figure out wtf they are doing because quite often they surprise the f*** out of me! Thank god.

Phish has all that plus so much more that everyone has spelled out above..they are their own universe and they have created every bit of it themselves!

Sorry this is a novelette but I am passionate about this band! cheers.

@tripsforjoeg, Scotty Anderson is my band's guitar player's teacher. No lie.

I don't know if i was scanning this too fast, but i swear this was a bassist dedicated stream in the long run with no mention of..... LES FREAKIN' CLAYPOOL?! if this is the case someone please exhibit: Sausage, Holy Mackerel, Les Claypool's Flying Frog Brigade, Les Claypool & the Fancy Band, Les Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains, or of course there's a little project called OYSTERHEAD (with trey and Stewart Copeland for the Police) or if you can find it; "3 Guys Named Schmo" with Jay Lane from Sausage and Rob Wasserman on upright bass from the Bay Area Music Awards 3/5/94. And if you really want to make things easy on yourself just go find some PRIMUS

@RyanW said:

It's because they care so much about the music.
but one thing I recommend you do man is to look at some other music too. If you go outside your normal genres you'll find a lot of crazy musicians. You say Mike is the best, you'd be right to say HE"S DAMN GOOD. Cuz it's true, he's nuts, but you can't call one person the best because different styles require different things. For instance look at Vic.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPBmyFsfyPc

Mike kills it, but if he's a 10, Vic is a 20.

@Land_o_Lizards said:

@Phlat_Brim_Kid said:

Thayer are 5 reasons
http://www.examiner.com/images/blog/wysiwyg/image/trey 's_o_face.jpg http://images.jambase.com/bands/pagemcconnell/feature/big2.jpg http://images.jambase.com/bands/MikeGordon/Haight4.jpg http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/252/3786050.jpg http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyn62op82l1roa1ryo1_500.jpg
and thats all i have to say about that

What's up with mr. Armcrosser standing right behind chris. This must be a pic from when kuroda was on DMB tour. Lame!

Clearly you've never been to the taper section.

i mean i guess it gives you something to do in the bus on tour and something to talk to girls about but in general this dude annoys me.

the terrible thing about hell is that when you're there you can't even tell

@Lizards1024 said:

@boardr1611 said:

mike's my fave.... always the MVP in my eyes... but... re-listen to "lemon song" and "ramble on" and tell me how John Paul Jones isnt one of the best bassists to ever live.

http://therecord.blogs.com/blogovich/2007/09/led-zeppelin-as.html

too bad half of their songs are ripped off.

JPJ's bass licks are original tho.... but yea that sucks. big time.